Memorable Lunch at Odette

Odette with its light pastel palette and high ceilings

Back in June I had a chance to try chef Julien Royer's food at a pop-up he did at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong. Despite cooking in an unfamiliar kitchen, the dishes he presented were beautifully plated, and of course delicious. I vividly remember the beetroot, and the pigeon dishes, so flavourful and not heavy.

So on my recent trip to Singapore I had to try his food again in his restaurant, Odette. It opened in 2015 in the National Gallery Singapore, the Supreme Court building re-purposed into an art gallery. Odette isn't the only restaurant -- there are many others, like National Kitchen serving Singaporean cuisine, Yan with Cantonese food, and even a bar called Smoke & Mirrors on the sixth floor.

Chef/owner of Odette, Julien Royer

But back to Odette, which is named after Royer's grandmother. He watched her cook as a child, getting all her ingredients from the farm in Auvergne, France -- he didn't grow up buying food from a supermarket like the rest of us.

After working with the likes of Michel Bras Bernard Andrieux, Royer had a chance to go to Singapore -- at the time he didn't even know where it was on the map -- and worked at the St Regis Singapore's Brasserie Les Saveurs and then Jaan, in the Swissotel The Stamford before opening his own restaurant.

A cep mushroom tea with a slice of truffle brioche

Inside it's airy with high ceilings, a very romantic palette of dusty pink, cream and beige, with an open kitchen off to the side, and diners seated in comfortable banquettes. The staff are well dressed, friendly and chatty with guests as they introduce each dish -- there is no atmosphere of condescension or arrogance. Everything is politely explained. One server admitted to us he didn't like beetroots at all -- until he tried Royer's dish that I mentioned earlier.

There is a lot of attention to detail, from how the cutlery and tableware is designed to the execution of the dishes and how they are served at the table. We also liked the pacing that gave us enough time to eat, savour and digest a bit before moving onto the next course.

 

Uni with red prawn tartare, mussel foam and caviar

So what did we eat? A lot, but we were not overly stuffed.

First a trio of "snacks" -- a mini salad in a lettuce leaf with peas, cherry tomato, onion and pea shoots that were so dainty. This was followed by a tart filled with orange gems of salmon roe that bursted when we bit into them. Finally a tiny spoon with fish mixed with vegetable.

Another starter was a mushroom soup that was poured into ceramic tea cups filled with foam, light truffle shavings and tiny croutons with truffle brioche. Even the wooden board it was served on was shaped like a cep mushroom.

 

Japanese Kegani crab "ravioli" with Granny Smith, celery

Then came bread -- a pastry with truffle paste in it, a delicious crusty sourdough bread, and another with lemon flavour. What was even more interesting was the spread -- there was whipped butter with olive oil, and the other was lard! We didn't have too much of the latter.

Finally the meal started with an impressive-looking dish of the sea urchin shell and in it was uni, spot prawn tartare, a foam made of mussels and topped with caviar and gold leaf. An intriguing combination that worked well together.

Next a "ravioli" featuring Japanese Kegani crab meat mixed with Granny Smith apple and celery, with Vadouvan spices and kaffir lime oil that was so light and refreshing. The sweetness of the crab balanced the tartness of the green apple, and added celery for a crunchy texture. Wow was all we could say.

Heirloom beetroot variation in a colourful presentation

My favourite dish arrived -- heirloom beetroot variation, featuring segments of the humble vegetable that was also made into a sorbet, mini meringue and paired with horseradish, stracciatella and even honey. The plate was too pretty to eat, but we were encouraged to mix everything together to try the various flavours.

Making a dramatic entrance was the rosemary smoked organic egg, presented in a lowly egg carton, but with dry ice flowing out of it. In it were two 63.4 degree Celsius cooked eggs flavoured with rosemary. They were carefully poured into a smoked potato foam and in it were bits of chorizo Iberico and meuniere sauce. We were instructed to mix it -- but not too much -- so that the yolk flavour would be more pronounced. Another wow.

