Saveur

Saveur is an elegant cafe in a street near Bugis, with every dish a potential conversation-topic starter. The decor is really quaint, with wall decals to give it the European feel. This is my first time dining French cuisine, and also with Open Rice's food tasting session! French cuisine is not one of those food that I'll choose if given a variety, because it just seems so foreign! If you're just like me, and never tried French cuisine before, I'll recommend Saveur as a starting point because they serve such beautiful and delectable dishes. I will introduce the dishes Saveur offer, as well as those dishes that I think I prefer and would order the next time I bring my friends to try. Here is the menu: There are basically a few sections: Appetizer, Main Course, Desserts, Drinks and Special. There's something really special about all the sections - you can see a consistent appearance of duck and tangerines throughout some of the dishes. AppetizerWe ordered some of the appetizers like Duck Salad, Duck Rilette, Saveur's Pasta and Foie Gras. Saveur also served us bread and butter while we were agonizing over what to order - all of them look so appetizing (no pun intended)! Each of the dishes look so pretty! Totally Instagram-worthy. Duck Salad ($5.90++): This is really a surprise. I actually finished the whole dish of vegetables, which is drizzled with this tangy sauce that complements the salad really well. The strips of duck are also sauteed to the perfect flavour that is neither too salty or too bland. If you are getting ready to order more filling main courses and desserts, this will be an ideal choice because it really prepares you for what that is to come without wasting precious stomach space! ;) Duck Rilette ($7.90++): The row of biscuits are meant to be spread with the sauce at the side. The sauce itself is really well-made and flavourful. However I think it's a little too much to finish for one person, so it'll be best ordered as a group to be shared around. Foie Gras ($7.90++): This delicacy is something that requires an acquired taste. The taste is a little too strong for me, but I think I'm just not used to it. Saveur's Pasta ($4.90++): I liked this a lot. But I find it kind of strange that an appetizer has such a huge serving! I would think that this is enough as a main course :) I might just come back to eat this. The pasta's really springy and the flavour just gives you this blessed feeling! Ideal if you just want to eat this and try the desserts Bread and Butter ($2++): Ideal as a starter and also to break the flavour during the course of the whole meal. Main CourseFor the mains, we ordered the Pork Belly ($10.90++), Pan-Seared Sea Bass ($14.90++), Beef Short Ribs ($14.90++), as well as the signature Duck Confit! The Duck Confit ($10.90++) is what I ordered, and I must say that it is really really nice that makes you want to keep eating until it's all gone! It is a little salty, so the tangerines at the side made a good combination to ease the taste a little. The meat is quite tender (could be even more tender though).I love the mushrooms scattered at the side too. The flavour permeates the whole mushroom flesh itself and you won't taste the raw mushroom taste. All three components come together in a great combination. I can tell why this is the signature dish. :) DessertsOoh! My favourite part of every meal. Desserts are a MUST at Saveur, which includes very special and self-concocted dishes you won't find anywhere else!!! We ordered all 4 of the desserts available, and I must say I enjoyed every bit of the desserts :) The first one is the super photogenic dessert, called the Textures of Citrus ($6.90++). The name caught my eye immediately – it definitely stands out as a very unique dessert! When it came, I was immediately awed by the colourful display with all the pretty summer colors red orange and yellow! *cameras out* The orange clump in the middle is actually blood orange jelly (quite sour) with specks of citrus bits sprinkled around! It’s really fun to eat each bits and guess what you are eating. Cheers you up immediately when you see it too. Love this!!! The second one is the obligatory chocolate dessert (well, almost everyone loves chocolate) called the Chocolate and Hazelnut ($7.90++). It’s decorated with a piece of chocolate lodged into a hill of chocolate mousse goodness, almost like a chocolate yacht and also a tail of hazelnut sauce. The whole dish is very chocolate, and a bit too sweet for me since I like dark chocolate. Nevertheless, it’ll definitely be a haven for chocolate lovers. The third one is another unique one – the Pistachio Panna Cotta ($6.90++)! A lavish layer of pistachio bits toppings on top of olive-green pistachio-flavoured cream. It’s really indulging and I like how the pistachio taste is very strong and quite interesting to taste it in a dessert rather than as a nut ;) It’s a really creative dish!The fourth one is called Cookies and Milk ($9.90++), appearing as a clouded foam, but there is definitely more to meet the eye as you dig into the froth – with lots of different ingredients hidden inside to surprise you. There’s a cookie dough ice-cream, there’s peanut butter, there’s also bits of alcoholic (tastes like rum but could be something else) cherries in there. I like this one too, but it diminished quite fast cos’ everyone love it too… :’( I will order one big one for myself next time!!! I like the service, prompt and alert to clear our table after each course. Really appreciate it because otherwise, our table would be too small to contain all the plates :)Saveur is a 10 minutes walk away from Bugis MRT - walk towards Shaw Towers, turn into one of the small streets called Purvis Street. Alternatively, check a map. ;D For full review and more photos, please visit http://spherepiece.blogspot.com/2012/12/saveur.html…查看更多

