“Oh great! Another French restaurant!”

“...restaurant with the destiny to be iconic.” remarks a flyer for World Gourmet Summit. If reputation and location alone could make a restaurant, Le Saint Julien would have nothing to worry about.

The restaurant is encapsulated in an enchanting and elegant old boathouse. Facing the mouth of the Singapore River, the main dining room offers a view of the scenic skyline. Saint Julien’s executive chef, Julien Bompard boosts numerous international awards with the latest being the title of Confererie des Chevaliers de l'Olive de Nyons. Within the city, Saint Julien has no short of admiring diners.

Alas, location and reputation can get a restaurant only so far. The food has to do its part, and Saint Julien was disappointing and sometimes lacking. How disappointing was it? My glass of Caymus Cabernet of Vintage 2003 was probably the highlight of the night.

The Summer oysters from Marennes, France was less than sparkling fresh. If you believe that oysters have little souls and dream briny dreams, half a dozen half shelled oysters drowned on me. If their souls hadn’t been collected, they were half the distance there.

“The oysters were flown in earlier this week,” claims my waiter without offering a change of oysters. Visually, I was not disappointed with day’s special Brittany Supion with yellow wine sauce. The delicate little bulbs of squid against a back drop of homemade Ravioli provided a new direction of optimism. Tasting it was an entirely different story. The pasta was there to embrace the briny character of the dish and worked to a certain generous extent. The salty accents of Supion were remarkably strong and almost unbearable.

The lobster bisque was less than remarkable. Quoting Frank Bruni, “The lobster in the bisque receded into the background, demonstrating the same timidity as the lobster in an over-dressed salad.” The bisque was almost watery and intensely bland; almost more like a soup, lacking the distinct rich creamy characteristics of making a bisque what it is. We soldiered on.

The restaurant redeemed itself somewhat with the classic French cuisine staple, the duck confit. It was irresistible with the combination of the soft, succulent, fragrant meat encased in an impossibly crispy and crunchy skin.

About the desserts at Le Saint Juliens, there can be little complaint, especially not from chocolate lovers. The crème brulée with chocolate sorbet was an extravaganza. Beware of its decadent spell.

A discordant note during dinner was the service. No particular server takes charge of your table; everybody is supposed to pitch in. And if no one is forced to take ultimate responsibility, no one will. For short stretches, my girlfriend and I felt abandoned.

As a whole, Saint Julien does not create or sustain the type of rapture that the very best restaurants do. It wobbles and ambles. It seems to know where it is going, but at times, sailing without any direction. But in a city even where gourmet food is still at its infancy, one might just take a pragmatic view on the probability of Saint Julien fulfilling its destiny.

Gourmet Hound

**

3 Fullerton Rd 6534 5947

What The Stars Mean
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Ratings reflect the reviewer's reaction to food ambience and service, with price taken into consideration.