Odette is the ultra fine dining Modern French restaurant in Singapore headed by famed chef-owner Julien Royer, bringing his love of seasonality and his childhood inspirations to the dining table.
–
By Louise Newsham
Opened in October last year, Odette is Singapore’s latest Modern French fine dining restaurant that’s been fully booked every night since – a fact that’s impressive yet not so surprising when you learn that the restaurant is a star-studded collaboration between Singapore’s illustrious French chef, Julien Royer, and the unstoppable Lo & Behold Group.
It’s the first restaurant by Chef Julien, following his rise to fame after a four-year stint at the multi award-winning JAAN restaurant at Swissotel the Stamford. Everything from the menu, to the décor and the tableware has been specifically overseen by Chef Julien, injecting an unmistakeable air of devotion throughout.
This is further pronouced when the inspiration for Odette is revealed. Odette is the name of Chef Julien’s grandmother and everything that has ever been created in the kitchen has been made in her honour, remembering a time when Chef Julien grew up on the family farm and watched his mother and grandmother tend to their crops and live wholly by the seasons.
“I owe everything that I am to my family, especially my grandmother, Odette,” says Julien. “She showed me how the most remarkable dishes can come from the purest ingredients and taught me the importance of adding that “little something” to create dishes that excite the palate and fill the heart.”
Chef Julien therefore sees the world as his backyard and as such, his menus are ever changing as the seasons change and as produce blossoms. The team works with some of the world’s best boutique producers to bring to the table beautifully refined modern French cuisine, guided by Julien’s lifelong respect for seasonality, terroir and artisanal produce. Using only the best produce together with Julien’s signature delicate and restrained touch, each dish is a sublime harmony of taste, texture and
impeccable presentation. The menus at Odette are degustation only, ranging from four courses for lunch, to six and eight courses at dinnertime. Opt for a dinner degustation and the young Singaporean sommelier, who has already won awards as the best in the region, will mark the beginning of the degustation with a Champagne trolley, the only one we’ve ever seen in Singapore.
A stunning canapé selection comes next: four tiny bites as delicate as a leaf yet packed with punchy, powerful flavour infusions, followed by a Chef Julien signature amuse bouche; Mushroom Tea. Poured at the table, a warm and buttery consommé is poured atop a melange of fine mushrooms with added textural crunch.
Honouring the fruits of the ocean, the Hokkaido Uni Mozambique langoustine tartare follows with a mussel espuma, oscietra caviar and green apple, whilst the Oyster Jacques Cocollos sees an Irish oyster tartare with an ocean “pearl”, wasabi, a grape jelly, an Irish oyster tempura, vadouvan aioli and sea grapes.
Moving towards the land, another highlight is the teppanyaki seared foie gras with lemon quinoa and ichigo. The lemon beautifully cuts through the richness of the foie gras whilst the ichigo (strawberry) adds a very subtle sweetness and an undeniably contrasting flavour that somehow pairs so seamlessly.
Though the menu states the dinner degustation is eight courses only, by the end of the gourmet marathon it is closer to twelve. And yet, even after so much indulgence, one glimpse at the Lemon Tart springs an appetite back into action. Made with a rich and flavourful lemon curd, sablé breton, gorgeous basil sorbet and a lemon yogurt foam, the tart rounds off the evening in the most delectable way imaginable.
