Joel Robuchon’s Singapore Restaurant Opens

 

Of all the celeb restaurants that have opened in the last 15 months in Singapore, the biggest kahuna of all is without a doubt Joel Robuchon’s L’Atelier and Restaurant. Launched just yesterday at Resorts World Sentosa to the media, it served up its first meal to guests, with the formidable Robuchon himself working the kitchen. This, he told us candidly, was “bad news” for we were the restaurant’s “guinea pigs”. Oh – a sense of humour. No one complained, to be sure.

Situated near the entrance to Universal Studios and opposite Osia and Kunio, it houses two dining venues – the fine dining restaurant which makes you think of Monaco, haute Paris and the French Riviera, and the more casual L’Atelier, all black, red and a bit of Nippon. I can imagine the super luxe fine dining restaurant can be somewhat stuffy, so best behaviour, fat wallets and lingering meals must be expected….though Guillaume Aglade the manager is super eye candy material.  
 

Over at L’Atelier though, its way casual – bar stools all round with the best seats round the very long counter which gives you a good look at the action beyond in the open kitchen. It’s a little like sushi counter style eating – no conveyor belts mind you, but nicely plated courses served up one by one. And if yesterday’s lunch caught the mood Robuchon is trying to achieve in L’Atelier, you can expect it to be relaxed, cheerful and unpretentious. “We welcome kids, too,” says Chef Braun. “That place is fine, but L’Atelier is fun and rock n’roll.” Really! Never heard Robuchon’s digs every described thus, but this is as close to the horse’s mouth as it gets. 

During lunch, the Chef of the Century pottered about  in the kitchen, occasionally wiping the plates and adding garnishes before they were served, and being somewhat hands on with his team. Quite unlike some celebrated chefs on TV, this man worked calmly and occasionally gave his staff a pat on the shoulder. But of course he had his crack team doing the real work, including Executive Chef Tomonori Danzaki, who has been working with him for the last 16 years.

We were treated to an amazing 10-course lunch which is priced at a very reasonable S$250++ (Hey,… it’s Joel Robuchon, yah?), paired with six wines. Portions were small, but at the end of the meal, you were nicely full, not bloated, and definitely not requiring a trot to the hawker centre.

 

What I most enjoyed of all the dishes were the amuse bouche of foie graas custard with port reduction and parmesan foam – creamy and intense in flavour and a perfect combination of flavours – and a tender-springy langoustine fritter (crispy outside and perfectly soft and springy inside) with the best half teaspoon of basil pesto I had ever set tongue upon in all my years of writing. No pine nuts here.

 

The daikon veloute was a gorgeous creamy broth tickled by citrus flavours and spices that played fireworks on your palate – remember how Ratatouille felt when he bit into some cheese and strawberries at the same time? –  and I enjoyed the moist, tender texture of the sole fillet subtly piqued by ginger and turmeric.

 

Desserts were picturesque: the first was a pretty cup of passionfruit with rum granite and coconut foam, served with a spoon dusted with gold. Light, refreshing but yet again, with intense tangy sweet flavours that melded so delightfully…and very suitable for our tropical weather too.  The other was a sphere of white chocolate which held raspberry sorbet inside. When the waiter served it, he poured hot raspberry  sauce over it and voila, the drama unfolds as the heat melted the chocolate sphere to reveal the bright red, cold raspberries and sorbet inside!  

At the start of the lunch, Robuchon presented the key members of his team, in a surprisingly light-hearted and personable way. They all clearly enjoyed working together because the rapport among them was almost infectious. (I was honestly surprised that he came across so friendly, cos you always think the people ‘up there’ are as formidable as their reputation, plus the fact that he kept us waiting 45 minutes before starting a press conference last year!)

 

I asked him how it felt to be the most awarded chef in the world. “I don’t think about it,” he says. “But what means a lot to me is when my guests tell me they enjoyed my food.”  Later when I introduced myself to him, he took out his card and with a cheeky smile, introduced himself too: “I’m Joel Robuchon.” I wanted to catch a peek at an aspect of the man not often seen in the limelight, so I asked him a question about his childhood – what was that defining moment when you decided you wanted to become a chef?

His reply was not as dramatic as I half expected, but it was a most interesting insight into his less stellar past. He said that he was sent to stay in a ‘seminary’ by his very religious family when he was just 11 years old. There, he was the only boy among the nuns – so I guess it’s a nunnery, for he spoke through an interpreter – and volunteered to help out in the kitchen. For the next three years, he peeled potatoes and assorted vegetables, a pastime which he felt was enjoyable and relaxing. While his family expected him to go into a religious life, he “knew it wasn’t for him”. Subsequently, a family situation which happened when he was 15 required him to get a job to help out with the family income, and the first thing he did was hop into a kitchen to work. And the rest they say is history.

Was there any dish you learnt from your mommy as a youngster which you still enjoy or cook today? He grinned, and pointed to the mash potato on my neighbour’s plate, which had been hand whisked for 45 minutes and served with a foie gras filled quail, paired with a glass of Chateau Tour Seran ‘Selection Joel Robuchon’ 2004. It was the very mashed potato which the Chef of the Century is so supremely famous for.

So you see – Mom still knows best!