Crispy skinned amadai in a glass bowl made its way to our table, where smoked egg consomme was poured into the bowl that was garnished with yari ika and nori oil. The fish was delicate and perfectly cooked, what an intriguing consomme of eel! Who would think of that?

 

Crispy skinned amadai in an eel consomme and nori oil

The main event is Royer's signature roast pigeon dish, here it was covered in a pepper crust and cooked medium rare. It was accompanied with another humble vegetable -- corn and here it held its own with its crunchiness and sweetness against the juiciness of pigeon. 

 

Each pigeon leg has a different message attached to it tied with string, talking about how he loved eating pigeon as a child, or how one should eat the leg with your hands. We certainly polished it off down to the bone.

Before dessert we had a cheese platter with some goat cheese, a triple cream brie, and comte, with the largest dates I've ever seen.

 

Roast pigeon with a pepper crust and message attached to it

Then we had our pre-dessert, a refreshing cucumber sorbet with seaweed sprinkled on small bits of meringue, and green apple granita. We would have already been satisfied with this dessert. But there was more.

 

The actual dessert was clafoutis, a kind of flan cake, decorated with cherries, elderflower sorbet, vanilla cream and almond slivers.

But wait -- there's more! Royer came to our table with an oval-shaped hive that revealed layers of petite fours. On top were two pomegranate lollipops, next mini matcha cream puffs, caneles, and finally homemade caramels.

In the end the damage came to S$442 or HK$2,547 (US$325) for two. Considering we had two-star Michelin dining -- and the restaurant retained its two stars the following day when the announcement was made -- it was very good value.

 

Cherry clafoutis with elderflower sorbet, vanilla and almonds

Many media at the Michelin announcement were disappointed that Odette was not elevated to three stars, but Royer insisted he was very happy for the team that the contemporary French restaurant retained its two stars and they would work harder next time.

I asked him how he felt about the media's expectations of Odette, and he pointed out the restaurant was only three years old so there was plenty of time to develop and grow. Our meal the day before was almost perfection -- why not? But then again the Michelin ratings are mired with questions of who really deserves two stars and who should get three...

 

Nevertheless we were delighted, thrilled, amazed and sated by our lunch at Odette. A chance to savour and to catch up with a dear friend who accompanied me. What a treat.

Odette

National Gallery Singapore

1 St Andrew's Road #01-04

Singapore 178957
(65) 6385 0498

Singapore's Burgeoning Art Collection

Inside the National Gallery Singapore there is a lot of space to roam around

After an epic lunch at Odette, the contemporary French fine dining restaurant at the National Gallery Singapore, my friend and I walked around the museum.

I came here over two years ago and was very impressed by the renovation of the Supreme Court Building into a beautiful space that has a lot of room for people to wander and many restaurants and cafes. 

Georgette Cheng's Family Portrait

We checked out one exhibition in particular -- (Re) Collect: The Making of our Art Collection.

The museum went through its collection of over 8,600 pieces and showed almost 130 of them that demonstrate how it has evolved since the 1960s. In it there are works by various Asian artists not only from China like Zao Wou-ki, but also Indonesian, Malaysian and of course Singaporean.

One of the artists that caught my eye in particular was Georgette Chen (nee Chang Li Ying) (1906-1993), originally from Zhejiang province. Her father was an antiques dealer with businesses in Paris, London and New York. He was also a supporter of Dr Sun Yat-sen, which is why Chen and her 11 siblings -- yes a family of 12 children -- were encouraged to speak Mandarin at home and were sometimes taken on trips to China to see the revolutionary effort.

As she was born into a privileged household, she was allowed her to follow her interest in art and even went to Paris and New York to study. She eventually settled on Paris, where she met Eugene Chen, a Chinese diplomat and friend of Dr Sun. Chen was also an art and music lover who encouraged Georgette's art career. They married in 1930.

