Eat Like a French Queen Would | OpenRice 新加坡開飯喇

Antoinette's menu gets savoury additions and new plated desserts like The Queen's Vacherin

At first thought, Antoinette may seem like a place merely for sipping tea, nibbling on dainty cakes and whiling your afternoon away with your girlfriends in an elegant ambience. Recently, we learnt that was only half true. Helping you discover the other side of this French-inspired salon de thé, is their new all-day menu – boasting savoury additions and a line of plated desserts. The latter, much like their cakes, look far too pretty to be eaten.

New savoury mains include this edible garden of Le Grand Jardin d'Antoinette

Pleasing to the eye and palate The mains are no ugly ducklings themselves, especially Le Grand Jardin d’Antoinette ($30). The beautifully plated salad comes with seared roasted French duck breast surrounded by a medley of roasted asparagus, baby carrots, beets, sweet potatoes, button mushrooms and lotus root chips. What we liked most was the tangy touch of caramel orange dressing, which gave it a unique spin. For those wanting a heartier meal, go for the Entrecôte Poêlée a la Bordelaise ($36) – a ribeye minute steak with shallot red wine sauce – or even a simple but comforting Ham and Cheese with French Toast ($14) served with Chantilly cream.

Left: Baked Alaska, Right: Charlotte

Fire up the desserts! Crowned with a tall tower of spunned sugar, The Queen’s Vacherin ($25) comprises a hard-shelled rose petal meringue filled with yuzu cream, vanilla bean ice cream, lychee and berries. But what really satisfied our sweet tooths were the Strawberry Baba ($18) soaked in citrus vanilla syrup and dark rum, as well as the Baked Alaska ($25) – vanilla ice cream with “griotte” cherries and blackcurrant meringue that comes torched before your very eyes. Also joining their constellation of cakes are new creations like Charlotte, Forêt-Blanc, Café Noix, Désir, and Le Fruitier. Antoinette’s new menu is available at all three outlets: Penhas(flagship), Mandarin Gallery and Palais Renaissance. Text by Peh Yi Wen; Images by Antoinette See Also: Check out these places for a fine dining experience Enjoy more variety of French food here