Restaurant Lerouy: Small on Space But Big on Flavour

Hot new Restaurant Lerouy serves up inventive French cuisine

Chef Christophe Lerouy, from one-Michelin-starred Alma By Juan Amador has started his own restaurant, Lerouy, hidden away on Stanley Street. This new venture together with Chef Willin Low of Wild Rocket and chef Gwen Lim of Patisserie G, sees Chef Lerouy at the helm cooking modern French cuisine at his intimately cosy, industrial-chic restaurant.

The tiny space only seats 26 – all at a counter, which meanders around the small open kitchen so that from almost every perch you can get a real look at how the chefs cook and plate up the dishes. The cuisine is purely Chef Lerouy’s creation and can be described as French fine dining with elements of Chef Lerouy’s travels in Asia thrown in. There are just two set menus (no a la carte) which will change regularly: the petit menu ($38++ for 3 lunch courses/98++ for 5 dinner courses), and a grand set ($55++ for 5 lunch courses/ $128++ for 7 dinner courses).

Cuisine
Chef Lerouy is keen to make his food accessible to everyone (although the intimate tight setting may not be that conducive to large groups and small kids). While the amuse bouche sets the tone of fine dining sophistication, Chef hoped to steer away from the austere hushed tones and starched tablecloths that often go hand in hand with more formal restaurants. But back to the aforementioned amuse bouche, a deliciously crisp polenta chip perched delicately on a folded wire gauze that is loaded almost precariously with a sweet raw amaebi shrimp, aioli sauce and fennel fronds. Sourdough is served in a generous portion accompanied with two butters, one salted butter and one charcoal.

One of the highlights from the current menu has to be the massive Japanese oyster, which swims in a pool of light foamy comte cheese sauce, beautifully offset by sweet pear purée and umami miso and decorated with dark green sea grapes – quite an impressive dish.

Ingredients are not all exotic – take, for instance, the humble cabbage. A small dish is presented featuring this common ingredient, yet Chef Lerouy has baked it in a salt crust so that all the delicate flavours are trapped within. It’s then torched and drizzled with anchoiade sauce and lardo.

Petit fours include the unlikely pairing of a creamy chocolate truffle wrapped in soft bacon followed by white chocolate wasabi with beetroot purée presented as a lollipop. It’s clear that while Restaurant Lerouy is small on space, it proves big on fun and flavour.

Restaurant Lerouy, 3 Stanley Street, Singapore 068722, Tel: (+65) 6221 3639, www.lerouy.com