Joël Robuchon

Once you enter these doors, be prepared for a wonderful journey of food!!

Joël Robuchon titled as the 'Chef of the Century' has restaurants all over the world. Singapore (Resorts World Sentosa) is one of where his culinary expertise is showcased. Stepping into the restaurant, you'll be greeted by gorgeous ladies in black qi pao. On the left is the 'L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon' and the right is 'Joël Robuchon Restuarant'.

We turned right and WOW, yes that's right, that was the first thing that came to our mind. We were surprised at its decor and furniture. It felt as if we were in a super posh hotel!

Look at the intricate designs. If you think they're sewn on, you are wrong. They are actually meticulously arranged to give you the shape shown below.

Sitting on the sofa with the comfy cushions!

Shortly after choosing the menu, a cart of bread is pushed right to your table. Over 8 varieties of freshly baked mini bread to choose from!! Bread lovers rejoice!!! Fret not, non-bread lovers, I'm quite sure at least one of the breads they have to offer will agree with your taste-buds! They have brioche with rosemary, saffron, basil, milk, bacon with onion, bacon with mustard, croissant, Gruyere cheese are just some of the types of breads they have to offer! There will be someone introducing the different types of bread to you, remembering what you ordered and heating them up for you before serving it to you!

Foreground in clockwise direction: milk bun, basil bun, rosemary brioche, saffron bun

You might think that you'll want to have just one to save space for the menu proper but come on, who would be able to resist the bread temptation!! Every kind of bread has its own unique flavour so it's best if you can try them all! And seriously, how much space can such a small mini bread occupy!!

Please at least try the basil bun, which has the wonderful taste of basil, and the rosemary brioche is really nice! Faint hints of rosemary with the soft bun, mmmm (: Saffron bun had a mild saffron taste while the milk bun was soft, but rather lacking in taste

These bread were really crispy, could hear the loud crunch when my parents and the boy bit into them!

After the bread selection, you would be politely asked if you would want butter to accompany your bread and whether you prefer it salted or unsalted. The yellow-cylinder-liked thing is the butter. The waiter will scrap the butter off that right beside your table and present it to you like how it is shown below. I believe sea salt was added to the butter (which is the white stuff on top of the butter and on the plate!)

Do ask for olive oil and balsamic vinegar if you prefer that instead of butter! Their balsamic vinegar is sweet and the olive oil is of top quality! Wonderful when accompanied with the rosemary basil bun (:

Small petite spoon beside the humongous fork! I love the cutlery and decor of the restaurant (:

Amuse bouche for the Appetit Menu: Salmon tartare with caviar and saffron chips

Mom commented that the salmon was really fresh and the caviar went well with the tartare 4.3/5

First dish from the desgustation menu was 'Le Caviar'

Caviar in a coral infusion served as a surprise

The surprise was actually a mixture mainly made up of lobster meat and a gelee of some sort in between but I forgot what it was made of! The caviar went very well with the lobster and the gelee. The presentation was also superb! We're off to a good start for a dinner! 3.8/5

'La Tomate'

This dish has 2 parts to it. One of which is the tomato salad - consisting of a momotaro tomato and the other is on the background of the picture. I felt that the tomato was not very sweet compared to other Japanese tomatoes I've eaten, perhaps it is due to the addition of some sauces and herbs? I'm not too sure. Nonetheless, it was juicy.

The other part of the dish is a jelly topped with small mozzarella balls (the white parts of the dish) with basil that has been infused with olive oil (green dots) and tomato. 3 words for it; Light and refreshing. You'd imagine that the jelly was black, but no, its actually transparent!! We were pleasantly surprised and found it rather amusing (: On the whole, I would give it a 4/5

Appetizer for Appetit Menu: La Langoustine

Truffled langoustine ravioli with chopped cabbage

Langoustine is something like prawns/shrimps. Mom could NOT STOP RAVING ABT THIS DISH!! Haha :D She loved the aroma of the truffles in the sauce accompanying it and found it so delicious that she used the bread to mop up every last bit of the sauce and even joked about licking the plate! The ravioli itself was wonderful, with soft skin that was of the right texture (I think this beats any wanton skin I've eaten before) and it was filled with langoustines! The burst of the flavours in your mouth when you bite it puts a smile on your face immediately as your savour the wonderful taste of the truffle, cream, seafood! 5/5

PS: My mom is NEVER a fan of Western food (all kinds) and the fact that she kept raving about this dish speaks volumes imo!

'L’OEuf de Poule'

This is an egg yolk and herb ravioli with spinach sprouts (green foam) and the 3 brown caps are golden chanterelles mushrooms.

The ravioli was soft and good but it was a pity as I couldn't really taste the earthy tones of the chanterelles mushroom. Nonetheless, it was good. 3.5/5

The quail egg is there just for decorative purposes. Don't try to eat it!

'La Noix de Saint-Jacques'

Pan-fried scallop, invigorated by a kumquat seasoning.

