I went to Les Amis with friends coupple of weeks ago.
We were all delight with good old style french flavours and good wine too. However the service was a bit slow..
Probably we'll be back in a more quiet night..

The most memorable part of lunch was my dining partner recounting his golf story about this black guy approaching him while he was playing an afternoon round of nine holes at his home course of Lost Canyons in California. My friend kindly obliged and so the two of them went on to complete their round, strangers with a common goal of conquering the course. The black dude was distinctly forlorn, somber to an extent even, like a fisherman fearing the coming of a storm. The tranquility of the looming mountain ranges cascading in the background was undisturbed as the two acquaintances trudged on. Then it ended. A quick handshake, an exchange of farewells and the two hour friendship instantly dissipated.

Les Amis feels exactly like that.

1===> Ambience
The threshold of the place was like a portal to another dimension. The lively and multi faceted crowd that littered the sidewalk of Shaw Center during lunch hour soon evolved into a serious congregation of quiet diners clad in dull tones of black and white. The décor was steely and formal. Chandeliers that dangled precariously from the ceiling provided an olden touch to this modern establishment. There was a symmetry to the alignment of the seating arrangement that seemingly would unleash pandemonium if ever so slightly disturbed The furnishing was as uninspiring as the diners, square tables with white table cloths and plates paired with metal utensils. An elegant lady with chiseled features and a radiant smile that could warm a chilly winter’s night illuminated the room in her velvety purple dress, yet like the restaurant setting, she was a persona that had presence but no staying power. Some dining settings lingers vividly and leaves a mental scar, some do not. This one belongs in the category of the later.

2===> Service
Maybe coming late is the key to good service. Fewer diners means more waiters that will readily attend to your every need. The servers were polite and very much non intrusive throughout the course of our meal. The one that took our order was very explicit and thorough in describing the dishes leaving a very good impression. Complements must also be paid to the dressing of the servers. Everyone was immaculately dressed and looked extremely smart. Some places dress the servers up tardily resulting in cheesy looking people taking your order and attending to you. I somehow suspect that this is a ploy to make the customers look good no matter how sloppy they dress (and we all know how sloppy Singaporeans can get from the article in the papers a month back). Overall the service was quite tightly wound and there were no slip ups.

3===> Food
Me and my dining partner got the 4 and 3 course set lunch respectively. I had the extra one cause I was torn between the foie gras and the tuna loin. Its was like deciding between the devil and the deep blue sea, Faustus will tell u to pick the latter of course, but both the dishes were equally decadent and sinfully good and well I had to go with both. Choosing one over the other would warrant a trip back the next day because I cannot live without knowing how good the other was. Both were spectacular.

Fennel Soup - Compliments of the chef
The soup came in a tea cup. Porcelain and very petite to say the least. We all know that if you are going to offer complimentary food, it better be innovative and good. And this was. Very much so. The soup was laced with a layer of cream that harmonized easily with the clear fennel soup. It was subtle in flavor and very much French. I loved the texture that the blend of cream and clear soup created and was surprised at how light it was. Perfect start to the meal.

STARTERS
Tuna Loin
My first starter was 3 slices of tuna loins with artichokes and olives. The olives tasted very canny but the tuna loins were seared to perfection. An intense redness perforated the brownish outer layer resulting in a texture that was quite sublime. The peasant like artichokes was gentle allowing the tuna to shine while the black olives, well… they still tasted canny. The portion was small but hey, if the food’s good, nothing else matters right?

Foie Gras
The second starter was foie gras with brandied cherries. How can you go to a French restaurant and not have foie gras? Try the foie gras at Les Amis and you will get what I mean. No miniscule piece of liver here, the foie gras was a nice big slab of crispy cum mushy delight piled on a bed of sweet brandied cherries. The cherries were sort of a let down in my opinion. They were a little to tart and firm. There was something just not right about it. The foie gras was done to perfection but poignantly its accompaniment was not to standard.

Lobster Consommé
The lobster consommé was quite unimpressively presented. Tardy. There was even traces of soup on the rim of the bowl which is something an establishment of this sort should not be serving. The taste on the contrary was quite the opposite according to my dining partner. I trust his taste buds so I guess that is the saving grace of the dish.

MAINS
Steak Blah Blah
Well I kinda forgot the name to the dish evidently but it was some grain-fed cow meat. The meat was tenderized judging from the razor thinness of it yet just when my criticisms were about to sprout, the texture and flavor of the steak astounded me. It was juicy and retained a lot of the meatiness that a steak should possess. The salting of the steak was ostensibly done just at the right time for if done too early, the steak loses moisture, and if too late, the steak and salt cannot work as one .The meat was well marbled yet not overly fatty. Again the presentation was lacking. A small dollop of mash and a couple of grains of corn embedded the side of the dish. Overall I was satisfied. Not hugely but still satisfied.

