28 March 2023
There were several reasons for dining at Odette’s.
Clearly, the reputation: Michelin 3 stars, just voted the No. 1 restaurant in Singapore and headed up by Chef Julien Royer, voted the World Gourmet Chef of the Year in 2017.
Next, a certain curiosity: we had both already dined at Michelin 2-star restaurants, what could possibly be improved on from those memorable experiences? What elevates a restaurant to the 3-star summit?
The third reason was undoubtedly the clincher: Samirah had just started a 6-month apprenticeship there as part of her EHL Management Diploma training and we were there to show our support as well as to get a better understanding of her role (and potentially challenges). In the event, we need not have been worried. Although she had just started a month previously, she already seemed to have integrated herself seamlessly into the highly professional service team – efficient, discreet, smiling, helpful. She was literally beaming for four hours non-stop: there is no better advertisement for a restaurant than customer-facing staff that look happy and feel and act passionately about what they do.
Of course, there would be a high price to pay for this lavish, culinary evening. The question was, would it be worth it? To expect to pay a 4-figure sum (in Swiss francs, not pesos) on a dinner seems indecent when so many must exist on that for months on end.
You’ll find the answer to that question at the end of this article. First, let’s review in some detail what we saw and tasted there.
The location
Odette is located in the Supreme Court wing of the National Gallery, in Singapore. It looks unassuming from the outside and this simplicity continues when you enter the smallish dining room, decorated in white and light shades of pink. The centrepiece is a hanging installation, created by a local artist, Dawn Ng, who used printed photographs of ingredients, sticking them onto oak panels and folding them.
The overall effect is one of understated but graceful and soothing elegance.
The ambience
Royer named the restaurant in honour of his grandmother, who taught him how to cook. He credits his grandmother and her cooking philosophies for inspiring him to become a chef, saying, "she taught me about respecting produce, about approaching cooking in a simple fashion, and how to elevate each ingredient like a piece of art." (how appropriate then that the restaurant is located in an art gallery).
In coming up with the concept for his restaurant, Julien wanted to offer modern fine dining but without the "stiff, unwelcoming" atmosphere stereotypical of a fine dining experience. In that respect, he has fully succeeded.
The ambience was unpretentious, relaxed and friendly, underpinned by a highly-trained service team. We chatted on and off with our neighbours throughout the evening and ended it with a short tour of the kitchen, complete with photos together with the maestro, himself, Julien.
Food and wines
We had chosen the set 7-course menu (the only other option was a vegetarian menu). For each course, a pairing glass of wine was chosen by the sommelier and this we shared (so as not to have to leave the restaurant on all fours). A complimentary glass of champagne was also offered to welcome us.
Each dish was creatively combined, with impeccable technique and exquisite plating, elevating them almost to an art form. Rich flavours exploded on the palate with every mouthful, complimented by the accompanying wine. The home-made sourdough bread was a treat in itself, especially with the cheese course (for which we paid a surcharge) from an amazing section of 32 different cheeses.
My personal favourite was the Langoustine Ravioli, while Mylene loved the Shima Aji ‘Crudo’ (rice and seaweed cracker with dill). The dessert was a rather simple strawberry Pavlova but still an excellent way to round off the meal.
From the wine perspective, the most surprising was the New Black Wine from Cahors – dark, elegant and full of finesse. There were also two white wines from Alsace, France (a 2016 Riesling from Trimbach and a rare 2007 Pinot Gris from Rene Mure). Could this have been just a coincidence? Alsace wines rank among my personal favourites..
The service
The service team was both cordial and extremely professional. We were greeted immediately by the restaurant manager when seated at our table. He had already been informed of our specific requests (e.g. no pigeon) and this light banter put us at ease right away. One by one, the service team introduced themselves to us, making us feel like this was more akin to a gathering of family or friends.
Throughout the evening, the staff seemed to read our table, almost anticipating our needs in advance. The dishes arrived at a rather frenetic pace, timed like a Swiss-precision watch. We had to ask for a pause mid-way through our set menu just to recover somewhat from the overpowering onslaught of all these flavours.
The knowledge and passion exhibited by the service team, food and wine included, was very impressive, they seemed almost devoted to the self-declared mission of their chef. Each dish was carefully plated and delivered and presented at the table with pride and precision.
The verdict
There is no doubt that this is gastronomy of the highest order. Of course, expectations were high to begin with, in view of the many awards the restaurant had gathered over the years as well as the ticket entrance price.
The décor, the ambience, the staff, the experience as a whole, for all these components the expectations were met.
In terms of the food, notwithstanding every positive comment above, there were two issues.
Firstly, five of my seven courses were fish-based. This felt quite imbalanced, accentuated by the procession of white wines to accompany these dishes. I had been hoping for a saddle of lamb or a tournedos, perhaps, to break up what slowly became somewhat monotonous.
Secondly, and perhaps this is also related to my first point above, the culinary storyline was somewhat obscure: it felt more like a succession of dishes rather than a progression of tastes and flavours leading to its natural gastronomic climax.
So, was it worth it in the end? An experience such as this is rare in a lifetime; you try to justify the expense by saying to yourself, go on, spoil yourself, you’re worth it.
So yes, do it, we would certainly recommend Odette to anyone but as for us, we shall be preserving our taste buds for the new horizons which await us.
Our sincere thanks to Chef Julien, his staff and above all, to Samirah, for a memorable evening and for giving us their very best.
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