[Michelin Guide 2016] Saint Pierre at One Fullerton: Exemplary French Gastronomy by Chef Emmanuel Stroobant [Food Review]

[Saint Pierre has been listed in the Singapore Michelin Guide 2016.]

If I have to name a chef who walks around checking on every diner, shaves truffles by your table, becomes a runner carrying a tray of dishes to be served, that man would be Chef Emmanuel Stroobant himself. I have never seen any chef so up and about, managing both service and kitchen. In fact, the charismatic 47-year-old chef with his jovial personality took our orders.

Chef Stroobant started his culinary journey at a tender age of 16. Since then he has progressed from dish washer, to a cook and subsequently the opening of his own restaurants. One of which, his flagship restaurant, Saint Pierre, has stood through 16 years of dining experience. Offering contemporary French cuisine in a elegant ambience alongside bespoke services by men in suits, the pursuit of high excellence in food quality and service is clearly reflected. Following Chef Stroobant’s philosophy of healthy eating, diners can expect organic ingredients and natural food flavours. (Un)surprisingly, Chef Stroobant is a vegetarian too!

Previously located in Quayside Isle at Sentosa Cove, Saint Pierre has now shifted to a convenient location at One Fullerton. With an intimate seating space of about 30 diners, one can expect yourself to be well looked after while lounging in the comfy seats. Besides, situated alongside Saint Pierre, is the two-starred michelin Shoukouwa in which I had my first Omakase of the finest Japanese ingredients.

The menu offers four fixed-price set courses:

10-course:

Grand Earth (SGD 188++)

Grand Nature (SGD 178 ++, vegetarian)

6-course:

Earth (SGD 158 ++)

Nature (SGD 148 ++, vegetarian)

Opting for the Grand Earth was a good choice.

The view was perfect too, directly facing the Marina Bay Sands.

A drinks trolley was pushed over. You can grab some aperitifs, champagnes or juices to start the meal.

It is the first time I had a amuse bouche menu placed on the table for reference.

The amuse bouche totally helmed the night.

Fire torch by the table, for an amuse bouche?! I am sold.

The honey cherry tomato farci stuffed with vanilla, onion and pickled ginger reminded me of candied haw with a smokey taste. 

Another one I adored was the beetroot-cured salmon gravlax with hints of wasabi numbing your taste buds. Perfect. In the middle was the mini marinaded sardine and black olive sandwich, adding a bit of saltiness to the palate. On the right was a sweet and tangy carotte (carrot) puree dipped in lime. So smooth it was like custard.

Truly a sensory journey.

They served bread basket consisting of three types of French bread. Yes. A huge one and to satisfy the bread-loving monster inside me. There was even a pass-around sourdough slices or figs and walnut bread by the server, as if that was not enough!

The seaweed butter or sea salt butter? I let you choose.

The ‘first amuse bouche’ as told, was this avocado puree with coriander and watermelon as the base. Sound strange but the combination of cool watermelon interlaced with creamy avocado was refreshing.

I felt as if I was already halfway through the course when the first course finally arrived! The Oscietra Caviar with fennel and creme fraiche was a favourite. It was beautifully plated, followed by the pouring of the espuma along the edges of the curve, which slowly seeped through the wonders of the mini forest.

The Japanese Sea Bass with Stout Konbu glaze and salted vegetables was served carpaccio style, fresh and smooth with the crunchy bits on top.

The first thing that caught my eye was the crispy Langoustine studded with puffed rice. Arched on its bottom, it was too cute to be devoured. But no regrets there, for it had the most succulent, crystal-liked flesh no restaurant could rival. The winter melon jelly with mustard, though appearing innocent, was a exotic one too.

The fourth course was the stuffed purple artichokes with pine nut. Encased in a herb crust with a side of turmeric sauce, it was a luscious creamy dish.

I had mine swopped for the truffle egg with smoked potato espuma and black truffles freshly shaved by Chef Stroobant himself! ^.<

The lobster dumpling was decadent as well with freshly shaved black truffles again!

Atlantic cod fish with ponzu sauce and citrus ended on a sweeter note.

Add on of foie gras was no let-down. The synchronised cuts atop the foie gras, while perfectly pan seared with crisp edges and spotting a pinkish interior was just right on point. Drenched in caramelised apple and port wine sauce, it was mind-blowingly divine!

Finally the meats are here for the carnivores. Lamb saddle wrapped in sweetbread and flanked with french ratatouille, revealed tender bouncy meat in sauce that was otherwise for the heavier palate. On a side note, that’s an excuse for more red wines, no? >..^

The long-awaited roasted pigeon was here! Been craving for this since ages. The pigeon was gnawing goodness with golden turnip and foie gras farce. To round it up, a bowl of potato puree accompanying it was just amusingly cheesy yet so brilliantly blended that it was mouthfuls of smooth ‘potato’.

Before moving on to desserts, a hot cup of Japanese dry mushroom shitake consomme was served. Yes, that was the long name uttered aloud! It was a calm breeze to the storm in my tummy after all the hoo-haa over the dishes!

If you think course meals are small portions that will make you go for another food hunt afterwards, here, they feed you literally… by the trolley. The cheese cart was an amazing smorgasbord of hard and soft cheeses to buttery or tart flavours. Take your pick!

The first dessert was a glass of strawberry sorbet with hibiscus-lemongrass-strawberry extraction and strawberry emulsion that was a mixture of sweet and sourness, with a tinge of hibiscus fragrance and subtle citrus flavours.

One dessert is never enough!

The second one was a Manjari chocolate sphere positioned upon a large white plate that emphasised its mysticalness. Dug through the Tahiti vanilla parfait, and you would be thrilled to find crunchy cocoa-hazelnut praline and passionfruit caramel layers.

Petit four was delivered… from the trolley again! An array of miniature tarts, sweets, cookies and macarons for your heart’s desire.

If ‘consistency’ needs a home, it would be here, for the best customer service is when diners are cared for from their entry till their exit. We were walked to the entrance and I was gifted a box of chocolates for my visit. It is almost guilty pleasure receiving this but that only makes me realise how sincere they are in their service.

Dining at Saint Pierre is definitely a therapeutic session. It leads me from anticipation to satisfaction, bringing me through a sensory journey of sight, smell and taste. The meal started off really exemplary, with wow factors that popped up subsequently throughout the night unexpectedly.

I enjoyed to be surprised, and I am even more surprised how the michelin stars have missed a step into Saint Pierre.

 

Saint Pierre

1 Fullerton Road

#02-02B One Fullerton

Singapore 049213