Scallop was a generous portion and was done just nice! Look at the inside of the scallop!! Wonderful control of timing, I must say! Everything was good except the fact that the kumquat seasoning leaves a bit of a bitter aftertaste. There was also caviar accompanying it and leeks I believe. 4/5

'Les Crustacés'

The staff introduced this as sort of a seafood trio! She recommended us to start with the lobster (background) and go clockwise! Details below!

Roasted lobster with cauliflower seeds and curry

The lobster must've been a good swimmer. The meat felt very muscular but soft at the same time. I have never eaten lobster of such texture before. For me, I dipped the lobster in the curry sauce and rolled it over the cauliflower seeds. It turned out to be quite an interesting dish. The cauliflower seeds gave the lobster that lil' bit of crunch followed by a light curry scent. The green curry was not spicy at all, so no worries to those who cant take spicy stuff! 4/5

Sea urchin perfumed with coffee.

Couldn't really taste coffee, and the uni was rather warm by the time I ate this so it wasn't really very enjoyable but the uni was sweet! 3/5

Truffled langoustine in a ravioli

As I've reviewed, this was superb!! MUST-TRY!

Les Petits Pois

Light green pea veloute, refreshed with peppermint on a sweet onion cloud

The green pea veloute was only poured in when they serve you the dish. This was very very good!! I must say, beats Forlino's green pea soup hands down! The taste of the green pea was not overpowering (so green pea haters fear not), but the taste was still there definitely. There were bacon bits in the soup which provided a salty taste and a different texture plus super fresh green peas!! They were still extremely crunchy (like those green pea snacks minus the load of sodium) and the taste of the green peas were flavourful and not like those we usually get in fried rice/Western dishes. Overall: this was MUCH better than expected and I'm really glad it was so! 4.4/5

Le Foie Gras

Duck foie gras ravioli, seasonal vegetables

I tell you, Joel Robuchon can make mean raviolis!! I'd go back just for raviolis again! This had the wonderful texture again and as you can see was packed with ingredients! There was a generous portion of foie gras and there was a piece (or few pieces) of truffles inside as well! Loved this dish for its tastes and aromas! Especially so since I'm a foie gras lover! 4.5/6

Mom's Main from Appetit menu: Le Bar

The sea bass and abalone with lemongrass emulsion and baby leeks

Mom didnt really comment about this dish so I'm unsure about how it tasted, sorry!

Le Turbot

Pan fried turbot with lemongrass and stewed baby leeks

I felt that the turbot fish was done nicely and it comes with 3 different types of "powders" that you can dip the fish in! First is sea salt w basil, then curry powder w cumin (I think) and last is chili powder w something (if my memory serves me well!)

I thought this dish was rather average though 3.5/5

L'Agneau

The lamb roasted, cauls offal and spicy flavours semolina

Lamb dish that me and the boy substituted for instead of veal from the degustation menu

This was VERY GOOD!! Lamb cooked 2 ways essentially. Roasted (the foreground in the picture above) and the ball thing in the first picture is made out of lamb, sweet bread, fuji apples and foie gras. I must say I LOVED THIS!!! It was certainly interesting and you can taste the foie gras in the dish plus the lamb! Cant really taste the apples though but WOW is all I can say!! Really loved this! 4.7/5

Le Canard

Duck and seared foie gras with cherries and fresh almond

Dad substituted his veal dish for duck! The duck was very soft and the foie gras went reallyyyy well with it!! Loved this dish for its simplicity but masterful grasp of the ingredients! 4.6/5

Le Chou

Crispy fried cabbage and sprout vegetables with Argan oil

The cabbage was SUPERR crispy and was a really good snack! Haha would definitely buy these home if they sold it xD The vegetables were fresh and tasted very light! A welcome change to the rather heavy flavours that we've had so far! 4.3/5

Vegetable consomme

Came with the veg dish above. Clean and simple tasting! Had gold pieces inside! 4/5

This was for you to wash your hands after eating the chips!

Parfum des lles

Smooth passion fruit, rum granite, light coconut

The taste of rum was really strong in this dessert and the passionfruit was tangy but overall an average tasting dish only. Couldnt really taste the coconut though. I changed my 1st dessert dish from the degustation menu to this from the Appetit menu! 3/5

Le Mango-Mango (degustation)

Smoothness mango and exotic fruit

When we read this from the menu Joel Robuchon emailed us, we thought it was simply mangoes and fruits but we did not expect this! The taste of the mango was strong and the mango was really sweet!! Wonderful palate cleanser and great dessert! 4.5/5

Le Mikado

Orizaba Chocolate, flower of salt crumble, coffee dome

The coffee dome was really potent!! Feels like you're drinking a cup of strong coffee, so if you're a coffee lover, please order this!

