L'Angelus - Rustic French Food for the Soul

L'Angelus is my favourite restaurant for authentic traditional French food. It is a sister restaurant to Les Bouchons @ Ann Siang Hill, a place that I love for Steak Frites (Steak & French Fries).

L'Angelus is located within a quaint conservation shophouse on Club Street. I love its bistro-like decor as the walls are adorned with beautiful vintage French movie posters. I have a penchance for vintage posters.

Salade Grande Ferme
Blue Cheese Salad with Lardons & Garlic Croutons

This is my favourite starter. It is essentially salad greens tossed with bits of Roquefort (Blue Cheese) and crisp yet juicy Lardons (fried bacon bits). I loved the strong, creamy flavour of the Roquefort against the crisp freshness of the greens. The combination was enhanced by the smoky flavour of lightly browned and juicy bacon bits. The garlic croutons were essentially warm garlic bread slices that had been freshly toasted, adding a fragrant herb-y accent to the salad.

This is a Must-Try unless you cannot tolerate the flavour of Blue Cheese!

Cassoulet à l'ancienne

Cassoulet is a traditional rustic French stew that has its origins in the Southwest of France. It's a hearty bean stew containing meat, white haricot beans and pork skin that has been cooked slowly (traditionally cooked in a glazed earthen pot in an oven) for a few hours.

The Cassoulet here is served in a Staub, La Cocotte (French Oven). I love cast iron pots like Staub and Le Creuset because of their fabulous heat retention qualities and how they are perfect for cooking stews in.

Cassoulet is usually served as a one-pot meal during winter in France. Though we don't have winter in Singapore, I still love this dish because its the perfect comfort food on a cool day or when one is feeling hassled.

This is one of my favourite main courses in addition to the Entrecote Rib Eye Steak (without any sauce) and Stewed Chicken with Morel Mushrooms in a Cream Sauce.

The slow cooking process has caused the haricot beans to absorb the rich flavours of the sausages, ham, pork belly, duck, pork knuckle and tomatoes. The haricot beans were soft like how baked beans normally are except this isn't any ordinary baked beans dish. The flavour that confronts the palate is that of a smoky richness that is gastronomically pleasurable. The juicy chunks of meat and sausages added robust flavours to the stew. This dish should definitely be shared because it is too substantial for one diner to finish. This is a Must-Try!

Incidentally, the serving portions of the dishes here are large so my friends and I would usually order a few dishes to share.

Pan-Fried Fish (think it was sole) with Lemon Butter Sauce

I tried a little of my friends' Pan-Fried Fish. It was well executed but I still prefer any of my 3 favourite main courses (mentioned above).

What I like about this place is that they serve the sauce on the side without you having to ask for it to be served in this manner.

This visit was over lunch, which wasn't such a good idea as we didn't have time for dessert and had to rush back to the office. The lunch cost about S$80-S$90 for 3 ladies.

Pic taken during dinner last year

Please note that this place practises a French style of service ie. you should be prepared to dine over at least 1.5 hrs or more as they do not believe in rushing out courses. However, if you are short on time but still want to get your fix here, let the waiter know your time constraint when placing your orders and they will pace accordingly.

L'Angelus
No. 85 Club Street
Singapore 069453
Tel: 6225-6897

Operating Hours:
Mondays to Fridays: 12pm to 2pm & 7pm till late
Saturdays: 7pm till late
Closed on Sundays

* Old entry on L'Angelus

Lunch @ The White Rabbit

During my first visit to The White Rabbit, I spent most of the evening wondering how the place would look in the day. I loved the white walls, stained glass windows, wrought iron and high ceiling. Here's a picture that I took of a stained glass window when I returned for lunch. Note that the darkened bits of the stained glass window are due to the shadows cast by the trees outside the building.

My lunch companion and I wanted to have a light lunch and since we were both carb freaks, we ordered a soup and a pasta each.

The staff served us bread rolls while we waited for our food. The warm and crusty bread roll was comforting on a slightly rainy day.

Mushroom Cappuccino @ S$14
a light mushroom soup dusted with porcini powder

My lunch buddy had ordered a Mushroom Cappuccino which was reasonably good and had its flavour lightly enhanced by the fragrance of porcini powder. We thought that it could do with a slightly stronger mushroom flavour though.

Slightly Spiced Prawn Bisque @ S$16
topped with an aromatic coconut & laksa leaf soufflé

I ordered the Slightly Spiced Prawn Bisque which arrived topped with a nicely browned soufflé. The fluffy soufflé top had bits of Laksa Leaf (aka Daun Kesom or Vietnamese Mint) embedded in it and was infused with the flavour of coconut milk. The bisque was not as rich as I would have liked it but it was interesting as it tasted like a thinner form of Laksa Lemak gravy. It even had a whole hard-boiled quail's egg in addition to the fresh prawns! Relative to the soufflé top, the soup paled in comparison but on the whole it was an interesting combination.

