The French Kitchen

After Saint Pierre, instincts led me to visit TFK for their 3-course lunch deal ($36++) next.

One block apart, Emmanuel Stroobant's two french assets is differentiated by a stark factor: Hospitality. The feeling of being welcomed from the chef himself- it's one clear pivotal edge over their pretentious neighbor. I’ll raise both hands for an affable chef!

bread & condiments

Also appealing is Chef Jean-Charles Dubois' approach to food. He gives classic french titles his personal Dubois-tweak, then execute them with attested care. Traditional essences are retained even after his novel strokes, & you can always trust to get a thoughtful surprise or two.

Our lunch's raisin & brown bread slices didn't just arrive with plain-jane butter... Instead we had piped French butter with a ramekin of pink salmon rilettes. Fishy as it may be, those fragrant olive toppings were a huge lifting factor.

Amuse Bouche: Egg cream

The amuse bouche was one of those unpretentious-seeming thing that *BOOM* explodes unexpected pleasure in the mouth. I spooned out puffy eggy mousse, already piquantly seasoned yet further perked by olives & a parmesan crisp. Homemade brioche by the side. oh i think i sniffed some truffle oil too!

Never belittle what can emerge from cutie eggshells.

Bisque de Homard

Moments later he proved that signatures ain't signatures for nothing.

I have to say TFK serves up the best, if not one of the best Lobster Bisque i've had. The splendid garden of pastel orange housed a pair of meaty tiger prawn tempuras and brilliantly correlating leek custard pudding. Every drop of the steamy hot soup was visually & gastronomically accomplished! *slurpsss.

Cabillaud

Elaine can never see the word Cod & not order it.

Cabillaud is prepared classic french; primarily salt-seasoned. The flaky oleaginous piece was endowed with salted brown crust, alongside dashes of artichoke puree and skillfully hand-cut potato crisps. A huge pity the scant splat of bouillabaise emulsion was insufficient to moisten the fish, making it badly dry.

Mental note: Loving all cods but Miso Cod definitely tops the satisfaction-o-meter.

Kurobuta Pork Loin

Dad met his lucky day when the server introduced an alternative Kurobuta Pork Loin as Day's special. I knew he's bound to have it. On his plate laid a beautifully browned loin paired with brown sauce and truffle mash, once again overly salt-adorned.

Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee

Here's the signature Dark Chocolate Creme Brulee dessert. Pairing icecream with creme brulee sounds like a rare recruitment but when the vanilla icecream melts into the fluidy dark chocolate custard, whatsoever weirdness is wiped out by the black-&-white blend.

Who would defy a marriage of premium chocolate & quality vanilla?

Sabayon au Champagne

Champagne Sabayon with forest berry icecream was another worthy mention... An egg custard dashed with champagne, embedding bite-sized pear marmalade & berry chunks. It may be slightly off-putting for yolk-shunners, but the addition of fruits and berrylicious icecream are 2 reasons to scoop up.

Chef Jean-Charles Dubois is made of sugar, spice & everything nice..

May cupid be with TFK always.

The French Kitchen

7 Magazine Road

#01-03 Central Mall

Singapore 059572

6438 1823