One of S. Sudjojono's sketches of daily life

However, during the Sino-Japanese war, they were imprisoned and her husband died in 1944 in Shanghai.

She moved to Singapore and her art focused on still lifes, landscapes, and the human figure. In the exhibition there are some of her works, including one called Family Portrait. It features the family of Chen Fa Shin, a long time family friend of the artist.

The description of the work explains the family was close to her as indicated by their relaxed postures. Each family member took turns posing for her, as she sketched them in charcoal and then she painted over the lines with oil.

Chen also became a teacher at Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts for many years.

Another interesting artist is Indonesian artist S. Sudjojono (1913-1986). The museum presents a series of ink and watercolour sketches that look like the precursor to infographics. The sketches are so intricate and include some text. They are observations of daily life as well as portraits and urban landscapes.

Stacks of old medicine bottles by Navin Rawanchaikul

One particularly intriguing work is by Thai artist Navin Rawanchaikul (b. 1971). His art installation, Asking for Nothingness looks like a massive collection of old medical bottles stacked up in several circular shelves.

But when you walk behind the stacks, the bottles aren't empty -- they are filled with black and white photographs of elderly people. You can't really see their faces and you're not meant to. The artist is shining a spotlight on how society neglects the elderly and illiiterate caused by rapid modernization.

This is Rawanchaikul's attempt to preserve the seniors' stories, reaffirming their cultural value in society. It's a pretty eerie piece, but it's provocative and forces you to think of all these people, shoved in the back of a cabinet and forgotten.

The National Gallery Singapore also has amazing views on its top floor. When you emerge from the elevator, the roof actually has water running on the glass ceiling and it creates a beautiful reflection of the urban landscape nearby. 

The bottles have pictures of elderly people in them

The rooftop area also provides great views of Marina Bay Sands, the exhibition centre and a massive grassy area for cricket. Of course there are restaurants and bars there for guests who want to eat and drink while taking in the view.

National Gallery Singapore

1 St Andrew's Road

Singapore

178957

A Few Singapore Eats

The most memorable dish of the trip -- black pepper crab at Jumbo

We can't end our Singapore series without talking about the food!

We went to a few good places around the city for some memorable dishes.

The wet and spicy chilli crab also at Jumbo

Our first stop was Jumbo for crab. We went to Dempsey for lunch and we were surprised it was not very busy, but even better for us to have decent service. After we ordered we were given bibs to wear which are fun and useful especially if you are wearing a suit, as some of the other tables were.

The most important item to order here was the black pepper crab, which the four of us somehow demolished quite quickly. The black pepper wasn't too overpowering and the crab was cooked just right with a bit of sweetness and a slightly peppery finish.

Seeing as we were doing well, we also ordered the chilli crab, that came in a thick wet sauce. This one I didn't appreciate as much, as the crustacean seemed to be drowning in the red, orange and white sauce with a spicy end note that made it hard to taste the actual crab meat.

A small (and spicy) bowl of laksa at 328 Katong Laksa

Nevertheless, we also enjoyed cereal prawns that were on the sweet side, razor clams steamed with garlic that were oh-so-good, and tofu topped with seaweed and braised with mixed mushrooms. We also ordered water spinach with salty egg and preserved egg.

We were so full afterwards we walked it off at the National Gallery of Singapore afterwards.

In the evening we went to 328 Katong Laksa for... laksa! That's all they serve really, small or large that was quite spicy the more you ate it, and we had steamed fish paste in bamboo leaves called otak that seemed quite dense.

The next day lunch was Hainan chicken rice. We ordered the lunch special and speculated it was only a quarter chicken; we asked for another order and got another half chicken! We also ordered deep-fried tofu, more otak, this time tasting much better, less fishy and more light, and potato shoots that were on the old side.

A small portion of Hainan chicken rice!

The chicken was delicious, tender, and had a chicken taste which was surprising since they were quite large birds.

