Cuisine: Gastronomic nouvelle cuisine with Southern French heritage.
Visit: October 2012
Price: This is a serious gastronomic experience so the cost is high. (There is no a la carte offer, only a tasting menu: Dinner for SGD 288.00 (lunch for SGD $128 – 4-course menu) per person; wine pairing for SGD 180.00 per person; Tax of 7% and service charge of 10% is not included in these prices).
Andre’s wine & food philosophy
Chef: The Taiwan-born chef Andre Chiang has two passions. One is poetry and art (look at the photographs of his dishes on his website) and another food. His penchant for creativity manifests itself in his small dining establishment in Singapore where he himself decorated the rooms and keeps creating unforgettable dishes for the curious foodies coming to his restaurant from all over the world (there was a French family, a Hong Kong and an Indian couple and the rest I would have to guess when we had dinner there). His credo is Octaphilosophie, which is a gastronomic term that he pursues. Octaphilosophie is based on his study of how our experience influences our perception of taste. Through his food he intends to facilitate an interpretation of his thoughts and the philosophy behind his cuisine. There are eight concepts translated into dishes: Unique; Pure; Texture; Memory; Salt; South; Artisan; and Terroir.
A garden of amouse bouche
Chiang’s unique approach to fine dining was rewarded recently by a number of distinctive accolades such as receiving the 68th position San Pellegrino World’s 100 Best Restaurants 2012 and Singapore Best New Restaurant 2011 by Tatler Asia to name a few.
Food: Complex, artistic and philosophical. Taste is of a secondary importance at this restaurant, as it is more than that. The chef makes you think about his ideas and his perception of the world through his dishes. Most of it tastes very interesting and it is tasty, but you need to switch your brain from looking for your mother’s type of cuisine at this restaurant. It is all but not traditional – I dare to say that the meals at Andre are quite revolutionary and surely worth trying if you are a serious food connoisseur. After a garden of amouse bouche, which was so tiny that it could be considered as a proper food only by someone on a strict diet, we encountered the first concept from the chef’s Octaphilosophie.
The PURE dish was described as such:
“Beauty can be found in the simplicity of pure, unadulterated ingredients. Untainted by any form of seasoning or cooking, this dish allows the produce to speak for itself.”
PURE ingredients
This plate full of raw ingredients from seafood to flowers and herbs had exactly that kind of impression on my palate. the shrimp and salmon roll were perhaps the most palatable, the rest was rather more amusing than tasty. The second course confirmed that it helps to have a description of the meal when you eat it as it navigates your palate to what the chef wanted you to experience.
SALT:
“An ancient seasoning existing since time immemorial. Producing a taste sensation with no barriers, the flavors in this dish call for the briny depth and brings to the mind a hint of the ocean.”
SALT: bringing ocean to the mind
ARTISAN:
“Farmers and artisans deserve to be lauded for the sheer dedication they hold towards their creations. Celebrating the craftsmanship of these highly passionate artists.”
ARTISAN products on the plate
The farmers’ and artisans’ produce is very popular between all the chefs aiming high in the culinary world and Andre Chiang is not an exception. A thoughtful creation, yet I was not overwhelmed by the plate’s taste.
Capturing the SOUTH of France thousands of miles away can be challenging. Moreover, for me this dish was even more personal since I live in this region thus I was more critical on this dish. The chef spent a couple of years cooking at various restaurants with legendary chefs there as well, so our it was interesting to compare our impressions. Here is is concept of the SOUTH:
“The South of France s known for its vibrant joie de vivre, or ‘joy of living’. Capturing the flavors of France’s southern region, expect the generosity, freshness, acidity and a dose of the rustic.”
Capturing the SOUTH of France
The fish is a must on the plate in Provence or elsewhere around the Mediterranean, so I appreciated the white fish layered on a scoop of risotto and it was fresh, generous, rustic and refreshed by a touch of acidity in the foam served on the top, just as the chef described. Nevertheless, my view of the Southern produce would be – olives, verveine, levander, rose wine and anything that is in season such as Southern truffles. Here our perception of one place/idea had definitely clashed.
