La Dame de Pic @ Raffles Hotel Singapore - Re-opens After The Circuit Breaker With A New Summer Menu

I have the pleasure of dining at La Dame de Pic by Chef Anne-Sophie Pic when it first opened at Raffles Hotel Singapore. Unfortunately with the COVID-19 pandemic and the circuit breaker measure taken by the government, the restaurant was temporarily closed for dining. Great news for diners looking forward to dining in one of the world's top female chefs' restaurant, having a total of seven Michelin stars under her belt, you will be glad to know that La Dame de Pic has reopened!

Before commencing on our dinner, we receive a number of amuse bouche to kick start our dinner. We have the Olive-green Chocolate Truffle infused with yuzu. You get an explosion of flavour when you bite into it.

Then there is the Marshmellow coated with Peanut which tastes like our local muah chee. There is also the Honeycomb Cracker with a delightfully crispy texture.

Last but not least, the Corn Taco and Milk Yoghurt to round up the amuse bouche surprises. We already have 5 dishes before starting on the courses.

I have to warn that you need to control yourself in eating too much of the freshly baked bread. It is so good that my dining companions had 3 servings. You probably do not want to get yourself full before even starting on the courses.

Tomato Myriad

Starting the 5-course meal is the refreshing Tomato Myriad paired with a scoop of burrata ice cream. The sweetness of the colourful tomatoes is lifted with the tomato consomme lightly infused with elderflower, tasting of summer with each bite of the sweet and tangy fruit.

Berlingots 4.5/5

An iconic dish in every Anne-Sophie Pic restaurant is the Berlingots which incorporates local elements. In Singapore, the restaurant has infused the broth with the herb of grace, a local ingredient used in Chinese medicine and cooking. The flavour of the pasta parcel also changes with seasons. In my previous visit, I had green Matcha pasta parcel filled with French cheese fondue. This time it is beet pasta parcel filled with French cheese fondue.

Turbot from Brittany 4/5

Next is the Fish dish - Turbot from Brittany. The fish is cooked elegantly with a delicate, lightly sweet flavour. Simple but yet will get you craving for more.

The Pigeon from Bresse 4.2/5

Saga Wagyu Beef 4.2/5

For the mains, the diner can choose between the Saga Wagyu Beef and The Pigeon. As I have already tried the Saga Wagyu Beef in my earlier visit, I decided to go for The Pigeon. The bird was beautifully roasted on its chest, complemented by the lightly smoked broth infused with Madagascan vanilla, roasted barley, Phu Quoc pepper and kumquat.

Brie de Meaux Cheese with Vanilla 4/5

The Brie de Meaux Cheese with Vanilla is a pre-dessert which is like have a bowl of cheese soup with a thin cracker film.

White Mille-feuille

For dessert, diners have 3 choices. If you are dining here for the first, I would highly recommend you to go for the White Mille-feuille. This is another iconic dish that they have kept it in their new menu.

Alpaco Chocolate

Gariguette Strawberry

The other 2 desserts on the menu are the Alpaco Chocolate and Gariguette Strawberry. They are the new dessert creations for the new summer menu. I had the Alpaco Chocolate which comes with Hojicha and cubeb pepper light mousse paired with beeswax honey ice cream. It is rich but yet not heavy to wrap up the dinner.

Last but at least the whole dinner experience is wrapped up with the Petite Four. The menu I had is the 5-course Experience Menu at $238 per pax with an additional $158 for wine and sake pairing. I realised the restaurant has increased its price since my visit last year. Maybe it has to do with the increased ingredients' price due to the significant reduction in overseas freight flights in the aviation market.

Note: this is an invited tasting.


La Dame de Pic
Raffles Hotel Singapore
1 Beach Road
Singapore 189673
Tel: +65 63371886
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: City Hall (EW Line, NS Line), Esplanade (CC Line)

Opening Hours:
Tue-Sat: 12pm - 2pm, 7pm - 930pm
(Closed on Sun and Mon)

Direction:
1) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit F. Walk to the junction of Beach Road and Bras Basah Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time is about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at City Hall MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to Junction of North Bridge Road and Bras Basah Road. Cross the road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]

Byblos Grill @ Bussorah Street - An Authentic Labanese Fare In Kampong Glam

Food choices aplenty at Kampong Glam, and Middle Eastern cuisine is one of them. Located at Bussorah Street, Byblos Grill serves up Lebanese cuisine with a wide selection of mezze and main courses.

Hummus 3.5/5

Lavash 4/5

Chickpeas were and are abundant in the Middle Eastern, resulting in this highly nutritious, and delicious Hummus. Made with chickpea, tahini, garlic, lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, ours was creamy and rich with nutty tahini flavour. What it needed was perhaps a couple more dashes of lemon juice for an extra zing. The best way to appreciate its flavours is to have the Lavash, a thin flatbread served to us poofy and warm.

Platter 4/5

For mains, we had a platter consisting Lamb Kofta, and Chicken Tawouk served with rice and homemade sauces. The Lamb Kofta is a Middle Eastern meatball made with minced lamb marinated in 7 different Turkish and Lebanese spices, mixed with chopped parsley and onions. Skewered and grilled, the meat wasn't too gamey, and flavours of the spices came through quite well without being overpowering. The latter is chicken chunks marinated in a yoghurt spice mixture, skewered and charcoal grilled. The chicken chunks were lean but moist. Similar to the lamb skewer, the spices were just right. Their version of tomato salsa and a spice dip which is made of several spices were punchy and also helped to cut the richness of the meat skewers. The fluffy rice was a plus too.

Lahmacun Lamb 3.5/5

Lahmacun Lamb is like a Turkish pizza made with flatbread and minced lamb toppings. The sweet tomato base worked well with the juicy minced lamb.

Kunafa 4.2/5

For dessert, try Kunafa, a traditional Middle Eastern dessert made with thin noodle-like pastry soaked in sugar syrup and layered around cheese and baked. Although the expected stringy cheese was missing, as well as that sprinkle of vibrant green crushed pistachios, all other elements made it really yummy - the tart citrus wedges, the savoury cheese bits and the milky cream that mellow out and complement the sweetness of the pastry. And Turkish Coffee is a must!

Photos and words 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. Note: This is an invited tasting. 


Byblos Grill
14 Bussorah Street
Singapore 199435
Tel:+65 6296 8577
Facebook
Website
Nearest MRT: Bugis (EW Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 11am - 1am

Direction:
1) Alight at Nicoll Highway MRT station. Take Exit A. Take the overhead bridge to Beach Road. Walk towards the junction of Jalan Sultan and Beach Road. Cross the road and walk down Beach Road. Turn right onto Bussorah Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Bugis MRT station. Take Exit B. Walk towards Raffles Hospital. Walk to junction of North Bridge Road and Ophir Road. Cross the junction and walk down North Bridge Road towards Arab Street. Turn right into Arab Street. Walk down Arab Street. Turn left onto Baghdad Street. Turn right onto Bussorah Street. Walk to destination. Journey time about 10 minutes. [Map]