Wagyu patty - Chef’s creation of the day
The meat looked very much in line as what you find at a burger joint. My dining partner said it was good and once again I trust him. Then again how wrong can you go when you put a top chef, a good piece of meat and top quality ingredients together right.

DESSERTS
Lychee flower
I do not have a sweet tooth and I did not particularly fancy this. It was served in a martini glass with a piece of biscuit that was a little too hard on the teeth. A bit too sweet and a bit too plastic tasting.

Apple Crumble
My dining partner said it was good. I thought it looked alright. Conclusion, it was alright. Its my review, I decide how the food was!

Complimentary green tea biscotti was a nice sweet end to the meal. As a whole the food was good considering it was set lunch but the presentation needs a bit of work.

4===> Value
My friends who read my reviews always never agree with me on this section, partly cause they think I am pretty much kuku for justifying a 400 dollar meal as being valued for money. With that in mind, I think Les Amis was worth it, but you go try it for yourself.

Final Words:
As you can probably tell, I am kind of rushing off for dinner so the latter part of the review is quite messy. Les Amis, in my opinion, justifies the myriad of awards and accolades it garnered for itself over the years with exemplary food. It set the bar for Singapore’s culinary fine-dining scene and will continue to do so for years if they continue serving what they are serving.

OH and before I forget, for those of you who toiled through this immensely long article (yes I know I write a lot and no I am not going to cut down), the black guy who joined my friend happened to be a certain Denzel Washington and he was hoping to catch a quick round of golf before rushing off to the set of The Great Debaters. There you have it folks, every story has a moral.

Was supposed to go for the branch at botanical gardens (Au Jardins) but it was fully booked. My gosh.. wonder why fine dining is so expensive and yet there are people'fighting' to get seats on a normal day?!?!

Anyway, Woohoo, The experience is really remarkable. The dinner lasted from 8:30pm to almost midnight without realizing because the serving is paced really slowly and they keep you busy with little complimentary bites in between the courses - tempura, creme brulee de foie gras, cream puff, warm walnut bun and petite sweet treats at the end of the meal.

Stepped into the restaurant with the waiter checking out on my attire. Then stressed me up with what would 'aperitif' i want to start off when i don't even have anythin in mind without the menu. Digesting the language on the menu is another issue.

All was well..Alright, My Menu of the day:

1) Started off with aperitif - Pussy foot
2) Then to the entree - Carpacio of artichoke, grilled mushrooms, egg confit, spanish ham, classic vinaigrette (bottom right pic)
3) Then to the main course - Pan fried threadfin with mousseline of apple. $65 per serving when it is smaller than half the palm size. Oh the nice thing is the waiter came out and told me this, "The chef said that the lobster today isn't fresh and he recommends the threadfin." So there i go.. with the changed dish. (top left pic)
4) Dessert - Fine tarte aux pommes dragees, caramel with salted Echire butter. Oh sweet tooth satisfied. Enjoyed it totally. (top right pic)
(and a glass of chardonnay to go along)

My friend's menu was more exotic and his dessert was basically warm chocolate cake. I can make better one, if not for the lack of good chocolate as ingredient.*kidding, how to fight with fine dining standard?!*

Was there couple of weeks back.

Of course the food was good! How bad can it be when you are paying a lot for it?

Before IGGY's came into the scene, (same owner), Les Amis was THE restaurant to be seen and dine in Singapore, headed by Justin Quek, who has left for Taiwan. Others in the same league Senso at Club St, St Pierre's at Central Mall.

Reservation: Yes before but from what I heard, less so nowadays.

Food / Beverage: Starter was organic poached egg with truffles. Thought it was a joke but the egg with flakes of truffles is really tasty, much better than the half boiled egg from your local coffee shop. Mushroom soup was delicious, freshly prepared with imported cepes mushroom. Salad was average as the dressing was nothing special. Foie Gras was served, but I've had better. Tournadoes of beef was great, a small serving but extremely tasty. Ended with chocolate cake with fresh cream, coffee. Had a Faiveley burgundy to go with the main and a chardonnay as a starter. Quite a good experience.

Ambience: Dark tone, quiet, tables well spaced out, crisp table cloth, well groomed waiters, bottles and bottles of wine. Smacks of a classy restaurant.

Value: At $200 a pop (with wine) pricey but food value was unique

Service: The benchmark for French restaurants.