When the best friends asked where I would like to go to
celebrate my birthday, I said “western brunch or hi-tea”. Days before our date,
they flooded our Whatsapp group with instructions like “dress sportily”, “wear
sports shoes” and “bring insect repellant”. Oh right. The last those things
happened was when I agreed to go camping (yes, the tent kind of camping) with
Galen at Pulau Ubin (yes, PULAU UBIN). All our friends agreed that I am his
true love after that. Now, not again??
Only on the very night before the date, I was told to dress
“normally”. That still didn’t give me a clue where they were bringing me. So
indeed, it was a very pleasant surprise when I saw Au Chocolat- what great
difference the setting was from Pulau Ubin!
Despite Au Chocolat’s French-sounding name, European décor
and French cuisine, a quick check on Google revealed that it is actually a
Singaporean brand. Think Raoul. Unlikely that you will associate it with
Singapore upon hearing it right. But they both are. I guess that’s the
ingeniosity of branding.
We were first served the fresh,
premium coffee that was free flow with the Weekend Brunch set (choice of a
main course, dessert and beverage). The coffee was a huge disappointment- it
was lukewarm and watered down. Even when we asked for it to be replaced, it
still came lukewarm and bland. It is often the simplest thing that is the
hardest to deliver, and Au Chocolat had failed terribly in the coffee.
I have heard so much about Au Chocolat’s truffle fries ($15)
but the coffee urged me to keep my expectations down lest I get disappointed.
But boy, this is da bomb! This has got to be the BEST truffle fries in
Singapore. There was a fair share of short and cripsy fries which I absolutely
adore, and the truffle oil was evenly distributed and the proportion was just
right. Truffle oil is really quite an acquired taste (Galen used to think that
there was a gas leak whenever we have something with truffle) and I really
liked this. This got me craving for truffle fries even until now!
What is French cuisine without duck confit ($27)? Au Chocolat
has a pretty decent version of it- the duck mean was tender, juicy and
well-flavoured, while the skin was with the right amount of fats, and very crispy.
The skin and the meat came right off the bones and paired well with the tangy
orange and chocolate sauce that is a signature of Au Chocolat. Amidst the
creamy mashed potato were chunks of pear that were poached in white wine. Love
the details and twist that made this national dish so un-ordinary.
Smoked salmon is my natural choice when it comes to savoury
crepes, and me, being the queen of the day, got my way ($20). There was a
generous portion of Norwegian smoked salmon not only on top of the crepe, but
there were also chucks hidden in between. The cheese sauce was rich and creamy
and the green apple sticks were a refreshing twist.
Au Chocolat’s signature tower cake
($18) is probably the most expensive slice cake that I have ever eaten. The
tower cake had 6 (really tall) layers of moist chocolate cake filled with
chocolate pearls and chantilly. It also came with warm and rich Au Chocolat
fudge sauce and vanilla gelato, which I thought was a bit watery. The cake was
really huge, it would probably take a party of 4 to 5 to finish it. The logic
of “there is always space for dessert” simply does not work with this giant.
Food at Au Chocolat is on the pricey side. I would accrue 40% of the high price to the quality of the food and 60% to the rental at the exquisite The Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands. I would come back to Au Chocolat for its truffle fries and crepes, and when I do, I will remember to stay away from their coffee.
Singapore Food Blog Review by Kumory
☁☁☁☁/☁☁☁☁☁
Au Chocolat Marina Bay Sands
Bay Level L1-03 The
Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands
10am to 11pm dailt
10am to 11pm dailt
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