G and I were in the mood for French when I remembered a tucked away restaurant near my old office.  The lunch menu looked interesting and the reviews generally positive.  Curiosity is as good a reason to try a restaurant, and voila! A new (old) place that we can recommend for lunch.  It’s always a treat to dine at places that for one reason or another are no longer in the limelight, but still produce good meals.  The crowd wasn’t in force when we visited, perhaps a victim of location, but it was nice to have a cosy lunch for two.

The French Kitchen serves up a good lunch for $36++.  From the warm bread with butter and salmon spread, to the amuse bouche of mushroom cappuccino and parmesan chip, our meal started well.  Since G elected to order the bisque de hoard, a light lobster bisque with two juicy breaded prawns, I opted to try the goat cheese.  I didn’t read the menu carefully, and realized too late that I had ordered a salad.  I hate salads.  Fortunately, the beautifully toasted cheese rounds distracted me from yet-another plate of wild rockets (is this the only edible raw green available in Singapore?).  G’s bisque was well-balanced, especially paired with the leek jelly.  The broth could have used just a bit more lobster flavor, but the larger-than-normal portion was a fine trade-off.

For our main courses, G had the pork loin with roasted eggplant caviar and tarragon jus.  A side of homemade fries accompanied this dish, that while nicely baked, didn’t quite make as good of a pairing as if it were a steak frites.  The loin was well done however, and I could see myself ordering this next visit.

My duck confit was juicy, flavorful tender fall-off-the-bone meat, but the skin wasn’t completely crisped.  Still, compared to a recent visit to another french eatery, this confit is well above average for Singapore.

Our desserts were pretty and tasty.  The lavender-colored wild berry ice cream provide a lovely visual and flavor contrast to the rich eggy yellow and browned sabayon.  The creme brulee while less photogenic was no less a velvety creamy treat.

Overall, the food was delicious and beautifully composed.  It was nice to have some classic French cuisine, presented and executed in such a fine manner.  While we may not have time to return, I certainly wouldn’t mind another meal here.

—————————

The French Kitchen
7 Magazine Road
+65 6438 1823