Take your tastebuds on a culinary journey through France at the galleria’s newest restaurant
Home to a wide selection of cafes and restaurants offering grubs at reasonable price points, Duo Galleria has been on the radar of many lunch-goers in the lively Bugis precinct. Thinking of satiating your carnivorous cravings? Head over to Meating Place for some dry-aged meat goodness, or Andaz Singapore hotel’s 665oF. At Tono Cevicheria, one may delve into Peruvian delights. The of course there’s So France, and as you can expect, that’s where you’ll go for good old French cuisine in Singapore.
As its name suggests, So France, Le Bistro-Epicerie is a cafe, restaurant, bar and grocery store all combined into one. Take a step in and you’ll instantly be greeted by a barista from the coffee bar. Sitting on the cafe’s counter-top are freshly-baked croissants, baguettes, Basque cakes (a traditional dessert from the Basque region of France) and ciabatta loaves. To the right sits the Epicerie. It offers over 500 French products, including fruits, vegetables, cheeses and wines. Delicacies are served in authentic French art-de-vivre, with some ingredients directly air-flown from Nouvelle-Aquitaine, a region in southwest France. While the ambience is calm and quiet here, it gets noisier as one walks towards the bistro.
By noon, the restaurant is full house, which tells me that the attractive two-course lunch menu (S$27+, no service charge) has done the perfect job in luring famished city-dwellers and the office crowd.
Appetisers take the form of pork pate, Lentil Salad with Beef and Garden Salad French Vinaigrette. Mains include sirloin steak, Chicken Ballotine with Mushroom Sauce and Mashed Potatoes and a filleted catch of the day. There are also three options for dessert, including a fruit salad, and Chou Pastry with Vanilla Chantilly Cream.
Another restaurant specialty not to be missed is the Duck Confit Gratin, my personal favourite. For this dish, duck confit and creamy mashed potato is topped with a layer of mouth-watering garlic crust — the winning trait of the dish that left me hankering for more. The dark chocolate lava cake is also everything you’d expect: warm and oozy with just the right amount of sweetness.
Cheese connoisseurs shouldn’t skip the cheese platters either. The bistro imports a variety of French cheeses throughout the year depending on what’s in season. Then, there’s also a strong-tasting cheese from the Pyrenees mountains that’s made with sheep’s milk.
Haven’t had enough, or intending to order a cheese platter for a dinner gathering? The in-house grocer will be glad to select a variety of cheeses for you. Judging by the products imported, we’re expecting a large number of expats (and budding chefs) to spend a substantial amount of time at the Epicerie, stopping for a cuppa or two in between.
So France
#01-51/56
Duo Galleria
7 Fraser Street
Singapore, 189356
Tel: +65 6909 6449
