Came to know about this place while going through some food blogs - I knew we simply had to try out a hawker stall selling very affordable French food! Le Cuisson is quite a hidden and nondescript find, tucked away inside a coffee shop across from Iluma, Bugis.
Not to be confused with Saveur!
The 2 chefs who take your orders at the counter and cook for you were formerly from DB Bistro Moderne (of Daniel Boulud fame). Knowing this kind of set a certain level of expectation for me - which was a bit confuddling given the kopitiam setting.Food came out quite quickly, and all at once. Actually we were both impressed and suspicious about how quickly we got our order (more on that shortly).
Given the long long long wait at Saveur previously, we were really surprised that our food arrived all together, and promptly after just 10 minutes. How do you cook 3 dishes + medium steak in 10 minutes?
{ Foie Gras Salad ($10) }
Pan Seared Foie Gras, Mesclun with house dressing
Now the chunk of foie gras was quite substantial. While not melt-in-your-mouth and holy-shit-balls good, this is still probably the best value you can get for just $10. I'd prefer it a little bit more charred/ a bit more well done, but the chef explained this means shrinking the size of the liver - and of course the bigger it looks, the more perceived bang for the buck. I liked this, sure, it was tender - but honestly I'd pay a bit more to get 'properly' done foie gras for that extra buttery fragrance. I too preferred if it was grilled more for the crispy-outside-buttery-inside taste. While it wasn't raw it was undercooked by my standards but yes the portion was not bad for $10!
{ Mushroom Pasta ($8) }
I decided to have pasta simply because I hadn't had much carbs that day (really!) and I liked the idea of the poached egg (lol). This was a cream-based dish, which is something I often avoid, but what the hey. This turned out ok in the creaminess factor - didn't feel like keeling over halfway through, and in fact I cleaned the plate quite well. My only gripe is it lacks 'depth' - it needs more seasoning or herbs. I wouldn't say it was bland, but it just needed more character. Maybe the extra truffle oil might have been a good idea! Agreed that it didn't feel too spectacular - it was a decent plate of al dente fettucine, and the mixing of the egg definitely made it taste like (proper) Carbonara which I do enjoy.
{ Angus Steak ($14) }
Grilled angus served with crushed potatoes and salad
Plus points for putting in effort for presentation somewhat! My main gripe for this was that it was lukewarm and bordering on room temperature by the time I started eating it, and the exterior was not grilled enough for that crust. Flavour was alright, sauce was nice but somehow I didn't quite like the texture of the steak.The first suspicion was when they only serve steaks done to medium, across the board, which is weird. Later I found out that's because the steaks are done sous-vide style, and so are actually sealed and cooked beforehand, so all they need to do is warm it up in the circulator before grilling for the crust. This explains the speedy delivery! But also the lukewarm-ness of the steak which I did not quite enjoy >.< Besides, of the sous-vide steaks I've had, I'd expect this to be softer and richer in taste, but yet was a little chewy and mild. Hmm ...
Food was honestly, not bad, nor smashing, but for the price I would not complain! They are moving to Holland V by end of May (or so I hear) so do keep a look out!
Le Cuisson
269 Queen Street
HGW Link : http://www.hungrygowhere.com/singapore/Le_Cuisson_/
Main website : http://www.lecuisson.sg
Rating (out of 4) :
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