Merci Marcel @ Eng Hoon Street - Hearty And Homemade Cuisines Of Regional French Flavours At Original Tiong Bahru Outlet

Located in the enclave of Tiong Bahru, chic French cafe-restaurant Merci Marcel serves up a variety of French bakes and mains in the daytime menu and a dinner ‘tapas’ menu, created for sharing in a good company come evening. Merci Marcel up the ante with a new dinner menu of Southern French flavours, conceptualised by the Merci Marcel team and Boudrdeax Chef Nicholas Nguyen Van Hai. Dishes recommended were the Southern French-style flaky pizza pissaladiere of Provence, the Alsatian tarte flambee made a la minute, and locally-sourced prawns marinated with French-Spanish influence and garlic, and more!

G'Vin 4/5

We started the evening with some of the drinks recommended by the friendly server. For something on the sweeter side, go for the G'Vin ($18) - a concoction of grapefruit tonic, grapefruit, blueberries and decorated with rose petals, which makes for a light and refreshing drink that would appeal to any gin & tonic lover.

300g Beef Striploin 4.2/5

From the sharing plates, we had the Beef Striploin ($42). The 300g portion size was great for sharing and done medium rare, the meat was grilled to tender perfection. However, the highlight for us was the creamy seasonal mushrooms which were served atop the steak, along with a flavourful beef jus reduction and burnt leek, which just elevated the entire dish.

Truffle Tarte Flambee 4/5

Another excellent dish le Tarte Flambee ($25) which comes with onion, comte, artisanal corsica coppa, and fragrant truffle oil atop a thin, flaky pizza. The salted cured meat added a delightful smoky savouriness to the dish, and the crust got more addictive as we crunched away on it. We only hoped the truffle flavour could be more robust as the aroma was not distinctive enough, masked by the stronger savoury flavours of the dish.

Ravioles de Royans 4.2/5

For something more substantial, opt for the Ravioles de Royans ($18), one of the signature dishes at Merci Marcel. A French speciality of the Dauphine region - the mini French dumpling pasta is filled with creamy Tete de Moine cheese and served in a thick creamy sauce. The dish gets more addictive with each al dente bite and won me over with its cheesy and gooey filling. Surprisingly, the creaminess of the dish was quite light and did not overwhelm us at the end of it all. It is available in either small ($18) or large ($28), but we recommend getting the larger size for sharing to get your fill of this cheesy goodness.

Duck Parmentier Facon Marcel 3.8/5

The Duck Parmentier Facon Marcel ($27) features tender duck confit shreds sitting atop shredded Darphin potatoes, resembling the potato rosti that we are more familiar with. The rosti has just slight crispiness of the outside while retaining a soft mushy centrever, we found the duck confit to be a little too dry for our liking.

Lemon Pie 4/5

We round off our meal with their new desserts - the Lemon Pie ($12) comes in an interesting deconstructed presentation. We loved how the sourness from the lemon curd is balanced off by the sweetness of the soft homemade meringue while sitting atop a pile of buttery crusts which added a nice texture to the creaminess of the other elements.

Chocolate Mousse 3.8/5

Made using coconut oil, the Chocolate Mousse ($11) is a dairy-free dessert and comes in a cup of creamy dark chocolatey mousse sitting atop a crunchy cookie base. While the bittersweet chocolate mousse was enjoyable, it got a little too much halfway through, and we began digging for the crunchy base to pair with the creamy mousse.

Photos and words by Crystal. A girl who likes to eat, photograph, and write about food, and dreams about travelling around the world one day. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Merci Marcel
56 Eng Hoon Street
#01-68
Singapore 160056
Tel: +65 62240113
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Tiong Bahru (EW Line), Outram Park (EW Line, NE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 8am - 1130pm
Sun: 8am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Tiong Bahru MRT station. Take Exit A or B. Head east on Tiong Bahru Road towards Jalan Membina. Walk down Tiong Bahru and turn right onto Kim Pong Road. Turn left onto Lim Liak Street. Walk to the of Lim Liak Street and turn right onto Seng Poh Road. Journey time about 12 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Outram MRT station. Take Exit A or C. Walk to bus stop opposite Outram MRT station (Stop ID 06011). Take bus no. 33, 63, 75, 851 or 970. Alight 1 stop later at Blk 55 Tiong Bahru Road. Continue on Tiong Bahru Road and turn left onto Seng Poh Road. Continue on Seng Poh Road until destination. Journey time 8 minutes. [Map]

