7:15PM
Late, late, late.
My reservation at Lerouy was for 6.30pm, but I was still stuck in a jam along MBFC at 7.15pm. What, is this Jakarta? What's with this unmoving traffic? What should have been a fifteen minutes journey stretched to forty. (What's with starting four consecutive sentences with "what"?) A million thoughts occupied my mind while I was stuck in the vehicle, amongst a sea of many others-
What would it feel like to work in this part of town? Maybe I should head to Muchachos for dinner, if they were to let go of my seat. I probably should have hailed my ride earlier. THANK GOD IT'S A FIXED RATE FARE AND NOT A METERED FARE.
I wasn't expecting myself to be that late, and I should have called Lerouy way earlier to hold my table, instead of forty five minutes after.
"No problem, you're good." a gruff voice with an European accent of unknown origins assured me over the phone.
Well, it's not that the origin is unknown, it's just that I'm bad with recognising accents. A few months ago when I was visiting a friend in San Diego, said friend remarked how strange it was that the string of radio ads we heard were spoken with no accent.
"What do you mean there's no accent? They all have an accent. All of you have an accent." He's American.
"No, they don't." He looked at me as if I was stranger than those "accentless" ads we just heard.
And I attributed it to a cultural thing, and left it as that.
I digress.
I eventually got to Lerouy, an hour later than I should.
7:30PM
It's half empty with just fourteen guests, and it's a Friday night.
Well this is unexpected. No wonder they are okay with me being late.
The one-Michelin-star restaurant has impossibly heavy doors, doors so heavy that I almost thought they were locked. Perhaps the key is to fumble.
As with many other fine-dining restaurants morphing towards a more casual dining environment, Lerouy features an open kitchen with a wave-like counter table.
"Thanks for joining us tonight. Where are you from?" asked my host who was also definitely not the owner of the European accent of unknown origins.
Now, back to my origins. I get this question quite a lot. It's amusing, really. Just two days ago someone from my gym asked what am I mixed with. On good days, I'll say food. (I'm mixed with food.) On bad days, I'll say up. (I'm mixed up.) Well, it takes a certain kind of humour to get it. Anyway, it was a good day two days ago, and she most certainly got my joke.
My host was surprised to hear that I'm local. Ignoring this variable of looks in the equation, solo dining is not popular in Singapore. Hell, I don't even know if it's popular anywhere. When you dine alone, you are almost always labelled with an identity such as someone on a work trip, a tourist, and rarely someone who just wants to be there to enjoy the dining experience alone.
I'm not complaining; I feel that solo diners get better service, anyway.
I've been really lucky to have good experiences on all my solo travels, and I try to visit a fancy restaurant in all the cities that I visit on my own.
But I had never done it in Singapore.
It's a major shame, seeing how we have so many great restaurants in Singapore. So, if you are curious why I'm doing this - here you go. I'm on a quest to try as many restaurants as possible, on a pace that's limited by my wallet.
On the topic of speed, service at Lerouy was quick. I finished my dinner of four amuse-bouches and seven courses in just one hour and fifteen minutes.
Amuse-bouche #1: Tuna Tartare with Ginger Flower and Crispy Seaweed Cracker
Amuse-bouche #2: Ebi with Prawn Cracker and Saffron Cream
Amuse-bouche #3: Corn Chip with Avocado and Chorizo
At this point I assumed the theme to be chips and crackers. That would be interesting. But it wasn't. That's the last dish with a chip/cracker.
Amuse-bouche #4: Tomato Consommé and Basil Oil
This tasted like super concentrated Tomato Soup - in a very good way. I love tomatoes.
I look forward to the bread and butter offering the most during my fancy dining experiences. When you are in the running for a star (or stars), a fine level of attention to all minuscule details is expected, and that extends to their bread and butter offerings as well. It's almost never just bread and butter. Florilège in Tokyo served a steamed bun, in place of bread. Momofuku Ko in NYC served aged butter. The Modern in NYC as well served croissant filled with mustard butter.
To be able to surprise people through an element where a surprise isn't expected, now that's exciting. To anyone else, it could be just bread and butter, but to me, it's an indicator of their ingenuity.
Lerouy offered a sourdough bread with four different compound butter (L - R): Spinach, Kaffir Lime, Beetroot, and Salted Butter. The Kaffir Lime one was my favourite.
First Course: Mackerel,Caviar, Hasuimo and Cucumber Juice
Hasuimo is the green sliced vegetable peeking out behind the Mackerel. It was my first time tasting anything like this. A porous stem vegetable with a nice spongey crunch. Interestingly, it ended up being the highlight of the dish for me, even though it was meant to be an accompaniment.
Second Course: Salted Baked Cabbage, Egg Yolk Cream, Parsley Anchovy Sauce, Lardo and Pork Crackling
I heard that this is one of their signature dishes; I'm a little perplexed as to how it got that honour. By no means a bad dish - I enjoyed it, but it didn't stand out. I really liked the Parsley Anchovy Sauce though.
7:50PM
The restaurant was starting to fill up by this time, and a fellow solo diner from Thailand was seated to my left. She was on a work trip, mid-thirties, ordered a bottle of wine, clearly knew what she wanted. Nice, I aspire to be as cool and assertive like her when I grow up. I'm still a kidult.
Third Course: Pâté, Smoked Trout, Goat Cheese, Champagne Jelly, Wasabi Purée
To be fair, I'm not a fan of Pâté and Goat Cheese. So I knew this dish wasn't going to work for me before I even tasted it.
Fourth Course: Lerouy's Niçoise Salad - Tuna Tataki, Green Bean Sauce, Quail Egg
Now, I've finally found the owner of the European accent of unknown origins - it's Chef Lerouy himself. I mean, I could have assumed right-away that it was him, since all his other staff were Asians. But assuming makes both you and me and ass. Plus if I received a dollar for every Asian who spoke with a non-Asian accent that I came across...
Fifth Course: Seared Monkfish Cheek, Tamarind Saucce, Black Garlic Pureé, Red Bell Peppers
My favourite dish of the night. The foam was so flavourful, and I am partial to Monkfish, so it's an easy win.
8:20PM
Here comes a couple to my right. A lady from Argentina with a sad list of allergies: Crustaceans, Chocolates, Fish Sauce, and Soy Sauce, and her partner from the UK who re-enacted a scene straight out of Melissa McCarthy's Spy. (Search " Cleansing My Palate" on YouTube)
I barely managed to hold - no, swallow- my laughter. But I mean, I probably would have done the same, if not for Susan Cooper. My host had to keep a straight face and explain to said diner that it wasn't edible. Professionalism 10/10.
Sixth Course: Guinea Fowl with Romaine Lettuce
This was my second time tasting Guinea Fowl; the first was in Windermere, urged by my auntie who said that it would be a major shame to pass up the chance to try an exotic meat.
Well, I guess it really is exotic, seeing how I've never come across Guinea Fowl in two years.
I don't know if it is an insult to the Guinea Fowl to say that it tastes like Chicken. But it does taste like Chicken, a really tender one, which I don't know if I should credit the chef or the bird.
Seventh Course: Deconstructed Carrot Cake
This brought me a déjà vu moment: The Modern served a Deconstructed Carrot Cake as well, but my vote goes to Lerouy.
Now, back to the heavy door-
Chef Lerouy sees every guests to the door, and yes, he opens the door for you as well. That's a nice touch.
It is always exciting to find starred-establishments serving an affordable menu. What's next?
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