My Sunday lunch at Ce Soir has turned out to be more memorable than I had expected. Company aside; every element at this blossom-ous restaurant had added value to our visit. The superb service, the attention to details, the quiet elegance, the beautiful decor, the romantic ambience, and of course, the exquisite culinary, choice ingredients, outstanding flavors and oh-so-fairytale plating, from start to end.

The Luster Menu ~ Our 4-course lunch, kicked off with some wonderfully baked breads and spiced butters. Bread is bread, you say; and butter’s butter; hungry we may be, but I’m choosing to believe these were so good we finished the entire basket… plus all the butters!

Following the hearty bakes, a couple of pop-in-the-mouth canapés, one mushroom filled Gougère, a type of French baked choux; and another, a tart filled with Salmon roe. Whilst the Tart looked irresistibly pretty and delicious, with its shiny gleaming roe beads and scattered petals; I enjoyed, much more, the creamy truffle infused mushroom-filled puff topped with a dollop of caviar. The contrasting texture between the choux and earthy mushrooms, whiffs of truffle and salty caviar, was delicious on the palate. The salmon roe tart was a little more straightforward; though I thought layering the savory roe over sweet crème fraiche before serving it on a crispy tart was a nice execution. As much as nobody would say no to a whole mouthful of pure Ikura, the bit of light cream actually balanced the flavors out nicely.

Coincidentally, we all picked cold Spanner Crab as our starters. The delicate dish was very simple, with clean pure flavors coming from the sweet crab meat and juicy crunch from some kind of radish, which I later found out, was a German turnip. To finish, a tinge of tangy Yuzu to brighten up the taste buds.

Ora King Salmon – You know how you set the bar really high for certain foods/ meats that you don’t like? No? Just Me?? Well…anyway…, Salmon is one such. I would never voluntarily order salmon because of the high standards I set for the preparation of the fish. As unexcited as I was seeing salmon on the menu, I was immediately captivated by the beautiful colors when Ce Soir presented their rendition. First taste of the silky buttery cream sauce swimming with caviar sent me to mmm..mm land! The sauce was light and rounded, and complimented everything from the sweet garlicky leeks and earthy mushrooms to the gravlax-style Salmon. The fish is smooth and buttery, falls apart effortlessly and literally melts in the mouth. Despite its high fat content, it does not feel eeky greasy on the tongue. It also wasn’t overly oily with the buttery sauce either. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it, and yes, I’d very definitely look forward to having it again. That’s how good it was!

Lumina Aotearoa Lamb … I can not get over how soft and buttery this exquisite New Zealand bred lamb was! Truth be told, I started researching it after my meal and am doubly amazed at the breeding technique of the animal. It’s no wonder they call it the Wagyu of lamb! It’s 100% natural, free range, and grass-fed; the meat is super tender with just a light lamb aroma (good news for people who reject lamb for its signature scent and taste). My medium rare fillet was beautifully cooked with a crackling that totally blew me away! Yes, you read that right. Crackling! Think, soft meat, followed by crunchy fats. Repeat! I never imagined lamb giving roast pork a run for its money! Yet here we are! The little pot of jus was all the meat needed for a teeny bit more moist, since it’s already incredible on it own. I’ve always loved lamb, but this encounter has raised the bar, like… UP, UP, UPPPP there, for the lambs to follow!!

Prickly Pear- Pear, apple, banana…! Frankly, it didn’t really matter what it was if it looks this gorgeous! Our dessert arrived to wide eyed “Ooos..!” and “Ahhhhs..!” Phone cameras clicked away as we tried to figure out the extraordinary plating and the array of colors, textures and ingredients on it. When we finally dug in, it was another round of human ASMRs!! The combination of creamy Mascarpone, along tart strawberry sorbet and crispy almond crumble was legitimately delicious! It was the perfect wrap to the meal.. a sweet ending with a touch of acidic to cleanse! And even after polishing the bowl clean, we couldn’t stop admiring the pretty, pretty flowers left behind!

No decent French restaurant would let you leave without a petit four. A little macaron and chocolate truffle were the perfect extra sweetener before we got our checks!

A big, big shoutout to the Ce Soir crew; everyone was friendly, professional, and thoughtfully warm throughout our time there. Clement took exceptional care of us; explaining in explicit detail, every course that was sent to us. Sharing stories and jokes along the way.

Young Chef Koh Han Jie, helms the kitchen with flair and creativity, evident from what you see here. But I’ve learned that the winner of the 2018 Young Talent Escoffier competition, has also had many years involvement in French Cuisine with top chefs at top establishments. At Ce Soir, his fine culinary is further magnified by the quiet elegance of his restaurant. The setup is both mystical and graceful. The space is small yet privacy between tables is assured. We were so caught up with conversation in the coziness and ended up staying longer than planned, realizing only at 4pm, when Clement came to remind us they were closing.

We left Ce Soir with a good feeling. And the rest of my day, I spent reminiscing the perfect few hours I had there; bringing up my Lumina lamb course every chance I got with another human! #choosethelamb

Ce Soir Restaurant @ #01-03 5B Portsdown Rd, Singapore 139311 Phone +65 91779993

Disclaimer- This is not a sponsored post!