Poulet

Poulet
201 Victoria Street
#04-12 Bugis+

1 Jurong West Central 2
#B1-57 Jurong Point

133 New Bridge Road
#02-40 Chinatown Point

1 HarbourFront Walk
#01-175 VivoCity

1 Kim Seng Promenade
#02-K2 Great World City

252 North Bridge Road
#B1-65 Raffles City

311 New Upper Changi Road
#B2-31 Bedok Mall

3 Gateway Drive
#01-07 Westgate

65 Airport Boulevard
#04-01 Changi Airport Terminal 3

1 Stadium Place
#01-17 Kallang Wave Sports Hub

http://poulet.com.sg/


Amazing, Affordable French Cuisine

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 9
Ambience & Setting: 9
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 9
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $32 per person.

Styled as a quick-service, casual eatery serving hearty and rustic French comfort food, Poulet has drawn in the crowds with its pleasing concept and affordable pricing. Poulet, which means Chicken in French, has grown since its was established in 2012, and now has several outlets islandwide in Singapore.

Ambience at Poulet is modern, contemporary French bistro style. Comfortable, wooden tables and classic elegant chairs adorn the typically tight layout and small floor space of each outlet. There isn't much decor, as the open concept of Poulet leaves little space to hang items, but the open kitchen provides a welcome distraction whilst waiting for your food.

Fortunately, you wouldn't have to wait long for food at Poulet. Service is quick and efficient, almost like clockwork, orders are taken and served fast. This owes no small part to the overlap of ingredients in many dishes, as the base sauce and / or vegetables turn up in many of their offerings. Staff at Poulet are friendly and welcoming, with good product knowledge, but don't expect to carry too much conversation with them, due to the near constant stream of customers dining here.

Food at Poulet is hearty and tasty, with each dish thoughfully presented and arranged beautifully. Prices per dish are relatively reasonable, and cheaper than most other French restaurants, at around SGD $10 for an appetizer / starter, around SGD $18 - $22 for a main dish, and around SGD $12 for a dessert. The majority of main dishes at Poulet are carbohydrate-free and rather light, you'll have to order the carbohydrates / starch (Mashed Potato, French Fries) separately as a side dish.





The open concept uses empty space to counter the tight layout and small floor area, making it seem less cramped than it really is. The open kitchen is attractive, especially for its Rotisserie grills / ovens, where plump chicken roast in the background.

Poulet Interior

Iced Orangina

The traditional French Onion Soup (SGD $5.80), or Soupe A L'oignon, has onions stewed till soft in a rich and savoury beef soup / broth, with croutons and herbs as a garnish. I like that the soup isn't too overpowering in taste, and has the right thickness and consistency without being too filling.

French Onion Soup

The creamy Country Side Mushroom Soup (SGD $5.80) uses finely strained diced fresh mushrooms, which lend an earthy aroma to the savoury soup / broth. The cream isn't too thick, and the croutons add a nice texture to balance, although I felt it would have been better if the mushrooms chunks were included.

Country Side Mushroom Soup

The Escargot De Bourgogne (SGD $8.80), or Burgundy Snails, are served in a powerful almond garlic butter and tomato fondue. The half dozen snails are lovely and hot, while the dual sauce lends an interesting contrast to the taste, though the excessive amount of garlic may be off-putting to some.

Escargot De Bourgogne

The signature dish Poulet Roti (SGD $15.80), or Roasted Chicken, is poultry (half or whole chicken) brined for 1 full day in a traditional French recipe, then placed in the rotisserie grill to slow roast. This turns the chicken skin to a beautiful crisp golden brown, while the meat within still remains tender, juicy and moist. It is served on a bed of spinach and a creamy, savoury mushroom chardonnay sauce. Update Sep-2014: Besides the mushroom chardonnay sauce, you can now choose to have this with a traditional brown meat gravy, or with cranberry sauce.

Poulet Roti

Poulet Roti Again

The rich Beef Oxtail De Burguignon (SGD $15.80), or Beef Oxtail In Burguignon Wine, differs from the traditional Beef Bourguignon by using beef oxtail instead of beef ribs or beef brisket. However, it still retains the use of the other ingredients, such as carrots, onions and Burgundy red wine. The slow pressure cooking method makes the beef meat absolutely fall off the bone and super tender, while the rich, savoury beef sauce enhances the overall dish. Very good!

Oxtail De Burguignon

The Braise De Canard (SGD $15.80), or Braised Duck, is rather one-note compared to the other fantastic dishes here. While I like the tangy sweet addition of the cranberries, the actual duck meat itself is rather dry, despite being tender. Fortunately, the sweet, savoury wine sauce helps to salvage the dryness of the duck meat. Skip this and go for the other dishes instead.

Braise De Canard

The Baby Lamb Shank (SGD $15.80) is served in a savoury lamb and orange infused gravy, which gives it a slight sweetness. The meat comes off the bone easily, and is tender and juicy. Good, but not the best I've had.

Baby Lamb Shank

The Peach Clafoutis (SGD $7.90) is very similar to a Bread And Butter Pudding, the difference being the use of fruit, in this case, peach, within this classic French pudding itself. This adds a burst of freshness and tartness to the dessert, and the contact of cold ice cream with the warm pudding is delightful.

Peach Clafoutis 01

Peach Clafoutis 02

The Saute Wild Mushroom (SGD $7.80) features a soft, perfectly poached egg on a a bed of perfectly grilled, fresh and juicy mushrooms. A trio of mushrooms is used in this dish, including wild button mushroom, shimeji mushroom, and king oyster mshroom. The egg yolk just oozes out into the bed of mushrooms when cut... Sexy!

Saute Wild Mushroom 01

Saute Wild Mushroom 02

The Ginger Lemonade (SGD $4.90) is a basic Ginger Ale soft drink mixed with a light lemonade, creating a nice sweet and tangy taste contrast. Decent taste, but good thirst quencher.

Ginger Lemonade

The Ratatouille (SGD $5.90) is a baked medley of vegetables, including tomato, onions, eggplant, zucchini and bread crumbs. The tomato sauce is intense and flavours the cooked till soft vegetables. Only drawback was the dish was slightly oily.

Ratatouille

The Truffle Mashed Potato (SGD $5.90) is extremely smooth and creamy, yet quite light. Fragrant and earthy with the essence of truffle oil, but not too overpowering, this is a great side dish!

Truffle Mashed Potato

The Halibut En Papillote (SGD $17.90) features halibut fish cheeks cooked in a fragrant stew of carrots, mushrooms, and asparagus, till super soft, flaking apart easily when cut. This rather light, yet healthy dish is a delight to eat.

Halibut En Papillote 01

Halibut En Papillote 02

Loved the Halibut Goujonette (SGD $9.90), which reminded me of fish fingers, only better. A crisp, light batter encases smooth, flaky, halibut fish strips. So fresh, so tasty. Simple, but executed well.

Halibut Goujonette

The Cinnamon Apple Winglets (SGD $5.90) is a promotional item for Christmas 2014, and has a unique flavour. The chicken wing is coated in a cinnamon dusted batter, lending a slight sweetness to the crisp, savoury skin, and juicy meat. The dipping sauce of sweet apple cinnamon cream is lovely, and while the combination of sweet and savoury is unusual, it's still rather pleasant.

Cinnamon Apple Winglets