Scallop Linguine @ S$26
pan seared scallops served with al dente linguine, tossed with garlic, chili & fresh herbs

My lunch buddy ordered the Scallop Linguine. I had tried this dish during my first visit and found that it was pretty well-executed though the dish on the whole was a tad bland. My lunch buddy enjoyed the browned, juicy scallops and also commented that the pasta dish could do with just a little more salt.

The White Rabbit Mac & Cheese @ S$28
served with spring vegetables & a scrumptious truffle sauce

I had previously shared a portion of the signature Mac & Cheese with my dinner companions. As I was not too hungry, I had taken a little morsel which I felt was very lightly seasoned (seems to be the order of the day here) and I could barely taste the truffles in the dish. I was curious to try the full portion just to see if there were pockets of flavour within the dish that I might have missed on my previous visit.

This was a beautiful rendition of a dish with humble origins. Macaroni and Cheese is a simple casserole that has its place as a popular comfort food in America. Unfortunately, the version here doesn't taste as good as it looks. It may be a jazzed up version complete with truffle sauce and nice plating techniques but in terms of flavour, it lacks the oomph that the humble version offers. I think it could do with a little more cheese and an additional pinch of salt.

Latte @ S$6

On my previous visit, I made a mental note to try the coffee on my return as they seemed to serve a brand that I've not tried before, Giancarlo Coffee. The waitress didn't seem to understand my query when I asked if they served Giancarlo Coffee and gave me an uncertain "yes" response. I decided to try the coffee anyway.

Here's a picture of my aromatic cup of warm latte with a thick layer of milk foam on top and a depression in the middle from where I had poured in some brown sugar. I love thick foams atop my lattes despite the prospect of a foam moustache (the coffee fiend's version of a Got Milk? ad). The latte here is excellent with a full-bodied, rounded flavour that is not overly acidic nor bitter. It is on par with a well-brewed cup of Illy Coffee (wondering if they were serving Illy instead). The Latte here is a Must-Try!

The White Rabbit
39C Harding Road
Singapore
Tel: +65 6473 9965

Operating Hours:
Tuesdays to Sundays: 11am - 2.30pm & 6pm - 10.30pm
Closed on Mondays

Recession Friendly Yong Tau Hu @ Bedok South

My favourite hawker dish at Bedok South Food Centre is Fish Ball Noodles from Hock Seng Choon. During one of my visits to the hawker centre, I decided to try the Yong Tau Hu as there was such a long line at the stall (I was the 12th person in line).

Yong Tau Hu @ S$1.50 (abt US$0.97) for 7 pieces

I realised why there was a long line. The Yong Tau Hu here is a steal at S$1.50 with noodles and 7 pieces. Wow! In a regular foodcourt in Singapore, one would have to pay about S$3.50 - S$4.00 for a similar bowl of Yong Tau Hu. This made me wonder how much of the cost of a bowl of Yong Tau Hu is due to rental expenses. I couldn't help but wonder if the Yong Tau Hu would be palatable and if it was worth the wait. I asked an elderly gentleman in line behind me if he has tried it before. Apparently he's a regular customer.

When I tried the Yong Tau Hu, I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it certainly didn't taste like a sloppy version. The broth was well-seasoned with the flavour of soy beans and ikan bilis (anchovies). The fishball and tofu pieces were fresh. Though the fishball did not contain as much fish paste as the ones sold by Hock Seng Choon, they were reasonably delicious (as far as most Yong Tau Hu stalls go).

Yam Rice @ S$0.50

The Yam Rice here was tasty though I wished it contained more chunks of yam.

Overall, it was a satisfying meal and at the cost of a cup of Killiney Kopitiam coffee. No wonder they seemed to have so many regular clients. There was an elderly man in line behind me who told me that he comes by often with his family.

Block 16 Bedok South Road
#01-145
Singapore 460016

* NB: The price has increased to S$0.30 per piece of Yong Tau Hoo. (Price increase was done around the end of Feb 09 or early Mar 09)

Budget-Friendly Yong Tau Hu @ Chinatown Hawker Centre

In the current recessionary environment, many people are tightening their belts and bracing for a tough ride ahead. Thankfully in Singapore, we have easy access to inexpensive food in addition to pricier meals.

