La Dame de Pic @ Raffles Singapore - Enliven The Tastebuds With Masterfully Crafted Creations Capturing The Emotions Of Spring In Multi-Course Dining Experience

La Dame de Pic at Raffles Singapore showcases the best of Spring's produce in its latest menu, celebrating the season's finest offerings. The Spring menu features a range of vibrant and delicate flavours, with new and refreshed signature dishes that perfectly capture the season's essence. In addition, guests can enjoy the taste of Spring's quintessential produce, including green and white asparagus, which adds to the overall bloom of the season.

The exquisite spring menu draws on Chef's creativity. It is presented as a 4-course menu Exploration (S$188++ per guest) during lunch on Fridays, as well as a 6-course menu Experience (S$248++ per guest) and 7-course menu Elegance (S$348++ per guest) for both lunch and dinner. Of the four amuse bouche, my favourite is the minimum tart topped with bafun uni.

Green Asparagus 4/5

As asparagus is in season, we also had the Green Asparagus for amuse bouche. I understand the asparagus was marinated overnight with sea salt to gently "cook" it while retaining its raw and tender texture. The seasonal ingredient is enhanced with ginger, wasabi's spiciness, and rocket and matcha's bitterness.

Kuruma Tiger Prawn 4.2/5

Next is the Kuruma Tiger Prawn resting on a bed of smoked burrata and topped with oscietra caviar. If I am not wrong, it is paired with a light and refreshing tomato broth that brightens the taste profile. It even comes with deep-fried prawn head, which can be eaten like a snack.

Les Berlingots 4.2/5

A iconic dish at La Dame de Pic is the Berlingots which is given its own local twist. The green-coloured triangle shaped pasta parcels are filled with pea puree, elevated with a sake and pepper leaf beurre blanc and roasted pistachios.

Langoustine 4.2/5

The Langoustine is presented at the dining table in a custom-made trolley and enhanced with freshly-grated cedrat. I have never seen such a huge aromatic French citrus fruit. A light tempura-like coating around the langoustine gives it a delightful textural contrast, accompanied by a moreish bite of romaine lettuce and nori.

A4 Wagyu Tenderloin 4.5/5

The A4 Wagyu Tenderloin is cooked using a time-honoured technique known as 'a la ficelle' giving it a beautiful tender texture. What I found interesting was using a clear consomme-like sauce for the beef instead of the usual rich brown-based sauce. It is a good pairing, allowing the beef's flavour to shine more.

Pre-Dessert Yogurt Espuma with Blood Orange and Pistachio 4.2/5

Brillat-Savarin 4.2/5

We had the Yogurt Espuma with Blood Orange and Pistachio for pre-dessert before moving to the Brillat-Savarin for dessert. It is like a cheese course served as a dessert with a brioche. It is served with jackfruit and orange blossom. However, the jackfruit brings a tad of bitterness to the finish, which I didn't enjoy.

Chocolate Mint Mousse

The Chocolate Mint Mousse was not only pretty in presentation but beautiful in taste too. On the plate, you can find different components, such as coconut panna cotta and sorbet. I am not much of a dessert person, but I cleaned the plate. It just showed how good it is.

Petit Four

Last but not least, we ended the Spring menu with the Petit Four for a wonderful meal.

Note: This is an invited tasting.


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

Opening Hours:

Lunch (Fri-Sat): 12pm - 145pm

Dinner (Tue-Sat): 630pm - 845pm
(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]

Caviar @ Palais Renaissance - Welcomes New Head Chef And A New Spring Menu

Caviar at Palais Renaissance is a fine dining restaurant offering a unique dining experience featuring over eight different types of caviar. A Spring Menu was recently launched, crafted by their new head chef, Chef Dannel Krishnan. The focus is still on showcasing the variety of caviars available at the restaurant.

