Immanuel French Kitchen
119 Bukit Merah Lane 1
#01-40 Salute Coffee Shop / Salut Kopitiam
https://www.facebook.com/immanuelfrenchkitchen
Classic French Food, In A Casual Setting
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 8
Ambience & Setting: 4
Food & Beverage: 9
Service: 7
Value for Money: 9
Spent about SGD $21 per person.
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Opening its doors in June 2014 within the modern hawker enclave of Salute Coffee Shop / Salut Kopitiam, Immanuel French Kitchen has since won rave reviews for its tasty, immaculate, classic French cuisine at relatively affordable cafe-esque prices. The man behind Immanuel French Kitchen, chef Immanuel Tee, has an impressive resume, including holding the head chef position at the now defunct Keystone restaurant, as well as stints in several reputable fine dining establishments such as Guy Savoy Singapore, Jaan Restaurant, and the 2 Michelin star Pastorale Restaurant in Belgium.
Ambience at Immanuel French Kitchen is shared with every other stall in Salute Coffee Shop / Salut Kopitiam. Functional, decent furniture, bright lighting, and the garish, iconic, blue checkered tablecloth. Service at Immanuel French Kitchen is completely self-service, where ordering and payment is done over the counter, as is collection of orders via a buzzer. I do like that the menu has helpful, concise descriptions of each dish, and that they provide serviettes. Interaction however, is minimal, especially since chef and team are usually busy.
Food at Immanuel French Kitchen is distinctly classic French, with some elements of Japanese. Chef even makes his own charcuterie / cold cuts in-house. Generally, I find most dishes to be very tasty, with each component of the dish being well executed, such that no ingredient overwhelms the other, a sign of good planning! Portions are filling for 1 person, and may be suitable for sharing. Prices are comparable to a mid-range cafe, budget about SGD $21 per person for a meal here.
Since opening Immanuel French Kitchen, chef has tweaked the presentation of his dishes slightly; where once the plating was slightly more modern and minimalist, today it tends towards the rustic, with fuller details on each plate and slightly more colour in the use of ingredients. I would definitely return again to Immanuel French Kitchen for more of their tasty food!
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The team at Immanuel French Kitchen is unmissable, located as they are at the front corner of Salute Coffee Shop / Salut Kopitiam.
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| Immanuel French Kitchen Signage |
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| Immanuel French Kitchen Counter |
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| Immanuel French Kitchen Menu |
The Burgundy Escargot (SGD $12.90) feature a half dozen de-shelled snails, in a fragrant and potent tomato fondue and garlic herb butter. The sauce is excellent, at once savoury, sweet, tangy, and aromatic, perfect for dipping the crisp slices of bread it's served with, and pairing well with the meaty, plump snails.
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| Burgundy Escargot 01 |
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| Burgundy Escargot 02 |
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| Burgundy Escargot 03 |
The Duck Rillette (SGD $8.60) is made by chef in-house, and is served with pickled gherkins and crisp bread. The duck shreds are savoury, slightly salted, with a hint of fat, and the chewy texture is rather appealing. Paired with the sour, tangy gherkins, and the crisp crunch of the bread, the dish is satisfyingly umami, and makes for a great appetizer.
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| Duck Rillette 01 |
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| Duck Rillette 02 |
The Onion Soup (SGD $4.90) is a Soup Du Jour, or soup of the day. Love the savoury and sweet broth, thick and deep with caramelised onions, which are soft and pliable. The cheesy crouton lends a nice textural contrast, retaining its crisp crunch for quite awhile, and pairs nicely with the rich soup broth. Excellent comfort food, highly recommended!
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| Onion Soup 01 |
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| Onion Soup 02 |
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| Onion Soup 03 |
The Frog Legs (SGD $12.60) were hit and miss. Prepared in a typical battered and fried chicken wing style, the frog leg meat was moist, but semi-tough, and very oily. Taste is great though, very fragrant from the use of shallots, garlic, and parsley, but overall, this was the weakest dish I had here. Skip this.
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| Frog Legs 01 |
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| Frog Legs 02 |
The Duck Leg Confit (SGD $15.90) features a medium sized portion of duck leg, prepared in the classic style of France, cured and cooked in its own duck fat. This results in tender, extremely tasty meat that tears off easily from the bone, and a moderately crisp skin. However, it toes the line between moist and dry. The mashed potato in brown gravy is so smooth, almost creamy in texture, and the gravy lends a nice savoury taste. The spring bacon succotash of shredded cabbage and corn kernels bears a slight hint of salty, smoky flavour, and lends a burst of colour and freshness to the dish. Highly recommended!
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| Duck Leg Confit 01 |
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| Duck Leg Confit 02 |
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| Duck Leg Confit 03 |
The Sous Vide Chicken Breast (SGD $13.60) features roulade of chicken breast, cooked via sous vide technique, such that the result is tender and moist chicken meat, fragrant with a simple seasoning of salt and pepper. Served on a bed of barley risotto and straw mushroom fricassee with micro greens. The mushrooms lend an earthy flavour, while the barley risotto is much softer than a typical rice risotto. Above average dish worth ordering.
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| Sous Vide Chicken Breast 01 |
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| Sous Vide Chicken Breast 02 |
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| Sous Vide Chicken Breast 03 |
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CONVERSATION