Another important aspect of any food is TEXTURE:
“Layers of flavor and textural contrasts come together harmoniously in this dish, providing a delicious sensory experience.”
TEXTURE and harmony
This was my favorite dish. It might have been that I prefer balance in the meal and I am biased towards texture, but it was simply delicious. The delicate lobster refreshed by crisp herbs and leafs, icy and melting sorbet and sweet touch of peeled li-chi fruits all created a harmonious experience for my palate.
When most of us eat at a fine dining restaurant we search for something UNIQUE in the food created by the chef.
“What makes a dish unique? Sometimes, it is the possibility of experiencing a common ingredient in a different way. At other times, savouring an exotic ingredient is the key to making a dish unique.”
UNIQUE a common ingredient meets exotic.
For something to be memorable it must stand out. The chef’s take on MEMORY was to highlight an old well-known product – foie-gras that was made in a new form – a creamy custard-like texture with herb consomé made into a jelly on the top. It was delicious.
“Meaningful memories stay with you for a long time. In this case, old recipes and flavours are given a new presentation, but still retain that old-world charm you once knew.”
MEMORY: the old made new
The last creation reflected the TERROIR:
“Rustic, masculine and unpolished, this soulful course is rooted to the flavours typical to a specific region. It reveals the appreciation of the gifts that Mother Nature has bestowed upon the land.”
TERROIR: true to the Mother Nature
Meat, vegetables, mustard seeds, … these are all products of the land. The chef enhanced them through a variety of sauces so the rustic taste of the almost rare chunk of meat was calmed down. A nice dish, although for some people it really might be too much ‘rustic’.
Diverting from the menu’s “Octaphilosophie” concept, the desserts were still very personal for the chef, although each of them was completely different. Fresh and fruity, herbal and zesty, and finally the chef’s weakness for the caramel-filled chocolate Snickers bars lead to his own mind-blowing interpretation. I have never been a big fan of Snickers, but after tasting this sweet delight I might be willing to change my mind. Although, the chef had done a really good job using fresh and high quality ingredients, which in the case of Snickers is doubtful (Perhaps, if they charged you at least$10 and you were willing to pay it for a choco-caramel bar, then you might get such first-class ingredients in your Snickers).
Refreshing dessert
The chef’s creative adaptation of his beloved Snickers
Overall, I must admit that the chef initiated a state of deep contemplation in most of the diners including us. With each dish all of us seemed to think about it, discuss it and conclude his/her own opinion about the experience. Isn’t this what we need in today’s fast-food driven society? We should appreciate all the food we put into our mouths and connect the experience with our brain rather than mindlessly put a chunk after chink into our mouths.
Atmosphere: It is almost like a laboratory where each diner analyses his/hr dish. The first floor is only for the chef’s table and can also host private parties. The main restaurant is upstairs. Art and design selected by the chef bejewelled the interior and the seats are very comfortable. It is a relaxing place. Imagine a gathering at a shrine for food connoisseurs and that is exactly how this place feels. Wear something smart.
The chef’s table downstairs.
- The Wine Journal
Drinks: The chef has selected the wines himself for the restaurant’s “wine journal” offering biodynamic wines from small French producers. We did the wine pairing with our meals and it was lots of fun. The wine waiter did not disclose the origin of any of the wines until we tried it and made our guess. Often, we were fooled by these wines. Small artisanal wines can be so unique at times that one can mistaken a Chablis for a Riesling. It was more an interesting tasting, but we were not impressed by the wines themselves. Next time, I would select wines-by-the-glass or a nice bottle of something rare.
Address: 41 Bukit Pasoh Rd, Singapore 089855
Opening hours: Closed on Public Holidays and Mondays; Tue-Fri: 12–2pm, 7–11pm; Dinner on Sat-Sun: 7–11pm.
Contact: Tel: +(66) 6534 8880; email: reserve@restaurantandre.com
1.279429
103.840318
Read Full Post »
Winebeing 