Le Matin Patisserie @ ION Orchard - A New Dawn, Le Matin’s New Concept Cafe Featuring Its Biggest Menu

Le Matin Patisserie has unveiled its new permanent space in ION Orchard, officially welcoming diners from 1 February 2023. It has Le Matin's biggest menu yet, featuring 4 categories of French delicacies: Cakes and Pastries, Sweet and Savoury, Brunch (from 11am to 3pm), and Dinner and Dessert (from 6pm to 10pm). Chef-owner Mohamed Al-Matin will also be introducing a variety of new items alongside this opening.

Coffee lovers will be happy to know that the cafe uses a special blend from Nylon Coffee Roasters, an exclusive blend of two single-origin coffee beans. It is used in all of the coffee beverages here.

Smoked Beef Cheek Banh Mi 4.2/5

We started with the Smoked Beef Cheek Banh Mi ($18) from its Best of Brunch menu. You will find 48-hour braised and smoked wagyu beef cheeks, pickled carrots, daikon, black garlic and chimichurri in a laminated brioche. My dining companions enjoyed this for the smoky and tender beef cheeks.

Black Truffle Scrambled Eggs Croissant 4.2/5

In the Black Truffle Scrambled Eggs Croissant ($34), the crisp round croissant burger is stacked with black truffle aioli, truffle paste, fluffy scrambled eggs, and topped with 8g of sliced black truffles. The combination is likeable, especially with the truffle flavour permeating the eggs. However, we hoped for more truffle aioli to tie everything together.

Seafood Pot Pie 4.2/5

Luxuriously topped with ikura, the Seafood Pot Pie ($24) has hidden a variety of seafood in its puff pastry, such as snapper, salmon belly, Tiger prawns, green mussels, clams and scallops. This savoury number had a hearty creaminess in the middle, complementing the bursts of savoury ikura. My only gripe is that the base of the pastry got softer from the filling.

Chutoro Brioche Feuilletée 4.5/5

The Chutoro Brioche Feuilletée ($38) is a pricey piece and a crowd favourite among the items we tried. It has chunky shoyu-cured chutoro sandwiched with sea urchin butter, edamame mash, yuzu wasabi mayo and pickled red onions for the extra acidity to cut through the richness. It was rich and fatty in a good way. It would be even better if the yuzu wasabi mayo had a stronger kick to contrast!

Moules Marinieres 4/5

From the dinner menu, we had the Moules Marinieres ($28), white wine-poached blue mussels with enoki fritters, and white fungus cooked in parsley oil with a side of toasted brioche. The blue mussels were fresh, and the savoury broth albeit saltier, had a fragrant and distinct touch of parsley, which was perfect for soaking up with the warm brioche.

Sake Lees & Macadamia, Choux Bun 4/5

The Sake Lees & Macadamia, Choux Bun ($14) is one of the brand new items to expect. On a base of macadamia yuzu crunch, you have a choux bun filled with Sake Lees mousse and a macadamia praline centre, topped with Sake Lees jelly, yuzu and a dusting of silver flakes. It leaned towards sweeter while the yuzu component came to light.

Fromage de vos Reves 4/5

Le Matin pays tribute to Restaurant Andre's famed homemade camembert cheese dessert with its Fromage de vos Reves ($21), which translates to "Cheese of Your Dreams". It may look simple, but it has quite a lot going on - a rillat savarin mousse, reblochon creameux and comte sponge, topped with milk crumble glaze, served with a side of creme fraiche ice cream. The cheese profile is strong and pungent, which may not be for everyone, but more for the big fans of cheese.

Tarte Aux Noix de Cajou 4/5

Our last dessert was the Tarte Aux Noix de Cajou ($20). On layers of cashew custard, cashew nougatine and filo pastry, it's further elevated with orange blossom-scented mulberries and Pedro Ximenez cream. It's nutty and sweet, best for sharing.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


Le Matin Patisserie
ION Orchard
2 Orchard Turn
#B2-49
Singapore 238801
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Nearest MRT: Orchard MRT (NS Line, TE Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 10am - 10pm

Direction:
1) Alight at Orchard MRT station. Take Exit 4. Walk to destination. Journey time about 4 mins. [Map]

True Cost @ Suntec City - A Rooftop Restaurant And Wine Bar In Suntec City’s Sky Garden

If you have yet to hear of True Cost, it is a restaurant in the Sky Garden of Suntec City dedicated to providing a dining experience for its guest with quality food and drinks without high markups in cost.

Seafood Lucky Tower 4/5

True Cost kept in mind the universal lucky number '8' while putting this Seafood Lucky Tower ($88) together. In each of these towers, you will enjoy 8 slices of scallop sashimi, 8 slices of salmon sashimi, 8 slices of unagi, 8 pieces of Japanese oysters, 8 prawns and 8 baby lobsters, accompanied with tobiko caviar. Though we were not big fans of the texture of the baby lobsters, freshness was there for the sashimi items and prawns.

Hummus with Kimchi Cucumbers 4.2/5

The Hummus with Kimchi Cucumbers ($7.50) was a pleasant surprise. In this unlikely combination, the tangy kimchi cucumbers gave an extra brightness and a slight kick of spice in contrast to the creaminess of the hummus. I recommend topping up more of the fluffy soft pita, as the default portion comes with only a piece. We heard that they fly in their pita bread from Greece!

Burrata with Dried Grapes and Mint Leaves 4/5

If you are a fan of burrata, the Burrata with Dried Grapes and Mint Leaves ($14.50) is one to look out for. We preferred it to be less sweet, but it was an interesting take, with juicy grapes and chopped mint leaves paired with the creamy burrata.

Bone Marrow with Mushrooms and Bulgogi Sauce 4/5

My dining companions enjoyed the Bone Marrow with Mushrooms and Bulgogi Sauce ($18.95). They described the bone marrow and bulgogi sauce pairing as unexpected but something they'd have again. From all the dishes we have tried, unique flavour combinations are something True Cost emphasises.

Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Purée and Tomato Jam 4/5

Lastly, we had the Pork Belly with Sweet Potato Puree and Tomato Jam ($14.95). We found this a bit oily, but the fatty pork belly was tender. The sweetness from the sweet potato purée and slight tartness from the tomato jam complemented nicely.

Do note that there is a moderate entrance fee applied to all guests visiting True Cost, depending on the time of day. It is $5 per pax for lunch between 12 to 3pm, and $10 per pax for dinner between 5pm to 9pm. Entrance fee is complimentary daily between 3pm to 5pm and 9pm to 10pm. If you opt for bar seatings, there is a 50% discount off for entrance fees. Table reservations can be made via https://reserve.oddle.me/en_SG/truecost/.

Photos and words by Jo. A girl who loves her Mala (麻辣) at Da La (大辣), discovering hidden food gems and a good cup of matcha latte. Note: This is an invited tasting.


True Cost
Suntec City, SkyGarden
#03-302/303
3 Temasek Boulevard 
Tel: +65 88940615
Website
Nearest MRT: Esplanade (CC Line), Promenade (CC Line, DT Line)

Opening Hours:
Daily: 12pm - 11pm

Directions:
1) Alight at Promenade MRT station. Take Exit C. Walk to destination. Journey time about 3 minutes. [Map]

2) Alight at Esplanade MRT station. Take Exit A. Walk to destination. Journey time about 5 minutes. [Map]