The friend asked for dinner since it was restaurant week. I decided to join her since 1) I haven’t been to Lerouy and 2) I haven’t visited restaurant week for a long while. I was actually excited for a change of cuisine after being back from China recently. But the menu online did not give away much for the $138/pax dinner menu just states – Let yourself be surprised by the chef from Course 1 to 4. Right, I hope it’s a surprise and not a shock

The restaurant wasn’t big and tables were arranged strategically so you could see the action going on

Before the start of the meal, the staff told us – Acidity is the chef’s signature. He likes to use acidity in all his dishes. Well, I didn’t think too much of it at first but at the end of the meal, I hear them loud and clear

Lemon Confit, Leek, Chives

The friend and I felt it was over tangy. The flavour hit you like a punch and alongside the caviar, you had layers of sourness and saltiness in play. I felt like maybe they wanted to recreate something like bread with butter. It was interesting but not something I wanna have again

Then came the real bread. The olive oil was really nice and fragrant. The yuzu butter was really normal, seaweed butter didn’t go very well with the bread but I thought the paprika was a nice touch at the end

Foie Gras, Foie Gras Cream, Red Wine Reduction, Horse Radish

The friend wasn’t sold on the foie gras cream. I wasn’t sold on the foie gras. I felt the texture was a little too soft for my liking. And the horse radish doesn’t seem to complement the dish really well either. But we liked the red wine reduction. At least there was some positive note! Though this dish was so forgettable that we took a long time to recall what did we have for our first course

WIld Turbot Fish, Spanish Ham, Escargot, Cabbage, Sorrel Sauce

I thought the fish was nicely done. And I liked the ham that gave it a touch of saltiness. I thought the sauce was nicely balanced without too overpowering. But really not too sure about the escargots – was it supposed to give the whole dish some texture? I felt they were pretty redundant

Wild Venison, French Eggplant, Potato Crisp, French Curry

The venison was well cooked and tender. I preferred it without the sauce. I didn’t really liked the eggplant for its texture and taste, just thought it was a little strange.

Palate Cleanser – Their version of Pina Colada

Lets just say they really stood true to what they believed in – Acidity!

Chestnut Sponge, Chestnut Cream

Their version of Mont Blanc. I took a mouth of it and gave up. They said this was a new dish. I told them it’s really bad. The chestnut sponge and cream was okay but the sauce was so sour it simply ruined the dish. They said the chef liked acidity. He didn’t like sweets. Well, I hear you

Ending the meal with petite 4: Kamquat, Cassis Chocolate, Canele and Passionfruit

The sourness of the kumquat hits you like a cold breeze slapping across your face. I thought the chocolate could bring some sweetness. But the tartness of the blackcurrant lingered on your palate. I took a bite of the passionfruit and gave up. The canele fortunately tasted the least acidity out of all

I get every chef has their own style. And I’m not against acidity in a dish. But I also believe in balance. A dish can have acidity and tartness but still taste refreshing and opens up your palate with the right ingredients and flavours. The staffs told me their regulars really enjoyed their cuisine. I don’t doubt it. But Singaporeans have also eaten far and wide and across the globe. To be frank, if this menu is a preview of what I will have for a regular menu, I would never come back here. On the bright side I told the friend, well it’s only the 2 of us that’s not coming back

Lerouy

7 Mohamed Sultan Road, Singapore 238957