Grill Ninety Nine @ Arab Street - Halal Restaurant Offering Quality & Affordable Western Cuisine

Less than 5 minutes walk from Bugis MRT station will bring you to Grill Ninety Nine at Arab Street. Serving western cuisine that is prepared using halal-certified ingredients, Grill Ninety Nine prides itself on its meat offerings, featuring good quality beef and lamb from New Zealand.

Crispy Crab Cakes 4.5/5

Appetisers may not be the primary focus of your meal, but you must try its Crispy Crab Cakes ($12.90) which is also available as a burger variant. When so often crab cakes are loaded with fillers, crusts that are too thick or over-fried even, these were thin and crisp, with the inside moist and well-seasoned to bring out the delicate flavours of the crab leg meat.

Cream of Mushroom 3.5/5

Cream of Mushroom ($6) is made in-house too. I loved the peppery-ness of it, which elevated the aromatic and earthy flavours of the mushrooms. It is very creamy and heavy, hence do share if you are going for it.

Ribeye Steak 4/5

Grill Ninety Nine's signature items are undeniably its steaks, served with a choice of black pepper, mushroom or brown sauce. We tried Ribeye Steak ($29.90 for 200g/ $45 for 425g). Lightly seasoned with salt and pepper, it was skillfully grilled to the doneness we requested. What made it even tastier was the fresh medley of herbs, in particular rosemary, that accented its fats and juice. Steaks are served with either fries or mash potato. We had ours changed to their new side item, sweet potato fries, for tasting purposes. It is available as a side for $9.90.

A highlight on its menu is the offering of Raclette Cheese at $8.90, which you can add as a topping on your mains, be it steak, burger, pasta. Prepared a la minute after your main is served, get your phone ready to capture the wow moment as you see a huge dollop of warm, gooey raclette cheese being scraped and allow to fall onto your plate.

Oven Roasted Angus Beef Ribs 3/5

The much anticipated Oven-roasted Angus Beef Ribs ($49.90) didn't quite hit the mark. The portion definitely sells, which was a feast for the eyes when it was served to us, but the sticky glaze that coated the meat was too sweet, and the meat was not as tender as expected.

Jawbreaker 3.5/5

Moving on to burgers, Jawbreaker ($22) offers your ravenous soul with a triple handmade beef patty piled between freshly baked brioche buns. Each patty is about 150g and in between patties are pickles and inhouse sauces. I like the buns used here, they didn't go all soggy even then they had to hold what was being stuffed between them. The spices and herbs used in the patty flavoured the meat well, but the juiciness of the patties fell short from expectations. Without the natural fats and juice from the meat, it lacked the beefy flavour that I seek. Nacho cheese is used for the burgers here, and personally, I feel that hard cheeses that are sharper in flavours work better in burgers. That said, the whole visual entertainment and satisfaction derived from eating a three-tiered patty burger are still considered tummy and senses filling.

Nutella Brownie Milkshake 3.5/5

On the drinks menu, what stood out is the Nutella Brownie Milkshake ($10) that comes with a rich and moist brownie stick. I think this combination will also work should there be a hot version of it.

Waffle with Ondeh-Ondeh Ice Cream 3.8/5

Desserts are simple, such as cakes, scoops of ice cream or housemade soft-serve ice creams. We tried the combination of Waffle with Ondeh-Ondeh Ice Cream. The waffle was soft with a crispy exterior, and interestingly as they sopped up the ice cream, they attained a slightly chewy texture which accentuated the characteristics of Ondeh Ondeh experience. A handful more grated coconut would have made this dessert more complete.

Written and photography by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food.


Grill Ninety Nine
142 Arab Street
Singapore 199828
Tel: +65 62927363
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily 12pm - 10pm

Direction:
Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk down Victoria Street towards Arab Street. Turn right onto Arab Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]