Le Figue
1 Orchard Boulevard, #01-01/02
Camden Medical Centre
6887 5383

A medical centre would be the one of the last places that comes to mind when one thinks of fine dining restaurants. Yet, sometimes gems can be found in the most unlikely places. Take Le Figue, for example. This relatively new French restaurant is located in a rather obscure location but it definitely holds its own against other bigger players in the local French dining scene in terms of quality and service.

The most economical decision is to go for the set lunch which cost an affordable $28+ for 3 courses. Granted, by way of introduction, set lunches may not be the way to go since ala carte dishes are almost always better than those served in set meals. But I figure it can't be that bad since I like the sound of most of the dishes printed on the menu. The complimentary raisin bread was served warm with butter on the side. I don't like to have bread before my meal since it's a sure way to fill me up.

I had the classic tomato gazpacho to start off. Served with black pepper crouton, confit vine tomato and some cucumber slices, the cold Spanish liquid salad was slightly tangy and sweet. This is perfect for the 365 days of summer in Singapore!


The other appetiser was the snake head fish carpaccio. The portion was generous and scattered with black olive powder, shavings of salad and summer cress, the thinly sliced raw carpaccio was firm and fresh.

My main of seared salmon was my favourite dish of the whole meal. Sitting in a pool of bellpepper coulis and accompanied by cute little balls of vegetables, the salmon was cooked to perfection. The top layer was all crisp skin and firm cooked flesh while the base was raw and had a nice pinkish hue to it. This is really simplicity at its best!

The other choice besides the salmon was the chicken roulade. Stuffed with spinach leaf and paired with onion marmalade, this was quite unique since it's not commonly found elsewhere. I liked the sauteed chickpeas which were not too overcooked to the point of mushiness but still firm yet tender.

Thankfully, the dessert was good enough to not spoil the great meal so far. It's basically chocolate mousse, caramelized macadamia, soft biscotti-like biscuit and blueberry sorbet. Eaten together, the combination worked well. I could taste the smoothness of the sweet mousse and the slightly sourish sorbet while the nuts and biscuits gave a great crunch in every bite.

This is definitely one of the better lunches I've had in a while. The quality was above average, service was impeccable and the price was reasonable. There's really nothing not to like! Who cares if the location is a little inaccessible?

Labels: French

1:29 PM