The Place Nestled on the ground floor of a heritage shophouse along Ann Siang Hill, Les Ducs is a new 40-seat French restaurant helmed by chef-partner Louis Pacquelin. The name “Les Ducs” literally means “The Dukes” in French, and it takes on a fun approach to French dining. The interior of Les Ducs exudes eclectic New York-style loft space vibes with exposed brick walls and an open kitchen.
It is neither too formal nor casual, which is great in today’s dining climate in Singapore where I feel diners generally want to feel relaxed rather than succumbing to the conventional fine-dining formalities.
The Food Coining it “French fun dining”, the dishes here are French comfort food with Asian influences. The menu offers a range of small bites and bigger plates, and my meal started with the Croque Prata (S$10), which is akin to a cross between croque monsieur and local Singaporean prata. It is a flavourful bite of French ham, Comté cheese and truffled béchamel sandwiched in a prata and then toasted.
Complimentary bread up next while I waited for my next dish.
The Palourdes & Bouillon Javanais (S$28) is not to be missed too, perfect with some white wine.
The surprise for me here is not the fresh clams (which are great by the way), but the comforting Javanese soto ayam broth made with chicken and fresh spices such as ginger, curcuma, lemongrass lime leaf, spring onions, chilli padi, and bay leaves. Clams with white wine broth is so yesteryear.
Another starter I enjoyed is the Mousse De Cèpes, Porto & Champignons (S$23). This is a mushroom lover dream, where you get a rich concentration of Porcini foam, Port wine and wild mushrooms.
From the sharing plates, I had the Bourguignon De Joues De Bœuf Wagyu, Epices d’une « black soupe » (S$78) where you can expect tender, braised wagyu beef cheek in red wine sauce and Indonesian rawon daging spices. I literally mopped the sauce from the beef with the side of Aligot (S$20), a traditional cheesy mashed potato.
For dessert, I had the Petit Pot De Crème Vanille, Caramel Au Beurre Salé (S$15) which is essentially vanilla custard cream topped with generous shower of salted butter caramel sauce. I do find the caramel sauce a tad excessive, and it almost masked the Madagascar vanilla flavour. That aside, I thought that this is quite a unique dessert.
Les Ducs aside, there is also a separate concept called Madame Claude on level two of the shophouse by the same group, an exclusive member-only social club.
Rants The portion of the dishes lean towards the smaller spectrum, so just be conscious when you are making your orders.
Will I Return Again? Lovely dining vibes at Les Ducs and I like that there is a twist on the dishes with Asian influences such that it is not just another typical French brasserie. It is an ideal spot for a French date night or just a cosy meal with a small group of friends.
Make your reservation instantly at Les Ducs here.
TheRantingPanda says:
Taste bud: 4/5
Hole in the pocket: 4/5
Ambience: 4/5
Overall Experience: 4/5
Les Ducs
8 Ann Siang Hill
Singapore 069788
Tel: +65 9853 4710
Opening Hours
Monday to Saturday: 5pm to 10.30pm
Closed on Sunday
Ranted by The Ranter