One little birdie told me Michelin Guide staff have been seen in Singapore! Does this mean it’s time for a new Guide? Definitely and it’s safe to bet the new Joel Robuchon Restaurant and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at Resorts World Singapore are likely to be right at the top of their list. It’s easy to get a little blase about the opening of the two restaurants today, after the retinue of top chefs that have landed here in the last year at the two casinos. I’m thinking Guy Savoy (with his artichoke soup to die for), Wolfgang Puck (and his amazing Mini Kobe "Sliders" and steak tartare with herb Aioli), Tetsuya Wakuda (and his marinated prawns with sea urchin and Oscietre caviar). But the new restaurants (which opened to the press yesterday) are really a great addition to the local food scene, and not just for the food! Top restaurants here are often let down by their minimalist décor (school of “the focus should be on the cuisine”), but if one is paying north of $300 a head, a bit of decorum could be thrown in. And you certainly will get that at the new Joel Robuchon. The elegant décor oozes 1930s style with giant Lalique vases, bronze statues and a grand Chandelier. The 52-seat restaurant has also a very nice Winter Garden (though a bit chilly), with a large tree in the center under a glass skylight and two walls with vertical gardens. In the words of his Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki (who has helmed Joel Robuchon Restaurants in Tokyo and in Las Vegas) “This is the most beautiful Robuchon from an interior décor perspective.”
Meanwhile across the entrance, L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon has the usual sleek black and red décor, with a curving bar around the open kitchen. On the menu are a divine Amuse bouche, a full bodied foie gras custard with a very light porto and parmesan foam, along with a crispy langoustine fritter with a kicking basil pesto sauce and of course his famed mashed potatoes (though I wasn’t too keen on the foie gras filled quail it was served with). But the restaurant has possibly the best desserts in town… a white chocolate sphere full of strawberry ice-cream which melts when the raspberry couli is poured over it and a passion fruit cream with coconut foam…need I say more?
One little birdie told me Michelin Guide staff have been seen in Singapore! Does this mean it’s time for a new Guide? Definitely and it’s safe to bet the new Joel Robuchon Restaurant and L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at Resorts World Singapore are likely to be right at the top of their list. It’s easy to get a little blase about the opening of the two restaurants today, after the retinue of top chefs that have landed here in the last year at the two casinos. I’m thinking Guy Savoy (with his artichoke soup to die for), Wolfgang Puck (and his amazing Mini Kobe "Sliders" and steak tartare with herb Aioli), Tetsuya Wakuda (and his marinated prawns with sea urchin and Oscietre caviar). But the new restaurants (which opened to the press yesterday) are really a great addition to the local food scene, and not just for the food! Top restaurants here are often let down by their minimalist décor (school of “the focus should be on the cuisine”), but if one is paying north of $300 a head, a bit of decorum could be thrown in. And you certainly will get that at the new Joel Robuchon. The elegant décor oozes 1930s style with giant Lalique vases, bronze statues and a grand Chandelier. The 52-seat restaurant has also a very nice Winter Garden (though a bit chilly), with a large tree in the center under a glass skylight and two walls with vertical gardens. In the words of his Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki (who has helmed Joel Robuchon Restaurants in Tokyo and in Las Vegas) “This is the most beautiful Robuchon from an interior décor perspective.”