For more info and pics, feel free to visit my site: http://thedessertprince.com/saveur-ii-savouring-the-french-way/One hour into my French dinner and still I see that same crowd within this semi-causal bistro as I did back sometime ago. This “full-house” phenomenon is clearly evidence of their really affordable, nicely plated, lip-smacking if not highly relish French cuisine. Did I mention about the line of organized crowd phenomenon accumulating outside the doors as well?

Knowing all these phenomenons all too well from past experiences, arriving five minutes before the bistro is open for dinner at 6pm was the only solution to assure my five other partners of my famous phrase: “Today we’ll be having French!”I know it’s rude to start without everyone but well, I just can’t resist having a few entrees for starters. My other dining partner and I went for the Mesclun Salad With Lemon Vinaigrette And Crispy Duck ($3.90). I found my bowl of green to be subtly refreshing though my partner kept her distance from the oranges.Saveur’s Angel Hair Pasta With Sherry Minced Pork And Sakura Ebi ($3.90) tucked in a clean white bowl with hairs of an angel woven beautifully, laced in a puree of minced meat and Sherry wine mixture and then carefully sprinkled with a heap of petite shrimps is definitely pleasing to both the eyes and the palate…Served sizzling was the other crowd pleaser. Pan Fried Foie Gras With Lentil And Pickled Onion (70g/ $14.90). Almost everyone relished over the two servings of rich buttery fatty goose liver. I said almost because someone didn’t enjoy fatty livers as oranges but hey, at least she gave it a try.Although Saveur’s rendition of the Confit Of Duck was not to my liking, that however should not stop me from introducing Duck Of Confit With Orange Segment And Saute Shittake ($8.90) to my friends. I personally didn’t give the Confit a second try so I shall not infer from my previous encounter.It is my belief that all good things should be share so when I saw two of my dinner guests decided to share the Crispy Barramundi With Crab Potato And French Bean ($12.90), it was surely an act of good gesture between good friends. I recon it’s a safe dish because my previous dining partner (He’s a angler.) said so…I too shared the Crispy Pork Belly With 62.5 Degree Egg ($10.90) surrounded by sea of green lentils with everyone. While it didn’t won everyone’s heart, I personally appreciate the slab for the juiciness of the fatty meat as well as the crispness from the seared skin.Finishing our dinner was a personal favorite of mine. The Burgundy peasant dish, Beef Bourgulgnon ($13.90) was nothing short of juiciness and tenderness, particularly with the unison of red wine. If this is the type of quality they’re whipping then I can’t wait to savor their Wagyu Beef!

A few repetitions, a few more side dishes and that dreaded GST & Service Charge accumulate to a bill of $126.70. I thought it was good deal considering the amount of food brought to our table. I doubt you could find another similar place in town that serves up comforting and affordable French food but if you do, please share with me alright?

I came here with one goal in mind - to try it's signature custard bun. My friend was raving about it so I came here to try it with my dear hubby We were here for dinner so their dim sum spread was not on offer then. Thankfully, their signature custard bun & steamed dumplings were still available for ordering, to my delight.- Signature custard bun ($6)- The oozing custard bun

The custard bun came in a cool-looking wooden box. As I bit into my bun with immense anticipation, I had to scramble to salvage the rich salted-egg molten custard filling as it oozed out. The best I've tried so far! LOL, you couldn't wipe off the grin from my face after I had two of the buns. Yup, I had 2, hubby only 1. - Special stewed beef brisket with fried rice ($12)

The stewed beef was indeed special, the sauce was very good. You could tell that they probably had to stew the beef for a long time to get that taste. We didn't wanna waste the sauce so we mopped it up with the fried rice haha. The beef meat was very tender and the tendons was so soft that it felt like it melts in your mouth with each bite. The fried rice was not bad, although it was a tad dry & less tasty than I would have preferred. However my hubby feels it's perfect that way as an accompaniment to the more tasty stewed beef's broth so that there's a balance to the dish. - Steamed dumplings aka xiao long bao ($6.50)

The steamed dumplings were quite big & chock-full of broth. But because of this, the dumpling actually breaks open with your attempt to lift it up onto your spoon. I kept trying several ways to scoop up the dumpling carefully so that it will not break but failed at all attempts. (hey, I was very gentle ok?) Luckily there's still plenty of broth left even after losing some on the journey to your stomach. The amount of pork given is generous so that might have led to the weight pulling the dumpling down with gravity. (Ok, getting a bit technical here...). The broth was flavorful - would have been better if there's more of the pork sweetness taste instead of just savory taste. It came a close second to my number one beloved xiao long bao at din tai feng.

