L’Angelus

C says:

My friend G has been recommending L’Angelus for ages now, but somehow I’ve always felt quite intimidated by the idea of a French restaurant along Club Street that French expats go to have a taste of home. Still, we finally were brave enough to make our way there for dinner on Friday. We made a reservation because we’re kiasu, but when we got there we were glad that we did. Every table was either taken or reserved.

I like the ambience of the place. Yes, there are a fair number of tables with rather chi-chi clientele, but the décor is quite old-school and charming, with postcards and prints lining the walls. The vibe it gives off is sort of higher-end bistro, but not poncy fine-dining.

We shared a French Onion soup to start, which came topped with a huge crouton. The soup was sweet and rich, and had a slight fruity flavour that neither of us could indentify. Next up were the mains. I ordered the Magret de Canard (duck breast) with honey and raspberry sauce, because I’m on a duck breast kick at the moment. The duck was done medium rare, and was really succulent and tender. There wasn’t any gamey whiff of duck, and the sweetish sauce was a perfect accompaniment.

The serving size for the duck was slightly smaller than most of the dishes at this place (which are massive) – it came with about 6 or 7 thin slices of duck and a Provencale Tomato, half a tomato baked with a topping of seasoned breadcrumbs. The portion is just the right size if you want to try a starter, main and a dessert.

In contrast, A’s main was HUGE. He ordered the Entrecote Rib Eye Steak, and chose the blue cheese sauce (you can choose between blue cheese and black pepper sauce). The steak was massive, and done to a perfect medium rare, just as we ordered. The meat was exquisitely tender and sweet, expected in a tenderloin but quite surprising for a ribeye. The meat was seasoned with just salt and pepper, which really allowed the amazing flavours of the steak to come through. The sauce was served on the side, perfect for someone like me who doesn’t like her meat drowned in sauce. The blue cheese sauce was quite good, albeit a little salty, but it tended to mask the flavour of the really good steak so after a few bites, I just had the steak on its own. This is seriously one of the best steaks ever, and certainly way better than the Morton’s Rib Eye.

Each table is also served with a dish of Gratin Dauphinois Potatoes – thinly sliced potatoes with butter, cream and cheese and baked till the top is golden brown and crispy. A heart attack waiting to happen, but delicious all the same.

We shared a tarte tatin with cinnamon ice cream for dessert, which looked huge but was surprisingly quite light, and went down quite easily. I still prefer the apple tart at Café de Amigo, though.

All in all, mad props (har har) to G for plugging this place. The steak was heaven, although it is a tad large for one person. Next time we may share two starters and the Entrecote. Can’t wait.

A says:

I expected something really poncy from the location but it’s actually not too bad. You can tell the waiters are a bit chi-chi though by the way they look and behave, but most of them are quite nice. The service was very fast and efficient when we got there because it was pretty empty. I guess the clientele comes much later because every table was reserved and the placed was packed by the time we left around 9pm. The waiters looked quite harassed by then, and it took quite a long time for them to bring us our bill, and to process our card.

The food is really good and the streak is probably one of the best I’ve had in Singapore. The prices may seem high at first, but once you see the substantial portions and quality, it’s actually very worth it. The Mon - Thurs set dinner especially, for $44++. I think the next time we go back it’ll be on an indulgent weekday so I can try the fish dishes in the set and C can have her steak.

Although I’m also wondering if we should go with some whiners so we don’t look out of place. We were definitely the only non-drinking table around. (Note to self: Cappuccino super strong. Drink already cannot sleep!)

L’Angelus
85 Club Street
Tel: 6225-6897
Lunch: Monday to Friday, 12 to 2 pm
Dinner: Monday to Saturday, 7 pm till late
Closed Sunday