Met with with some friends some time back and I decided to check out this new restaurant that took over La Strada at Shaw Centre. Well, as you would have guessed, the new restaurant is a new concept by Les Amis group of restaurants. Named élan, it serves modern French cuisine with a touch of Asian flair in their food and I was rather looking forward to dinner

The restaurant is small. So if you need somewhere quiet to htht, this is not the place to go

Complimentary bread which was quite meh in my opinion. So I decided to save my stomach space for dinner

Foie Gras Bonbon $30

Foie Gras Terrine Dome in Dark Chocolate Coated over Toasted Brioche, Crushed Hazelnuts & Kumquat

This certainly wasn’t expected. We thought they had served dessert by mistake. When we realized it was the Foie Gras Bonbon, we were surprised. Presentation-wise, it definitely scored there. The foie gras terrine stayed hidden under the thin layer of dark chocolate. So when you eat the entire thing together, it’s a mixture of smooth flavour of the foie gras, sweetness from the dark chocolate and the crunch of the hazelnuts. This take on foie gras is not common but I did enjoy it very much. The companion thought it was a little strange and didn’t quite seem to agree with me. Lol

Carabinero Prawns $45

Grilled Carabinero Prawns on Tagliolini Pasta, Sea Urchin & Yuzu Sauce

The next popular dish, which proved itself why it was so popular. I felt like everything on this plate was delicious. The cook on the pasta, the flavour and texture of the prawn and the umami of the sea urchin sauce that wrapped it up well. I would order this again

Amadai $36

Crispy Scales Amadai Fillet, Clams & Leeks Marinere, Chilli Padi, Clams Jus

I really like Amadai. But the execution on this fish fell slightly below expectations. But I thought the Marinere was delicious. A little salty on its own, it actually went well together with the fish 

Aquina “Pineapple” Chicken (For 2) $125

Whole Roasted Organic Kampong Chicken, Pilaf of Jasmine Rice, Lemongrass, Ginger, Coriander, Pandan Leaves, & Chicken Fats

Moving on to the star of the night..

It smelled so good before it got taken away to be butchered  

Hand Cut Fries $15

And it came back with some rice and salad. This is like their take on chicken rice, atas style. Lol. But it was so delicious. I couldn’t stop myself from having another spoonful of rice. And the chicken was tender, flavorful and tasty. It was worth the calories 

And then the friend wanted another bottle of wine. Think too stressed from work. Lol

Assorted Cheese $20 (small)

So I ordered some cheese to go along. But I felt that the cheese on a whole was too heavy for my liking. So moving on

Madeleines $19

Freshly Baked Lemon Scented Madeleines, Caramel Ice cream

Ooh I really enjoyed the madeleines. It had a slight taste of lemon, not too dry, slightly crisp on the outside. The texture somewhat reminded me of kueh bahulu and when you eat it together with the caramel icecream, it was a wonderful combination 

Banana $20

Baked Banana Satin, Almond Cream, Rum Ice cream

I didn’t have much memory of the banana tart, now that I looked back at the photos. So i guessed you can skip it. All I remembered the icecream was quite gao with rum. Lol

We thought the lunch set looked interesting, and definitely worth a try. The food on a whole was generally well received. It’s French, yet quite different. And I definitely wouldn’t mind returning.

élan

1 Scotts Rd, #01 – 13

Shaw Centre

Singapore 228208