There's plenty of seating available in the restaurant which was painted in oh-so-cool black. There was classic Chinese pop music piped overhead arranged in a jazzy-kind of way which was a tad eerie though. But probably it was to go with the whole cool Chinese theme. We had a table besides the waterfront area, a nice, romantic setting. We were kinda under-dressed for the atas setting in the restaurant but the staff were still very friendly. They also changed our plates midway through the meal and constantly offered to top up our glasses of warm water. Good service!- A sneak peek of the interior

The food's a bit pricey (those we ordered were the more affordable ones) but definitely worth it for the food, service & ambience!

I have heard so much about this chicken rice stall. I made an effort to come by just to try it. A basic plate of chicken rice is at $3. The serving of chicken was rather generous with crunchy cucumber. The rice was flavourful and fragrant as well as fluffy and grainy. The chicken tasted decent. It was tender with its juiciness still intact. Their chilli has a nice hint of spiciness that complemented the rice and chicken rather well. I felt their standard is in comparison to their competitor just a few stalls away. This is therefore a good alternative as their queue is relatively shorter and service is quicker.

This is where i get my fix for a comforting bowl of handmade noodle. The tip is to go early to avoid long waiting time. I usually go before 11 am. The expected waiting time then is about 20 minutes or less. Their consistent efforts in serving one of the better handmade noodle is definitely commendable. I enjoy the tasty broth served with nicely handmade noodle together with fresh tasting ingredients like prawns, minced meat, vegetable and dried ikan belis. The superb spicy chilli complemented the noodle nicely particularly the dry version. If you love their chilli, it is available at $3 per container.
The food is good, their service is friendly and that is probably the main factor to get their customers to keep coming back.

It was indeed an honour to be invited by online dining guide, Openrice.com for a food tasting session at Ambush, Plaza Singapura. Perhaps you might have seen the grafitti-styled logo, paired with a couple of tomatoes elsewhere, it is because they have offered diners a convenient and casual European fix at other major shopping malls - Junction8, Jurong Point, Ngee Ann City and Jurong's new Jem (Opening in April 2013) as well.

What's on the food tasting menu?

Negra paella (S$14.50) rises up as one of my Ambush favourites, the reason for my love towards this Valencian classic is simple - the rice was sticky enough, flavours were robust and I liked how the bright orange roes contributed an additional crunch to the overall texture. Just like any squid ink dishes, make sure you have checked your teeth before grinning!Roasted Pork Knuckle (S$28.00 for whole) impressed me with its perfect crispy skin, yet the juicy tenderness of the meat was sufficiently retained. You could have seen how good this was when it disappeared off the table after a few minutes. The sauerkraut and mashed potato that comes along with the pork knuckle was nothing to rave about, but I do strongly recommend to savour the pieces of meat by pairing it with the gravy sauce.Huge? Definitely. Juicy? Yup. Flavorful? Checked. Mussel Pot Large (S$17.60) is something not to be missed. We had them doned in Aglio Olio style - semi-sweet, which is so full on sauteed onions and garlicky flavour, and classic Vin Blanc - aromatic with white wine. Both, which proved to be too good to compare against each other.Decorated with home-made tomato and orange sauce, while the Duck confit (S$18.00) sits comfortabley on a bed of mashed potatoes. It actually looks better than it tasted. It was well-seasoned and marinated, but a tad dry for my liking.Crispy Chicken and Seaweed Pasta (S$13.00) was what I have chosen for my main course. The pasta itself was cooked slightly less than the al-dente standard, while the crispy chicken reminds me of KFC's popcorn chicken. Although this dish was an interesting fusion of Asian and Western, it was not exactly a winner for my palate.All in all, I thought that the starters/appetizers fared better than the main courses. But hey, guess what, "everyone gets a little taste of Europe", Ambush is a great option for a simple gathering over a wide variety of European dishes.