Saybons

Fuss Free French Food - (Say It Quickly 3 Times)

(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 6
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 8
Spent about SGD $15 per person.





Inspired by the France / French phrase 'C'est Bon', or 'It's Good', Saybons was founded in 2007, the first store in Singapore to provide fast, casual French food at affordable prices. Today, Saybons is still pulling in the crowds with its range of wholesome, tasty food, including their signature sweet & savoury crepes, tartines, and hand made soups.

Ambience at Saybons, as befitting its concept, is fuss free and clean. Simple furniture is packed into a small seating area, and while functional, is not meant for long, leisurely dining, but on-the-go, quick, eat and leave dining. I like that Saybons is brightly lit though, and that their menu is displayed outside the shops.

Saybons is semi self-service. Ordering and payment is done at the counter, but if staff are free, they will serve orders to your table. I like that staff are friendly and able to make recommendations, as well as efficient in clearing empty plates. They also make it a point to repeat your order to you, which is not commonly done at other fast-food kiosks like this.

Food at Saybons is generally tasty and wholesome. Ingredients used are fresh, and emphasis is placed on hand-made products, fresh daily. Prices are reasonably affordable for their France / French food, averaging about SGD $15 or so per person for a good meal. Saybons menu is mostly focused on sweet crepes, savoury crepes, soup / broth, tartines, salads and freshly baked breads.





The Saybons Buzzer signals when your order is reday for collection, but more importantly, serves as a good distraction with its Learn To Speak French tips!

Saybons Buzzer

The Tartine Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil (SGD $7.50) features fresh crisp bread, made into an open face sandwich with juicy fresh cherry tomatoes, grilled perfectly. Love the burst of juice and rich cherry tomato taste when bit! The mozzarella cheese lends a touch of earthy taste, while the basil lends a hint of freshness. Very good!

Tartine Tomato, Mozzarella, Basil

The Tartine Smoked Salmon, Egg Mayo, Arugula, Dill (SGD $8.50) features soft, savoury smoked salmon on an open face sandwich with crisp bread. The egg mayo has a dash of pepper, livening the flavour, while the arugula and dill lend a fresh, earthy taste, and some crunch.

Tartine Smoked Salmon, Egg Mayo, Arugula, Dill

The Soup Wild Mushroom (SGD $4.20 Regular) has a semi-rich, creamy texture, and nice mushroom flavour. But I was slightly let down by the lack of mushroom chunks within, the soup / broth was smooth overall. Still, pretty tasty, and a good choice to have!

Soup Wild Mushroom

The Soup Fresh Tomato (SGD $3.80) is definitely fresh, which is important. The richness of the tomato is evident, and the flavour is warm, comforting, and hearty. Very good! Perhaps too much though, as drinking this in large portions makes it rather one-note, would be better if some herbs were added. I added some pepper towards the end to change up the flavour slightly.

Soup Fresh Tomato

The Soup Seafood Bisque (SGD $4.50) is a thick broth, strong with the flavour of crustaceans and smells of the ocean. Very good, hearty and filling soup, despite there not being any actual chunks of seafood within.

Soup Seafood Bisque

The Soup Broccoli Cheddar (SGD $3.90) is actually quite nice. I wasn't prepared to like it, due to the strong, pungent, leafy taste of typical broccoli soups, but the version here is light, not too strong. The addition of cheddar helps to cut through the vegetable taste. Above average overall, and like all other soups here, contains no chunky bits.

Soup Broccoli Cheddar

The Soup Pumpkin (SGD $4) has a fragrant and light aroma, with a fresh, decent, though somewhat muted taste of pumpkin, due to its delicate nature. The texture is slightly thicker than all the other soups.

Soup Pumpkin

Bread is freshly baked daily here, and most, like the Bread Sundried Tomato Butter & Herb Butter, are excellent! You can taste the distinct flavour of each layer, and the bread itself is crisp, great for soaking up soups!

Bread Sundried Tomato Butter & Herb Butter

The Dijon Potato Salad (SGD $3.60) features chunks of potato in a dijon mustard and mayonnaise sauce, topped with spring onions and sliced chicken ham. Clean taste, where you can taste the various ingredients in layers. Above average side dish.

Dijon Potato Salad

I loved the Escargot Garlic Herb (SGD $9), with a half dozen, deshelled fresh snails, cooked perfectly, neither too hard or too soft. The garlic herb butter sauce infuses each mouthful with a fragrant, savoury aroma.

Escargot Garlic Herb

Only available at breakfast, the French Stacked Crepes (SGD $6) features 2 perfectly cooked French style crepes, with a crisp crust and a soft, pancake like middle. Served with slices of strawberries and bananas, and doused with maple syrup, this is a sweet yet satisfying start. Only drawback is that it looks slightly messy on the plate.

French Stacked Crepes 01

French Stacked Crepes 02

The Crepe / Crepes here, regardless of savoury or sweet, are always served in takeaway, handheld style.

Crepe

The Crepe Apple Delight (SGD $4.30) is a delicious sweet dessert crepe, with slices of fresh apples, sprinkled with a generous amount of cinnamon sugar, which mixes with the sweetness of the apples to give a lovely caramel flavour. The addition of shaved almonds lends a contrasting crunch of texture.

Crepe Apple Delight 01

Crepe Apple Delight 02

The Crepe Ham, Egg Cheese (SGD $5.80) is a worthwhile savoury crepe to order if you're hungry. The sticky, gooey melted cheese is filling, and the slices of chicken ham and fluffy omelette / scrambled eggs within are perfectly done. Satisfying at all times of the day, or particularly for brunch.

Crepe Ham, Egg Cheese 01

Crepe Ham, Egg Cheese 02