Duck Rillette Quail Egg Kataifi

Chef Krishnan draws inspiration from seasonal produce from both the East and West, as seen in our first course - an adorable Duck Rillette Quail Egg Kataifi. Nestled in the crisped kataifi is a quail egg akin to a mini ozzy Ajitsuke Tamago, cushioned by a buttery layer of duck rillette. The kataifi was deep-fried in duck fats with a little sprinkle of kombu salt, lending each bite a savoury, aromatic crunch.

Tai Shirako

What followed was Tai Shirako, which is by far the most mouth-watering shirako I had. These unctuous morsels were elegantly plated with tangy apple balsamic jelly, and perhaps what made it moreish was that they were hand breaded in Japanese panko and fried till perfection. It can be a lot to have all three in a plate, but the occasional hints of salt and flavours from the Polanco Siberian caviar helped to offset that richness.

Firefly Squid

The next dish was one of my favourites - Firefly Squid with Egg Custard. The Tonburi Hotaru-Ika aka Firefly Squid, is prized for its bursting umami flavours packed in a tiny self. The savoury flavours from the creamy shoyu custard, mushroom reduction, and tonburi (some called it the land caviar) built upon one another and harmonized beautifully with the delicate squid's very own umami flavours.

Aged Big Scaled Bream

Next was Aged Big Scaled Bream with Yuzu Mandarin, physalis (add on Caviar de Neuvic 8g $40), with flavours embodying the spring season. Scaled and prepared in shinkei jime style, the sea bream was dressed with tangy yuzu mandarin sauce, garnished with charred physalis (cape gooseberries), Japanese myoga (Japanese ginger) and kaffir lime shavings that further enlivened the dish with citrusy and herbaceous notes. A little less of the dressing's acidity would have been better.

White Asparagus

The next dish, White Asparagus with almond cream and ice plant (add on kaviari caviar 8g $42), is ideally best to add on caviar due to its sweet profile. The White Asparagus from France is poached in koji milk, paired with charred nashi pear and sweet almond cream. I can understand the recommendation to pair it with caviar, as it was leaning too much on the sweet side on its own. The seemingly withered ice plant didn't help balance the flavours.

Bluefin Tuna

Next was an artistically plated Bluefin Tuna, served with two types of caviar - an award-winning Polanco Siberian and Kaluga Queen Cross Breed known for its creamy texture. The tartare is marinated with ponzu emulsion and served alongside crunchy Jerusalem artichoke. The tuna had a luxurious meaty mouthfeel, making it an ideal partner to its two equally exquisite counterparts.

Stone Axe Wagyu Tenderloin

Our main was Stone Axe Wagyu Tenderloin, one of Australia's best wagyu, served with cordyceps and oolong jus. While the Wagyu Tenderloin delivered in both taste and texture, what also impressed me was the well-seasoned cordyceps that acquired the consistency of a very springy noodle.

We had a refreshing pre-dessert, Sour Cream Snow with Almond Soil and Banana Jelly, followed by a sweet ending. The dessert was definitely the highlight - White Chocolate Strawberries and Yoghurt Ice Cream with Polanco Oscietra. The custardy White Chocolate dessert was adorned with a layer of glistening award-winning Polanco Oscietra caviar, paired with a scoop of yoghurt cream and sweet fresh Japanese strawberries. The mingling of the various components' sweet, savoury, tangy profiles was simply divine.

Photos and words by Si An. A girl who is allured by travelling, loves the feel of freedom, the smell of the rain and the aroma of fine coffee and food. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Caviar
Palais Renaissance
390 Orchard Road
B1-07
Singapore 238871
Tel: +65 98881217
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Nearest MRT: Orchard (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Mon-Sat: 12pm - 3pm, 6pm - 1030pm
(Closed on Sun)

Direction:
Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to Wheelock Place. Walk to traffic junction of Orchard Road and Angullia Park. Cross the road to Royal Thai Embassy. Turn left and continue down Orchard Road. Walk to destination. Journey time about 8 minutes. [Map]