Le Bon Funk
29 Club Street
https://www.lebonfunk.com/
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| Chips, Caviar, And French Onion Dip (SGD $35) |
Natural Wine & Tasty Plates
(Ratings: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1 = Worst and 10 = Best)
Overall: 7
Ambience & Setting: 7
Food & Beverage: 8
Service: 7
Value for Money: 7
Spent about SGD $75 / $110 per person.
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Opened in May 2018 by Chef-Owner Keirin Buck, formerly of Burnt Ends, and operated under The Lo & Behold Group, Le Bon Funk sets itself apart from the other bars along Club Street, with its fine-casual concept and genre-defying offerings. Breaking the mold of simple classification, a visit to Le Bon Funk is an experience, with their natural wine list, fine modern contemporary dishes, and convivial atmosphere. Without a doubt, Le Bon Funk is among the most exciting restaurants in 2018.
Ambience at Le Bon Funk evokes the in-between, straddling between fine-dining restaurant and casual eatery - a fine-casual vibe, if you will. Designed by award-winning Singaporean studio, the Foreign Policy Design Group, they juxtapose raw and refined, using materials like brass against terrazzo, corkwood against rattan, for finishing. In front, the gleaming marble bar top and gold-framed wine rack catches the eye. The low lighting, so dim it's hard to read the menu, casts an interplay of light and shadow over the semi-comfortable wooden cushioned high tables and booth seats. Familiar, nostalgic hit songs play in the background, while the open kitchen offers a view as orders are prepared. With everything so closely packed, there is a slight cooking odour that lingers in the air.
Service at Le Bon Funk could be classified as fine-casual too. While better than a cafe or bistro, it's not quite restaurant standards, occupying a middle ground of sorts. Staff display good product knowledge, able to describe in detail the unusual or unfamiliar dishes on the menu - a good achievement as the menu changes daily. But their attempts to up-sell on the wines comes across as forced and clunky, seemingly without consideration for food pairing, lacking elegance. To be fair, we did not encounter head sommelier Josée Yeomans during our visit, whom we hear is an expert on natural wines, with the regular staff attending to us instead. I like that staff efficiently clear empty / finished dishes throughout your meal, check on the ongoing experience, and top up water glasses proactively.
Food at Le Bon Funk is Modern Singaporean, a fusion of Western and Asian cuisine, that again defies easy classification. The tongue-in-cheek name of the place takes a jibe at both its natural wine list and tasty plates, with Chef-Owner Keirin Buck experimenting with flavours and textures, changing up the menu daily. The ingeniously crafted, deliciously interesting, and funky dishes follow his philosophy of using fresh ingredients, with a touch of sophistication and luxury. Portions are medium to large, sized for individuals, but are best shared with friends. Prices vary; dishes tend to be affordable, priced cheaper when compared to other bistros / gastropubs, but their drinks, especially the natural wine list, is more expensive than elsewhere. Budget about SGD $110 per person for a meal with wine here, but SGD $75 without drinks.
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| Le Bon Funk Signage |
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| Le Bon Funk Exterior |
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| Le Bon Funk Interior |
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| Menu Food 13-Nov-2018 |
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| Menu Drinks 13-Nov-2018 |
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| Menu Drinks 13-Nov-2018 |
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| Seating |
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| Open Kitchen |
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| Grill & Prep |
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| Us |
The Beer Burdock Three (SGD $14) is a Belgian saison, brewed by Burdock Brewery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has a hazy, pale straw golden colour, with aromas of bread, sour cream, black pepper, and lemon. The body is smooth, dry, and medium, with tastes of cereal, biscuit, white pepper, and banana. Has an earthy sour flavour, with a short dry finish.
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| Beer Burdock Three (SGD $14) |
The Beer Burdock Tuesday (SGD $15) is a Belgian saison, brewed by Burdock Brewery in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It has a hazy, bright yellow golden colour, with aromas of bread, black pepper, cloves, and cooked pasta. The body is smooth, dry, and soft, with tastes of wheat, pine, cucumber, and red apple. Has a herbal floral sweet bitter flavour, with a refreshing full finish. Aptly named, as we drank this on a Tuesday.
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| Beer Burdock Tuesday (SGD $15) |
The Wine Danjou-Banessy SuperNova Cotes-Catalanes Roussillon 2017 (SGD $115) is a skin-contact natural white wine, made with 100% Muscat grapes, brewed by Domaine Danjou-Banessy in Espira-De-L'Agly commune, Pyrenees-Orientales department, Occitanie region of France. Skin-contact means the grape skin is left in contact for a period of time during fermentation, for this wine, it's 2 weeks. It's also a natural wine, meaning the grapes are grown in chemical-free soil, brewed with natural yeasts, and aged 6 months in old barrels with a little oxidation. No filtration, no fining, low sulphur, and little human intervention.
All this results in a very different white wine. It has a hazy, dull white pearl colour, with aromas of bergamot, verbena flower, red apple, and rosemary. The body is balanced, crisp, and smooth, with tastes of linden flower, orange, thyme, and white rice. Has a floral fruity sweet bitter flavour, rather tamed instead of lively, with a refreshing finish.