It was a birthday week on august month. My friend was in town over the weekend and I am in luck. She treated me for lunch and we headed to Saveur after our tour from Garden By The Bay. I always wanted to try it as the cafe serves affordable french foods and I heard many reviews about it. The cafe does not allow reservations and long queue when my sister went over on Friday night. So my friend and I tried our luck on Saturday and we waited for around 15minutes to get a seat in the afternoon session.They served lunch menu with available choices from starters, soups, mains, premiums, sides and desserts. My choice of the day : Confit of Duck with Orange Segments and Saute Shittake @ S$9.90 The serving was just nice. The mash potatoes are soft and and smooth. The confit duck meat tender is soft and tender as well.I love the taste of the saute shiitake as i blend it with the mashed potato.Overall it is tasty and affordable dish.Crispy Pork Belly with Poached Egg and diced vegetables @ S$10.90The pork belly is crispy especially the skin. The egg yolk burst out and it just flow beautifully around the diced vegetables and the pork belly meat. It's not extremely awesome but it is affordable price with the serving as well.Not forgetting we ordered the all time favourite Angel Hair Pasta with Sherry Minced pork and sakura Ebi @ S$3.90.This is truly affordable and definitely a must order dish. The pasta is very Q and guess what we just can't get enough of it. Basically every table served at least per serving of the pasta. We ended our lunch with a nice dessert, chocolate and hazelnut. It is a new dessert for us. The crunchy hazelnut bits and the appearance desserts makes me feel loved. It is sinful and sweet but the amount served was just nice for both of us. I am happy with my choice of dessert.It's definitely a good place for affordable French foods. If you looking for budget-conscious place and would love to try french cuisine, you can try this cafe. It is a maiden experience if you don't mind queuing for the foods. The staffs are efficient and the serving time is within 20 minutes. It is walking distance between City Hall MRT and also Bugis MRT.For more photos of the restaurant and photos, click my blogspot here http://hazelnutlife.blogspot.sg/2012/08/saveur-purvis-street.html…查看更多

Heard alot about this french restaurant from my friends, decided to have my dinner there. Savuer Pasta - Mushroom soup - When it was served, i thought it was a cup of cappuccino. However, it really taste good. It has a very thick Mushroom taste. Foie Gras - Although it is quite a small portion , but the taste of it was quite good. It is rich and creamy. Duck Confit - One of their signature dishes. The duck leg was deep fried and served with mashed potato and sauteed mushroom.Guess what ? The dinner only cost me around $40 for 2 pax!…查看更多

From its humble beginnings as a stall in a coffeeshop at Katong, Saveur has since grown into a restaurant in its own right with new premises along Purvis Street.Its fresh white coat of paint let Saveur stand out a mile from neighbouring eateries along the jaded street of Purvis. The first thing that greeted me was the quirky logo of a duck with a red and blue bow tie. Couldn't resist this fodder for my Instagram list.Inside, the restaurant is similarly decked out in white, but the walls adorned with murals that indicated a deep-seated relationship with Christianity. I was really amused by the direction for Heaven pointing at the kitchen though.Service was quick and pleasant. We were seated and attended to quickly by Saveur's friendly staff who then showed us the menu. Like it's decor, the menu was minimalistic - take the list of main courses for example; diners choose from just Duck, Chicken, Pork, Fish or Beef. It's that simple.Between the 5 of us, we managed to try at least 3 of the mains available:A succulent duck leg confit served upon a bed of mashed potato, with shitake mushrooms and orange slices on the side - $10.90 Portion size was good and the thick, creamy mash complemented the duck just fine. Incidentally, this is the first duck confit I have ever seen priced at $10.90. Talk about a good deal!My own order of Roulade of Chicken Thigh looked the part of fine dining (aka. tiny portion) I counted 5 slices of chicken thigh resting on creamy rice drizzled with parmesean cheese. The plate was long, but the edible portion was barely the length of my palm :( Because the portion was so small, I had to order a side of Potato Gratin, thinly sliced potato, baked with cheese and some herbs.The Pan-seared Sea Bass was fried to a crispy golden brown and sandwiched between french beans and saute potato cubes with crab meat. Picture perfect! After the mains, we decided try our hands at dessert which was an experience onto itself =DThe restaurant special of Cookies & Milk was nothing short of bizarre, I thought we got served a half-washed dish by mistake. But the deceptive appearance hid a wacky culinary exploration, where we had fizzling (YES FIZZLING) in our mouths. I wouldn't want to spoil the fun for everyone by revealing more After the surprise from Cookies & Milk, Chocolate & Hazelnut came across as much more prosaic. A dollop of chocolate mousse sprinkled liberally with crushed hazelnuts, broken raspberries and roasted rice puffs. Presentation wise, I'd really say they tried too hard and the dish didn't really present itself well, which was a pity. At $20 per pax, I would say that Saveur would definitely be worth revisiting. Next time, maybe the $7.90 Foie Gras? …查看更多