While we ate, we also drank a lot of juices, like lime, calamansi and coconut. How refreshing!

Singapore's Newest Landmark

The two buildings are joined together with a canopy

I spent about three days in Singapore this past week having been there about five years ago and the Lion City is quite impressive in its infrastructure and soft skills, though it is h not even close to the edginess of Hong Kong.

Nevertheless there were some new landmarks we checked out and old favourites.

Wu's dynamic painting of the Great Wall

First up was the National Gallery of Singapore, which opened a few months ago. Located walking distance from the Fullerton Hotel, the gallery is housed in two national monuments, the former Supreme Court and City Hall.

We went during a weekday and it was quite quiet, so staff were very helpful and friendly with any inquiries we had. We went through practically the entire thing, which is quite a lot to cover, but when it's hot outside, it's a nice respite.

One of the special exhibitions is the late artist Wu Guanzhong, who donated a number of works to the National Collection, similar to him gifting several pieces to Hong Kong. Here, the show, entitled "Wu Guanzhong: Beauty Beyond Form", shows his early works, small realism paintings in oil, then his move to ink painting that soon became more abstract in nature.

Another show is "Chua Ek Kay: After the Rain", where the Singaporean artist was born in Guangdong but settled in Singapore. He did some fantastic large ink paintings that are so evocative and contemporary. As he traveled extensively, he realized he needed to create new art forms to express what he saw in places like Australia.

Beautiful wood ceiling detail in the former Supreme Court

His work evolved from big brush ink works to intricate paintings that focused more on texture of dry versus wet to create effects that he wanted to convey.

I don't know many Singaporean artists, and so it was interesting to see a few, such as Georgette Chen who migrated there, capturing everyday life in the city. An interesting piece of trivia is that on the back of the 50 dollar bill is the work of artist Cheong Soo Pieng called Drying Salted Fish, and the original work can be seen in the gallery.

A special exhibition on until July 17 is "Reframing Modernism: Painting from Southeast Asia, Europe and Beyond". Co-organized by the National Gallery and the Centre Pompidou, it's an interesting exploration of 20th century art, seeing the similarities of what was going on with Pablo Picasso, Vassily Kandinsky as well as Vietnamese and Brazilian artists at the same time.

Our attempt to sketch works in the Modernism exhibition

One gallery staff member was very keen to get us to participate and gave us a work sheet and pencil to copy some of the works on the walls... Admittedly none of them were really inspiring, but we copied one or two (very badly) for fun.

The space in the Supreme Court was a bit odd to house works of art, and seemed more like it should be a museum dedicated to the judiciary than a gallery. That's because the chairs for judges and the dock for the accused were still in their original places, while art was added on the walls. Some of the rooms were quite small too, making it hard to put the works together in a logical fashion.

Xu Beihong's Put Down Your Whip

But one of the highlights of this landmark is the rooftop (of the City Hall), where you can get a panoramic view of the downtown area, Marina Bay Sands and the five-star hotels in the vicinity.

The gallery is smart to have a bar up there called Aura Sky Lounge, where visitors can take in the view and enjoy a drink and snack.

National Gallery of Singapore

1 St. Andrew's Road

Singapore 178957

Tel: +65 6690 9400

Picture of the Day: Panoramic Singapore

Our panoramic view of Singapore from the National Gallery of Singapore

I'm in Singapore for a few days and today we checked out the latest attraction in the Lion City, the National Gallery of Singapore.

A friend had suggested we first go to the top floor to check out the view and we were not disappointed. Next to a bar area is where you can look out on Marina Bay Sands in the distance, Fullerton Hotel on the right, the financial district, and also the Esplanade -- Theatres on the Bay that look like the outside of durians, and on the left numerous top hotels like the Mandarin Oriental and Swissotel The Stamford.

Just below us were several pitches for rugby and football, not being used. Talk about prime land in such a fantastic location.

Looking out onto this view kind of encapsulates most of Singapore in one picture. Pretty neat!