Niang Dou Fu with Kway Teow Soup @ S$2

I came across a Niang Dou Fu stall at Chinatown Hawker Centre which sold bowls of Niang Dou Fu at SGD2 (about USD1.30) per bowl. I ordered some to try. The stock was tasty and the vegetables fresh. The Niang Dou Fu (usually pieces of tofu or vegetables with fish paste) here were reasonably tasty but not so good that it would blow you out of the water.

It's decent food if you're looking for an inexpensive meal.

Chinatown Niang Dou Fu
Chinatown Complex Food Centre
335 Smith Street,
#02-146 Chinatown Complex
Singapore 050335

Singapura Seafood Restaurant @ Selegie Road

Singapura Restaurant has been around for as long as I can remember. It's located within a small cluster of HDB flats along Selegie Road. As you may have noted from the glass panel to the right of the doors, this place is famous for Cold Crabs.

Singapura Cold Crab (sold by weight)
- this crab cost about S$25

I'm not a massive seafood fan as crustaceans that are less than fresh tend to make me break out in hives. The Cold Crabs here are awesome! They are compact shell-bound parcels of sweet and fresh crab flesh coupled with a rich, creamy roe that coats your tongue.

Here is my portion of crab. The white firm flesh is sweet and is good enough to eat on its own because the crabs have been infused with the flavour of the herbs that they were steamed with. I generally prefer to eat hot food, though I make exceptions for chilled Alaskan Snow Crab or Dungeness Crabs. This restaurant prides itself as being the creator of chilled crabs in Singapore.

Could this be Singapore's answer to Joe's Stone Crab in Miami, Florida? Joe's is a 96-year old Miami institution that I had the fortune to dine in once many years back but remains forever etched in my memory because of the amusing sight of huge grown men with bibs tied around their necks. They're only open during Stone Crab season (October to May).

Singapura packs a regular crowd and thankfully doesn't require us to queue for hours to savour the chilled crabs. However, they have a limited quantity of crabs available daily so on a busy evening, you'd probably not be able to partake of this delicacy. The Cold Crabs here are a MUST-TRY!

Special Prawn Rolls @ S$20

The Prawn Rolls are another specialty. They are not made with prawn paste nor prawn paste mixed with chicken or pork but firm chunks of fresh prawns. They are not heavily seasoned or spiced but are delicately sweetened with the natural flavour of the prawns. This is worth a try.

Crispy Duck @ S$24

The Crispy Duck here has a deliciously seasoned and crisp skin. The flesh tended to be a little dry and stringy at some parts. It was a little disappointing as the fragrantly browned skin bore so much promise.

Honey Pork Ribs @ S$15

The Honey Pork Ribs are also a specialty. I don't usually like to eat pork but the tasty pork ribs here are impressive! The tender flesh was well-seasoned with the rich flavours of the spice-infused honey marinade and practically fell off the bones. This is a Must-Try!

Steamed Fishtail @ S$36.80

The Steamed Fishtail with Tau Cheo (fermented bean sauce) and garlic was a tad on the sweet side. My dad loved it but I generally prefer fish steamed Teochew or Cantonese style (both of which have very light sauces) so I didn't like it as much as he did.

Foochow/Fuzhou Fried Noodle @ S$15

I'm a carb freak and I love KL-Style Hokkien Mee so I had to try the Fuzhou Fried Noodles as it has a similar flavour! The seafood was very fresh and I enjoyed chomping on the white clams.

The noodles are delicious though the sauce could do with just a little more salt to enhance its flavour.

Teochew Orh-Nee (Yam Paste) @ S$18

The Orh-Nee looked unappetizing at first because of the dark colour of the yam paste and the thick layer of oil that smothered it. Although Orh-Nee is traditionally served with a layer of oil, this is rarely the case these days as diners are getting more health-conscious.

The waitress broke the steamed pumpkin into smaller pieces and mixed everything up. The oil was absorbed by the paste resulting in a smoother mix. The yam paste was just a little too sweet for my preference but still bearable in comparison to some other versions that I've tried.

Fried Ice Cream @ S$4

Mum hates yam so she ordered some fried chocolate ice cream. The golden crust looked good but was too thick for her liking.

The restaurant is old school but the service staff are attentive and friendly. I guess this is largely because the lady boss keeps an eagle eye on them and ensures that all diners' requests are attended to swiftly.

I couldn't help but snap a picture of this block of HDB flats at the adjacent carpark as they were decked out in Singapore's national colours (red & white). I thought it was an interesting coincidence because the restaurant is using the Malay name for Singapore (Singapura).

Singapura Restaurant
Block 9 Selegie House,
#01-31 Selegie Road,
Singapore 180009
Tel: +65 6336-3255 / 6336-3478 / 6337-5197

Operating Hours:
Daily: 11.00am to 2.30pm & 6.00pm to 10.30pm