Nicholas

I was caught off guard (I expected to be having lunch in the yucky kopitiam, or cafeteria) so I didn't bring my camera out. Well, I know better now so I have been dragging my camera around everyday without fail. I was very happy for the lunch invite - and wonderful company plus lots of foodie knowledge gained:)


This is a super outdated post (I think I went there about a month ago) because I'm a procrastinator and I also couldn't find my miniSD card reader. Buu to my htc phone the camera sucks! Photos taken are terribly blur - and yellowed (like a certain drug toxicity). For a more informative review and better pictures, go here.

Nicholas is a French Restaurant located Keong Saik Road (which has terrible parking during lunch times). Nicholas has valet parking - $5 inclusive of parking fee.
Tiny tiny complimentary starter (with the posh name of amuse bouche) Marinated Anchovy with Crispy Biscuit and Onion Confit. I can't remember much about the anchovy, but the onions were crispy and didn't have the sharp raw onion taste.
Pan Roasted Duck Foie Gras, Marmalade of Eggplant, Vanilla and Cinnamon Mousse & Balsamico VinegarFoie Gras (add $6) which was not bad (but I've now tasted better ones). It was quite bloody in the middle - it spurted some blood when I cut into it. Now that I've been enlightened about good and bad foie gras, this is pretty average.

The eggplant marmalade was pretty interesting - I like anything eggplant - plus this is sweet rather than savoury. Too bad the portion was tiny and it probably would have just covered the surface of a teaspoon.

Organic Tomato, Ibérico Ham, Mozzarella and Wild Rocket Salad. Iberian Ham - Singapore AVA approved import of this Spanish Ham this year. Iberian ham is made from black pigs fed on acorn, and can cost up to $200 per kg.

Personally, I think it reminds me of a less salty and tastier version of parma ham. Then again, I'm not a great fan of preserved foods. Of course, it is always a pleasure to eat such delicacies (even though my tastebuds can't appreciate the full splendor of these highly prized meats). It came with a piece of mozzerella and a lovely juicy tomato.

There was also a small glass of capsicum espuma, which I found particularly delicious and interaeting. I really enjoyed the sweet taste of capsicum. This is the scallop starter, Bavetine Pasta with Seared Hotate Scallop - but foie gras always wins (for me at least).I had the Roasted French Farm Quail which had two pieces of Foie Gras and Morel Mushroom Ravioli with Sauce Bordelaise. No prizes for guessing that I ordered this cos I wanted to foie gras, and not because I like quail. And indeed I 'maxed out my liver intake today' - hopefully I won't die from fatty liver - I think all the gastrointestinal conditions are the worst illness to suffer from.Wild Ocean Trout with Crispy Pastilla which you should read about here (cos I really can't remember what it tasted like).Chocolate Cake with Milk and Chocolate Mousse, Crunchy ‘Croquant’ - I particularly liked the Chocolate mousse which was rich and creamy, but the portion is insanely small - and my spoon couldn't reach the bottom of the slender glass. (Sadness - cos it's wasted!! I would have happily scraped the glass clean).

The brown blob infront is a chocolate cake which was outshone by the mousse. I liked the crunchy croquant (but I can't pronounce it).

The meal ended with a cup of camomile tea and madeleines and chocolates. It would have been perfect if I had gone home and spent the afternoon post prandial stupor-ing.

I personally don't really I'll be coming back here for lunch anytime soon - there's so much lunch time competition like Embre across the street (which serves much more choices for the same price). There's really lots of yummy lunches to eat out there can't wait to try them all!

Nicolas Le Restaurant
35 Keong Saik Road
Tel: 6224 2404
Closed on Sundays