Among the many languages of the world, few are as universal as sharing love through food. It’s something fostered in a family of fourth-generation farmers in Cantal, Central France. The matriarch, Odette, would teach her grandson, Julien Royer, about respecting the produce of local terroir (much of which Julien himself would forage and harvest as a child) and an approach to cooking that highlights the ingredients’ purest form, simply adding a sophisticated flair of je ne sais quoi to create a truly remarkable dish. Little did she know that many years later, her name would be immortalised atop Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants in 2020, and her legacy would be imprinted on the MICHELIN Guide among the few with three stars attached, after Chef Julien established his first restaurant in Singapore.
This story comes to life with every plate that makes up the French fine dining menu here. In honouring his grandmother’s teachings, however, the Asian influences become hard to miss as local ingredients mingle with imported ones. As seasonality plays an important role, the carte du jour continues to change, so it’s best to leave expectations behind and let the seven-course tasting menu surprise and entice.
What remains the same is the undeniable ambience. One step into Odette and guests would immediately realise why it shares a home with the National Gallery Singapore. The dining room’s centrepiece, a hand-made hanging installation by Singaporean artist Dawn Ng, feels like it belongs among the museum’s most whimsical curations. The mise en scène places this restaurant among Paris’ chicest, with opaque draperies of crisp white, pristinely pearlescent furnishings and décor, and pastel-coloured accents dominated by powdery, blushed tints. It’s a visual cue of its identity: intrinsically French, but infused with a distinct sense of place.
