Le Pont De Vie

Date: 24 August 2007 19:00 (Friday)

I guess by now most of you would have realise that both Wen and I are into French Cuisine. I remember how when i used to be a lot younger, i used to think that French restaurants are the most expensive to go to and by the same token.... French people are all millionaires cos they can afford eating what they eat. But somewhere along the lines, either the myth of French restaurants being expensive was debunked or that the French restaurants in Singapore just generally lowered their prices. Either way, diners like myself rejoice...

About a year back, Wen and I dined at San Marco which is located in the Lighthouse of the Fullerton hotel and we had a very meaningful, albeit brief, chat with Roxan Villareal who runs San Marco. He was educating us on how similar French and Chinese cooking is. The way we season our food, the way we cook it.... He came up with some examples which were truly glaring at how similar the Chinese and French do their dishes. But somehow, I personally feel that the French just managed it a whole lot better...

Le Pont De Vie is an example of a French Restaurant that has emerged recently and does fantastic French food at reasonable prices. We heard a lot about this restaurant from our fellow dining friends but for some reason, we never got around to trying it. But i decided that we would change this and hence a surprise French dinner outing for my beloved Wen.

Presenting the Amuse Bouche!!!

Wait... aren't those empty sauce plates and spoons i hear you ask... The answer is yes! They certainly are.... but awhile back they contained the amuse bouche which the chef painstakingly prepared. The same amuse bouche that the blogger whacked up before realising he forgot to take a pic....

Warmly toasted bread with garlic butter. By the way, for those folks out there who hasn't been to France, the one good thing about eating french in Singapore is that most of the French restaurants here ensure that their diners get served with warm bread... in France, you get cold French loafs... Ewwww

Wen's Starter.. the Escalope De Foie Gras De Canard - Pan Fried Escalope of Rougie Duck Liver with Sundried Figs, Petite Salade, Cassis Reduction! Yummm....

My starter... Salade De Brie - Salad of Melted Brie on New Potatoes, Diced Bacon Bits, Petite Salade Tossed, Balsamic Vinaigrette ... Pardon my French but Wah lau.. this dish is F**King Awesome man!!! Never had this before... the brie melts on the hot potatoes and together with the crispy bacon beads, the bloody thing just oozes in your mouth and the combination of flavour and taste is something the imagination cannot fanthom out. This is a DIE DIE MUST TRY!!!

Wen's main which was the Cabillaud - Pan Roast Canadian Black Cod, Brunoise of Vegetables in Jus de Citron... very fatty... very nice!!!

My mains... Confit De Carnard - Duck Confit with Roast New Potato and Mesclun. They prepared it Dry! The way i like it!!! Duck confit is seriously my favourite french dish. A properly done duck confit will have it's skin super crispy and the meat so tender it will just detach from the bone the moment you press your knife into it. A lot of French restaurants love to add a dash of sauce to their duck confit, which in all honesty, does add a different dimension to the taste but the problem with sauces is that it ends up making the crispy skin soggy. Le Pont De Vie does it completely dry and you get to totally enjoy every single crispy bit of skin! Wah.... writing this blog makes me want to go back NOW!!!

And finally the dessert.... which i believe.... from the picture... to be.... some ice cream on banana crepes with strawberry by the sides.... Damn it man! I really must remember to take pictures before i plunge my damn mouth into the food!!! Oh, now i remember... it's called the Crepes Suzette - Thinly Flambéed Pancake with Vanilla Ice Cream. OOooooooo....


Oh, and the whole meal was beautifully accompanied by a bottle of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2006. Ah... that's life!!!

For the French illiterate, Le Pont De Vie is a direct translation for "The Bridge of Life". And with the quality of food that they are serving, this is definitely one bridge i will be crossing over and over again :)

Le Pont De Vie
42 Waterloo Street
Tel: 6238 8682
www.lpdv.com.sg