Balzac Brasserie

A quick visit to Chef Jean-Charles Dubois (previously of the now defunct The French Kitchen) new restaurant at Rendezvous Hotel. Only had time for starters and coffee. He revamped his lobster bisque: now served with a side of fried Mozambique prawns. But still easily his signature dish and one of the best lobster bisque in the market. The half dozen Fine de Claire oysters were fresh and succulent with a hint of sea saltiness, and goes excellently with a splash of mignonette and lemon. Ambience was great: old-school French/Parisian brasserie with polite service. Price wise, it's comparable to The French Kitchen, ie on the high side of affordability.

Updated (14 Dec 2012): Came back for a proper lunch today. Chef Jean-Charles is still as affable as ever. Their wine-per-glass selections is actually quite good and reasonably priced. But the bottled list was not impressive. The escargots were outstanding! Served piping hot in a mixture of salt, olive oil and herbs. The mollusk were chewy yet had a later of crunch with it. I had the beef tartare today, and this is definitely only for those who actually do like raw beef. And if you do, then you would be rewarded with a tasty oral pleasure. Tender with a slight chewiness and crunch brought out by the salt/pepper/herb and celeriac(?) mix and smoothened out with the raw yolk. The tartare was served, uniquely, with a serving of shoestring fries which were strangely addictive. Although it tasted better when just served. Lastly dessert was a superb vanilla creme brûlée although the custard may have been cooked just a tad too long. Nonetheless, the taste was great. Not too sweet nor too bland.

Verdict: Will definitely come back repetitively.