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| Wine Danjou-Banessy SuperNova Cotes-Catalanes Roussillon 2017 (SGD $115) |
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| Wine Danjou-Banessy SuperNova Cotes-Catalanes Roussillon 2017 |
Among the few staple dishes on the menu, the signature Cedar Jelly And Foie Gras Toast (SGD $18 for 2 pieces) is much raved about. Crisp toasted home made sourdough bread, with a delicate bready grainy sweet flavour, is slathered with sticky eastern white cedar jelly, which has a refreshing floral sweet flavour. Finally, grilled foie gras is nitrogen-frozen, then shaved over, looking like small, soft mounds of pinkish white powder. Chef describes this as "Canadian Kaya Toast". Bite in, and the foie gras immediately melts away, releasing a salty savoury fatty flavour, then you get the hit of floral sweet and bready grainy sweet beneath. Complex and intriguing, a pleasant acquired taste. Good!
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| Cedar Jelly And Foie Gras Toast (SGD $18 for 2 pieces) |
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| Cedar Jelly And Foie Gras Toast |
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| Cedar Jelly And Foie Gras Toast |
A luxurious bar snack, the Chips, Caviar, And French Onion Dip (SGD $35) is something I would return for. So good we got 2 rounds of it. The French onion dip is home made, with onion powder, garlic powder, sour cream, salt, and parsley, then garnished with fresh spring onions and caviar. Has a briny salty burst of flavour from the caviar, followed by the rich creamy thick texture of the dip, and its earthy sour sweet flavour. The hand fried potato chips are thin, crisp, and lightly salted, good enough on their own. We finished this real quick, and were fortunate that Chef offered to fry a new batch for us to go with the dip! Highly recommended!
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| Chips, Caviar, And French Onion Dip (SGD $35) |
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| Chips, Caviar, And French Onion Dip |
When I saw the Epoisses In Kataifi (SGD $12 for 2 pieces) on the menu, I didn't know what I was looking at. Staff described it as 'cheese in filo pastry'. Only when it was served did we realise that Époisses de Bourgogne is a soft, washed rind, French cow cheese that has a strong, pungent cheesy aroma. So strong in fact, that it's treated like durian, and banned on public transports. Somewhat tamed by the envelope of round, crisp, flaky Greek kataifi pastry crust, which has a buttery sweet flavour, and the base of rich thick sweet honey. An acquired taste for sure, rather a challenge to eat.
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| Epoisses In Kataifi (SGD $12 for 2 pieces) |
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| Epoisses In Kataifi |
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| Epoisses In Kataifi |
The Whole Grilled Iwashi Sardine (SGD $25) features a whole grilled, nearly boneless sardine fish, with a tender, moist, flaky texture, and bold smoky savoury salty flavour. Served with a wedge of lemon, and a dollop of yuzu and horseradish paste, which lends a tangy spicy kick. For a main dish, it's not as substantial as I'd like, though I love the taste.
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| Whole Grilled Iwashi Sardine (SGD $25) |
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| Whole Grilled Iwashi Sardine |
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| Whole Grilled Iwashi Sardine |
Is the Beef Tongue And Gribiche Sammy (SGD $26) the best beef sandwich in Singapore? Possibly. It features large, crisp outside soft inside, buttery brioche bread. Sandwiched between; mounds of thinly sliced, 3-day brine cured, succulent savoury salty fatty beef tongue slices; contrasted by creamy cool tangy sour gribiche, a French mayonnaise-style cold egg sauce, made with eggs, mustard, canola oil, chopped pickled cucumbers, capers, parsley, and tarragon. Among the few staple dishes on the menu, this signature modern sandwich is generous in portion, decadent, and completely delicious. Highly recommended!
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| Beef Tongue And Gribiche Sammy (SGD $26) |
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| Beef Tongue And Gribiche Sammy |
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| Beef Tongue And Gribiche Sammy |
The Whole Heritage Chicken, Potato, And Fennel Pollen (SGD $68) has an iconic, but unnerving, presentation, with the chicken claws positioned straight up in the air. This pure breed chicken, French hatched but Malaysian raised, is brined for 2 days, then stuffed with thyme and lemon, brushed with butter and honey, sprinkled with fennel pollen, and slow roasted. Finished on the grill for a quick char, the chicken meat is succulent, tender, and juicy in texture, coming cleanly off the bone. The skin is beautifully salty sweet, while the chicken meat has a delicate sweet savoury flavour. Served over fresh crunchy lettuce and tender roasted baby potates, with a lemon wedge wrapped in cloth on the side. Highly recommended!
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| Whole Heritage Chicken, Potato, And Fennel Pollen (SGD $68) |
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| Whole Heritage Chicken, Potato, And Fennel Pollen |
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| Whole Heritage Chicken, Potato, And Fennel Pollen |
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| Whole Heritage Chicken, Potato, And Fennel Pollen |
The Banana, Oat, And Coffee (SGD $10) is a modern dessert, featuring soft tender bananas, crispy oat crackers, coffee powder, and airy vanilla chantilly cream. Nice textural contrasts, with a bold fruity sweet grainy flavour. Rather playful and fun to eat, we enjoyed trying each component on its own, as well as combined with the other ingredients. Good!
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| Banana, Oat, And Coffee (SGD $10) |
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| Banana, Oat, And Coffee |
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| Banana, Oat, And Coffee |
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CONVERSATION