A Fine Parisian Patisserie Experience
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 8
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $40 per person.
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Au Chocolat is a French inspired patisserie and bistro, located in the opulent Shoppes @ Marina Bay Sands, and is one of the more affordable, casual dining restaurants here.
Ambience at Au Chocolat is styled after the French / Paris streetside cafes, with cobblestone walls and elegant furniture. But the decor is a little over the top as well, as the walls are covered with cartoon paintings of French images. A toy train runs in on a looped track overhead, and while visually interesting, I fail to see how it links with the overall concept. The open show kitchen is a plus, allowing diners to see succulent chicken being roasted in the oven.
Service at Au Chocolat is efficient, though staff don't really make small talk or ask for feedback. While not exactly fine dining standards, staff will do their best to accomodate requests such as seating arrangements. Pretty decent service here.
The food at Au Chocolat is mainly focused in 3 areas: Brunch, French inspired main courses, and desserts. As a patisserie, Au Chocolat stands out for its wide range of gourmet chocolates, as well as really good cheesecakes. Their macarons, while larger than normal, are just decent. Unfortunately, I haven't had a chance to try their ice cream / gelato.
Their French main courses are pretty good as well, with big flavours and hearty portions. Cost is each dish is pretty affordable, and by far cheaper than most other dining establishments here. The Brunch menu at Au Chocolat is quite extensive, though much of the dishes available during Brunch are English / British inspired rather than French.
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Everywhere you look in this outlet screams French, to the extent that I felt it's a little over the top. But I like the little train running overhead.
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| Au Chocolat Coaster |
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| Au Chocolat Interior |
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| Au Chocolat Train Track |
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| Au Chocolat Lamp |
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| Au Chocolat Pictures |
A rather interesting selection of sweet Fruit Beer, and I think it'll appeal to ladies as well. Choose from 5 flavours: Lychee, Pineapple, Mango, Grape or Green Apple. The Mango flavour seems to be constantly out-of-stock, and of the choices remaining, I felt the Lychee Fruit Beer was probably the best. On the other hand, the Latte was flat and rather bland. Skip it.
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| Fruit Beer |
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| Latte |
The Mocha Pork Ribs had a nice char outside, and the sweet taste of caramalised coffee. But the meat within was slightly tough, not as tender as it should have been. Taste profile is very similar to a Chinese Zi Char Coffee Pork Rib, but with a slightly richer taste because of the dark chocolate used. The sweet potato fries are a healthy choice, but rather lacking in taste.
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| Mocha Pork Ribs 01 |
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| Mocha Pork Ribs 02 |
The Roast Chicken With Gravy was done well. With succulent and juicy meat within, it's well roasted with skill. The skin is nicely savoury, as is the sauce, though it got a little too salty near the end. A little less seasoning might be good. Fortunately, the sauce was able to lift the taste of the sweet potato fries.
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| Roast Chicken With Gravy |
The Hens In A Blanket is an interesting concept, but the execution falls flat. Basically chicken sausages wrapped in pancakes, it is a filling dish that is also rather lacking in overall taste, as the sausages are just average. The scrambled eggs weren't fluffy, but rather, semi-solid... A sign of being cooked too long. But I liked the lovely grilled tomatoes and crisp tater tots.
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| Hens In A Blanket |
The house signature Au Chocolat Cheesecake is rich and chocolately, and the taste of dark chocolate is quite strong. The Peanut Butter Cheesecake has some crunch because of the crushed peanuts, but the actual peanut butter taste isn't that prominent. The Dutch Apple Cheesecake is sweet, and tastes very similar to the filling in an Apple Pie. The Try Me Cheesecake was rather odd with its blue and pearl hue, and tasted very similar to bubblegum or cotton candy.
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| Au Chocolat Cheesecake |
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| Dutch Apple Cheesecake And Try Me Cheesecake |
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| Peanut Butter Cheesecake And Au Chocolat Cheesecake |
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| New York Cheesecake Platter Of 4 |
The Litche Rose Macaron is simply a large, sweet macaron infused with a strong Lychee flavour and the more subtle Rose flavour. There is a good balance, and each taste doesn't overwhelm the other.
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| Litche Rose Macaron |
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CONVERSATION