So after a not so satisfying dinner @ Shimbashi (or so my friend said...) we decided to find a place for dessert. He recommended going to Antoinette which I've been wanting to go but we settled for Balzac Brasserie, a french diner which we heard had pretty good desserts. We walked all the way from Paragon to Hotel Rendezvous cos we were crazy and bored.
Valehona Chocolate Moelleux ($9++) with an extra scoop of Salted Caramel Ice-Cream ($5++)
I'm no expert in lava cakes believe me. The only one I've tried was 3 Inch Sin's and it felt like I died and went to lava cake heaven. But this was... This was good. Maybe it was me and my current craving for a good chocolate dessert then, but Valehona is the chocolate you can never go wrong with. Although a very simple dish, the richness of the chocolate oozing out from the cake with each scoop was divine. 4.3/5
Next up was the chocolate ice-cream. Mind you, 2 mins into eating the ice-cream I realised it was melting at a really fast pace, much faster than the ones @ regular icecream outlets. I asked my friend (Who's a chef) why that was so and he said it's due to the high sugar content in both the icecreams. But hey, I wasn't complaining. Neither was my bulging belly. The chocolate icecream wasn't fantastic but any means but it definitely did its purpose of leaving me happy and satisfied. 4/5
The Salted Caramel ($5++), as said by many, is to be one of the best in Singapore. However I beg to differ. I love salted caramel, and I love things that are thick, decadent and creamy so maybe this wasn't to my liking. It was light and the taste was well-balanced (oh the irony in this statement), so it would suit people who'd prefer a lighter kind of dessert. 3.5/5
Btw see the butter biscuit in the middle of the picture? I wish they served more cos it was gooooood. Oh well, call me greedy.
Creme Brulee ($9)
I've never tried Creme Brulee in my life but I always wanted to. So when my friend ordered this dessert I was overwhelmed. Serving a a portion for 1, I would say this dessert would be for someone who's had a pretty light dinner (Which was not me for sure). The texture of the dessert was soft and would melt in your mouth with each bite, complete with the caramelized sugar on top. But after gobbling half of it up I felt a little 'heavy', probably due to the creaminess and sweetness of the previous dessert and this. But if the portion's big, who's to complain? No rating for this cos I've never tried any apart from this.
Dubois' Lobster Bisque (Signature Dish)
With organic sauteed mini prawns ($16)
Now we never intended to have dinner again. Before meeting my friend I kept telling myself I'd go for a light dinner. From 2pm to 6pm I kept repeating that in my head as I sourced for the perfect dinner spot. But I'm no angel and I know no limits when it comes to food so.. We ended up getting this.
If anything's worth eating extra calories for in life, it's GOT to be this bowl of Lobster Bisque. I've tried LB before but I've never had this fantastic a bowl. Creamy, rich and thick in texture, don't be fooled by the bubbles on top. It may look slightly different at first, what with the bubbles forming and an extra plate of miniature prawns seated by its side, but this was to die for.
A family recipe from Chef Dubois himself, the bowl of Lobster Bisque came with a side of sauteed petite Mozambique prawns. These may be small but they complemented the soup extremely well. Its natural saltiness paired with the rich texture of the soup was like having an explosion of different taste in my mouth. If there's a soup you have to order, please do everyone a favour & order this. 4.8/5
Duck Confit ($26)
At this point in time my stomach was telling me to stop being such a greedy pig. But after the presuasion of my friend (Actually it was just a statement not a persuasion but...) we decided to order the Duck Confit as he said it was spectacular. And so we did.
We waited for about 7 mins before we were served (Service was extremely fast btw). Good jolly I thought I died as I nibbled on the duck coupled with the mashed potatoes. Using truffle oil in their mashed potatoes if I'm not wrong, it was a completely different texture than your regular mashed potatoes. It had a silky, fine texture that would leave you wanting more. They were generous with the amount of mashed potatoes served too. The duck was cooked to perfection, the crispiness of the skin was the added bonus, with the meat melting in your mouth with each bite. No it wasn't a small piece of duck, yes it was a whole thigh if I'm not mistaken, and worth every penny. 4.6/5
Tart Au Citron
Lemon tart with meringue snow ($9)
Lemon tart with meringue snow ($9)
And why did we order this even though we were about to explode into tiny bits of confetti? Because we wanted more and couldn't bear to leave without trying the Tart Au Citron. Having never tried a lemon tart before (I lead a pauper life), this was a new experience for me. My friend mentioned the tart here would be different from the ones at regular bakeries or restaurants but I looked at him blankly as he blabbered on about it. Okay not blabbered but.. He gently explained the differences:
1. It was more on the sour side, thus if you're not a fan of all things sour I'd suggest you steer clear of this. I don't love sour desserts but this was a good palette cleanser from all the sweet desserts previously. It was sour but at the same time very attracting, something about the tart made me want to eat more, and more, and more...
2. The meringue they used isn't your normal meringue. They oven bake it for about 2 hours after piping it onto a sheet at a low temperature, but the sweetness of the meringue and the sourness of the tart complemented each other so well. Not forgetting the tart-like looking biscuit underneath it all, which completed the entire dessert. No rating for this as I've never tried such a dessert before.
All in all, I'd love to give Balzac a visit once again. With it's lovely interior decor (They use real plants on the walls btw which I find extremely impressive cos I've no idea how they can keep up with the maintaining of it), and practically all of the furniture being directly imported from France, you can't help but wonder if you're actually in Singapore or in a lovely quaint little restaurant by the streets of Paris once you step into a place like Balzac Brasserie.
Service: 3/5 (Waiters were attentive but not all smiles)
Value: 4/5 (A little bit on the pricier side BUT the food was good)
Food: 4.7/5 (Good food with good company, what more can I say?)
Ambience: 4.6/5 (A perfect place for a date I would say!)
Balzac Brasserie
9 Bras Basah Road,
#01-1 Rendezvous Gallery,
Tel; +65 63360797
Xoxo,
TheHungryUnicorn
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