L'Habit Rouge

Dome chocolate caramel on hazelnut biscuit

Inside the red orb is the crunchy hazelnut biscuit and a raspberry layer!! It was really REALLY well with the chocolate sauce (the sauce was of the right consistency, not too thick and not too dilute!) You could tell high quality chocolate was used to make it and I made sure I cleaned the plate!! Wonderful way to end the meal I must say! 4.6/5

DESSERT TROLLEY

Everyone drop dead and die NOW!! Omg this was MY personal highlight for the night!!!! I'm a dessert girl through and through and seeing this just made me REALLY excited that I let out a small yelp of excitement upon seeing it being wheeled to my table and it was RIGHT BESIDE ME!!! I couldnt contain my excitement at all! I told the waiter "I'm going to try everything you have!" And the waiter smiled and gladly obliged to my request!!

He was very helpful and polite, asking whether we wanted refills whenever we finished what was on our plate and needless to say, I had mine refilled the most number of times! There were just too many types of dessert for me to choose that I couldnt rmb each and every one of them so we all left it to the waiter to choose for us!

(Mine)L-R: Coffee sth, Earl Grey chocolate, Cinnamon chocolate, Lemon chocolate, Caramel chocolate (I think)

Cinnamon was really interesting I think!! Never ate such a flavour before and you can really taste cinnamon! Really loved the lemon one because its like a lemon tart but the tart is crispy thin chocolate tart inside! The lemon was really tangy and I loved how sour it tasted (: Earl Grey could have been stronger though!

Mom's: Passionfruit tart, chocolate tart, sable, dark chocolate truffle with coconut, macaron

Mom commented that the macaron was really nice and that says something too because she doesnt really like desserts!

Passionfruit tart, chocolate cake, coconut ball, chocolate brownie (?), madeleine

We felt that the coconut ball thing was rather dry. Essentially it was dessicated coconut shreds shaped tgt in a ball - wouldnt recommend this!

My 2nd: Passionfruit tart, chocolate tart, banana cheesecake, more tarts, meringue

Felt that their tarts are generally good! Buttery crisp tart base with good toppings! The banana cheesecake was a surprise as I expected it to be in a small cake slice form but no! It was in a truffle shape!! Really good imo! (:

My 3rd & 4th plates

3rd: Canele, financier, passionfruit tart, coconut ball, chocolate coated lemon peel (not pictured)

Canele was wonderful!! The crust was crispy and the interior was moist and I loved aroma of this!! The financier was average. The taste of lemon peel wasnt very distinct though quality chocolate was used.

4th: Marshmallow, chocolate w sth inside, dark choc truffle w coconut, lemon macaron, dark choc truffle w rum

The marshmellow was soft and yummy, chocolates were generally good and the macaron was good too! Crispy shell but I thought there could've been a bit more filling!

OVERALL: MY DESSERT HEAVEN, JOEL ROBUCHON!! (:

Complimentary Cake

They gave the ladies the cake when we were exiting the restaurant. This cake is not what you expect it to be!

I thought it'd be a simple yellow cake/butter cake but no! The interior is green (probably pistachios?) with a layer of raspberry! Though there wasn't any pistachio taste, the cake was wonderfully crumbly and moist, the raspberry provided a tangy twist to the cake! Awesome!! Had to control myself from eating larger portions of the cake especially since I practically maxed out my sinful meter or sth the night before eating all those desserts!! 4.2/5

Overall, this is a really really great French restaurant to go to if you want to have a wonderful meal with spectacular service and amazing food! Also, bread lovers, and especially dessert lovers MUST frequent this place!! Do not worry too much about the price as they have different menus catering to different appetites/pockets!

They have one degustation menu priced at $485 - you can see why from the amount of effort put into crafting each dish, the ingredients used, and the innovation and creativity!! Definitely well worth the money in my opinion!! Also they restaurant is very open and accommodating to changes so if more than one person is ordering the degustation and yall want to try out the other dishes available on the Appetit menu then you can ask if they can do a switch for you! The answer we got was always a yes with a smile! (:

Then they have 4 types of Appetit menus priced at $145, $190, $230 and $290, depending on the number of courses you order! You then select from a rather wide variety of appetisers/soups/main courses/desserts! Great value for money too if your appetite is smaller and cannot finish the 13 courses in the degustation menu! I suppose regardless of any menu you order, you'll get to enjoy the wonderful dessert trolley because I saw other tables which did not order the degustation menu but had the trolley wheeled to them as well!

Also, prior to our dining experience, I was emailing a representative from Joel Robuchon about changes to our dinner menu/enquiries and the replies were all prompt, polite and helpful! The staff at the restaurant were all courteous, will joke and communicate with the patrons, and were really professional about their service!! We were really impressed by the service and extremely willing to part with our money to pay for such a wonderful night!

To end off: PLEASE GO THERE AT LEAST ONCE! You will NOT regret it!!

PS please call to reserve as we saw families being turned away as it was already full!

Joel Robuchon

Resorts World Sentosa