L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon @ Resorts World Sentosa

Thanks to Charmaine, Cheryl and Lavinia for the invite and hospitality!

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Joel Robuchon is no stranger to Resorts World, neither is it to me - having been wowed in Hong Kong, the bar was set high. Head to L'Atelier for a more casual affair and the main restaurant for a dressed up occasion.

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Brunch as presented by LAtelier de Joël Robuchon is a line up of delectable French haute cuisine to give diners a taste of fine dining without breaking the bank. The menu featured below is a 4 course menu with amuse bouches and a palette cleanser with compliments from the chef.

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Easter decorations that were still around, infact, I spotted easter eggs on display still!

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I once raved about L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon's amazing bread basket and possibly placed it as the bread basket to beat across all the dining establishments I patronized. Well, apparently that only applied to the Hong Kong outlet, the first basket dished out only had three variants, down from six. A bummer, in my opinion.

Cost cutting measures or not, I have no idea and from the moment the basket was plonked down it took almost a good five minutes before we got the attention of the manager to explain the basket - to which he candidly replied "Croissant, baguette and pistachio."

My personal favourites are still the flaky and light buttery croissant and crusty baguette. The pistachio milk bun was almost uninspiring.

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The refill came with a surprise - sliced baguette.

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Salted butter on request.

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Foie Gras Custard, Port Wine, Parmesan Foam

Dig deep, we were advised to fully enjoy the complexity of this delicate amuse bouche. Foie gras custard worked well for me, coupled with the tart port wine finish and that savoury parmesan foam was the icing on the cake.

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Grilled Asparagus

Tis the asparagus season and the much sought after whites and greens are back! I remember stuffing myself silly with white asparagus in Germany once just because these juicy and tender sprouts were priced so high in Asia.

These green asparagus shoots were grilled till tender, almost as juicy as the white ones. Indeed an excellent way to enjoy the vegetable.

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Endive Salad mixed with shavings of parmesan and foie gras

Visually very pleasing in true Joël Robuchon style, many elements were on a single plate. One of those salads that had a certain bitterness that lasted throughout the dish. 

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King snapper ceviche on top of fresh creamy cilantro avocado

The king snapper chunks were slightly torched and eaten with cilantro avocado made this an uber summery dish.

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Frog Leg ravioli on parsley coulis and sweet garlic veil 

The only times I encountered frog legs were either in a porridge or stir fry and while both versions are tasty, I usually avoid them. Eating pigeons are seemingly less frightening than frog legs. Anyhow, these arrived in neatly pressed wanton parcels. Unlike the asian style, these were just the ravioli skin and frog legs with a side condiment - and there was it, fireworks and sparks happening all in a single bite.

And there I found the best mod ravioli in town.

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Steamed white asparagus with light parmesan butter sauce and parma ham (+$11)

Just the way I remember it to be though there is a tendency for these asparagus to be a tad over cooked. Flavours were spot on for this, delicious much!

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Welsh spring lamb rack with rosemary and cumin (+$13)

Three meaty lamb lollipops were presented, nary the gamey taste that is synonymous with lamb. I do suspect that the spice rub was the reason for it tasting and smelling unlike lamb but the marination was a tad too heavy.

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Grilled and caramelised pork pluma with condiments (+$6)

"Excellent choice" the waiter commented when I placed an order for this. I never quite thought pork could be cooked medium and be considered safe for consumption - looking quite like a fine piece of steak, the juicy redness was irresistible. Perfection was certainly not far from this - infact, I would never look at pork the same way again.

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Not forgetting a mention of their side of mash, an indulgent and infact the richest version of mashed potato ever eaten. I rather not find out what goes into this creamy mash so smooth, it would rival congee for easy to eat.

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Selection of cheeses (+$11)

It was a trip around the world with four types of cheeses, none of them were too heavy and infact, does not need a cheese lover to appreciate them. My favourite went to the cheese from Paris, chalky at first bite but ended up with a creamy and milky aftertaste.

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Toasted fruit bread with a berry compote - it was a class of its own despite being served with the cheese platter.

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Smooth passionfruit, rum granita, light coconut foams

Every ingredient was there for a good reason, a delightful showcase of textures and temperatures even. I progressed from a slightly chilled passionfruit curd to a icy cold rum granita in a matter of nano seconds and lastly ending off with a tart yet very delicate coconut foam.

Joy to the palette indeed.

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Basil sorbet, spiced pineapples

The palette cleanser came late but better late than never. I never once thought that basil in a sorbet form could pass off as a dessert, and it did with spiced pineapples. So refreshing, this could be a good dessert option!

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Thank you for the meal L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, mostly hits I would say though service is lacking. Maybe the crowd during brunch, maybe the stress levels but the kitchen crew did unwind and were a friendly bunch by the end of lunch.

I look forward to returning for one of these lunches - and if I do recall correctly, majority of the french establishments take Sundays off. One up for L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon.

L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Lunch is available every Sunday from 12.00pm – 2.30pm
3-Course Menu at L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon from S$48++, 4-Course Menu at S$68++ and 5-Course Menu at S$108++

L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon
Resorts World Sentosa

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