We can never get enough of French cuisine and all the wondrous food it has to offer — the soft and buttery foie gras or the delightful confit de canard. Fortunately, with Singapore’s reputation as the ultimate food hub in Asia, a number of restaurants have sprouted in our country offering the best dishes this country has to offer, saving yourself a plane ticket to France. Interested to know what’s on our radar? Here are five of our favourites.  
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Restaurant André

Even though Restaurant André has only been in the dining scene for five years, it has already cemented itself as one of the best restaurants on our shores, and perhaps the world when it was featured in articles such as New York Time’s “Restaurants Worth a Plane Ride”. The credit goes to its chef-owner, André Chiang, who honed his skills working for Michelin-starred restaurants in France like Les Jardin des Sens and L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon. 

In his eponymous restaurant, he brings diners to a fascinating visual and culinary feast with his Octaphilosophy menu. It comprises eight dishes representing different elements — texture, memory, pure, terroir, unique, salt, south and artisan. While these always change based on produce available, the memorable dish of warm foie gras jelly remains on the menu. 

Restaurant André | 41 Bukit Pasoh Road, Singapore 089855 | 6534 8880  

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Odette

After leading the kitchen team of Jaan for four years, chef Julien Royer embarked on a new adventure by teaming up with Lo and Behold Group and opening his new restaurant named after his grandmother. Odette’s menu focuses on fresh produce, which you can easily taste from his four- and six-course menus for lunch and six- and eight-course menus for dinner (vegetarian options are available). 

The menu features familiar dishes, with tweaks of course, such as the mushroom tea amuse bouche and the dramatic 55-minute poached egg cooked at 67 deg C and served with truffles, pancetta and root vegetables. But there are also new creations which include the Hokkaido saba and Tomakomaiarctic surf clam to entice you to come back for more. 

Odette | #01-04 National Gallery Singapore, 1 St Andrew's Road, Singapore 178957 | 6385 0498

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Les Amis

A stalwart in French fine dining as well as Best Service and Hall of Fame awardee at the 2016 Best Restaurants Guide, Les Amis ensures that you only get the ultimate dining experience with a refined contemporary French menu in a sophisticated setting. Just last year, the restaurant went through a major revamp designed by local architect, Tan Kay Ngee. The two-storey establishment has transformed into a classier space with the use of lush velvet against a minimalist color palette. The kitchen, where the magic happens, now boasts a customised Charvet island stove from France.  

Heading the culinary team is executive chef Sebastian Lepinoy, who was Joel Robuchon’s former protégé. He offers lunch and dinner set menus that showcase his culinary techniques, as well as the freshness and taste of each ingredients. You can taste them in signature dishes with the likes of the Hokkaido scallop, caviar Kristal and lobster rouelle.  

Les Amis | #01-16 Shaw Centre, 1 Scotts Road, Singapore 228208 | 6733 2225  

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Joël Robuchon

Once regarded as the chef of the century, you can’t expect anything less from decorated chef Joël Robuchon, who has two famed restaurants at Resorts World Sentosa. For redefined haute cuisine, Joël Robuchon restaurant lives up to expectations with a fine-tuned menu featuring French classics with a twist and a wine list of over 1,000 labels. 

Fancy as the name sounds, the concept of each dish is simple — to marry the simple flavours of each ingredient and present them into works of art on a plate. These are better showcased in the degustation menu, which lets you indulge in Robuchon’s famous breads and tea served in trolleys, savoury dishes as well as desserts in one go. 

Joël Robuchon | Level 1 Hotel Michael, Resorts World Sentosa, 8 Sentosa Gateway, Singapore 098269 | 6577 7888  

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Jaan

The restaurant situated on the 62nd floor of Swissotel The Stamford offers more than just a magnificent view of Marina Bay. One major reason to visit is its delectable menu, which has been given an upgrade by recently-appointed chef de cuisine Kirk Westaway.  

Signatures such as the forest pigeon, which is cooked sous vide and pan-fried to get that crispy skin, are still there, but Westaway puts his stamp on the menu with new creations like the langoustine cannelloni, roasted French peach and the standout — tomato collection. The latter is made up of different types of tomato; one is the vine-ripened heirloom tomato, cooked sous vide and then stuffed with cubed mixed oxheart tomatoes, gherkins, capers and oregano — showing his deft culinary techniques. 

JAAN | Level 70 Equinox Complex, Swissôtel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882 | 6837 3322

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