This is a small hidden gem along Purvis street which sells affordable French cuisine. The shop design is minimalist and felt like a cosy little eatery to have a nice lunch with friends. Since the decor has a duck painting, I chose the Duck Confit with orange jus. It was the right choice to make! The duck leg was slightly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The slight hint of duck fat was so appealing. And the creamy mash potato (no lumps at all) was smooth with the right balance of salt and butter. Thumbs up!We had 2 desserts to round off the meal. The first one is the Chocolate & Hazelnut with crushed nuts and raspberries. The chocolate is lovely an sweet although oddly skewed to one side of the plate. The raspberry was a tad too sour for my taste though. This is one surprising dish! A plate of foam was placed in front of us and we could not tell what it was. Simply know that the name is milk and cookies. It was foam that taste like milk with some cookie ice cream! Delicious! Recommended to try as it is a novel experience! …查看更多

There are many small eateries along Purvis Street that have earned a name for themselves, but Saveur is probably one of the more unique restaurants in that area. I was pleasantly surprised by its minimalist shop exterior and the interior was also very unique in its own way.As you enter the restaurant, the first thing you will probably notice is the high ceiling and black-white color scheme. Taking a closer look at their menu brings up a passage from the Bible and there is even a large heart-shaped art piece on the wall with a verse from the Bible. I immediately recognized the version from John 3:16 as it was a verse that was widely used at the secondary school I used to attend - Fairfield Methodist. I guess the restaurant owners are Christian as there were many Christian elements in the restaurant's design.I particularly liked the sign near the rear of the restaurant which had arrows pointing to "Heaven" (their kitchen) and "No.5 Purvis Street" (the other unit next door that is also occupied by the same restaurant).THE FOODWe were there for lunch (it was also a treat from our boss) and I decided to order the "Fish". Saveur's menu is also very minimalistic in its design, with their mains categorized according to the meat: ie. Chicken, Duck, Fish, Beef, Pork. This made it super easy to decide on what you want to eat!The "Fish" I ordered was a chunk of Barramundi ($13.90) sitting on top grilled potato cubes that had a small amount of crab meat on it. I enjoyed the potato cubes as they were crispy on the outside and just nice on the inside. They also plated it with small slices of blood oranges and grapefruit which added a unique fruity to the savory dish. However the actual meat itself, the fish, was very average - it wasn't that tender and in fact, I found it to be a little on the dry side. As a main dish, the meat should have been the main "star" but it was rather disappointing as the condiments really out-shined the main ingredient.The portion of the mains are just right for me, but a few of my colleagues felt that it was too little. The portion is definitely lesser than a plate of $3 chicken rice, but I think the whole idea of French cuisine is that their meals are designed for multi-course: appetizer, main, dessert (at least). Which is why the portions are smaller so that you can try a wider variety of dishes. I also managed to sample a little bit of the Duck Confit from my colleague and it was delicious! Definitely a star dish that I would like to try on my next visit there.I was very glad that we ordered some desserts to share because I was pleasantly surprised by the novelty of the desserts that they had. First came a big plate of Chocolate & Hazelnut ($7.90) with a generous sprinkle of nuts and sour raspberries. The taste was very unique and there were a mixture of different flavours and textures that you don't expect to have in a dessert. We also shared a Pistachio Panna Cotta ($6.90) which was one of my favourites. The Panna Cotta was really milky and creamy with a smooth texture, dusted in chunks of pistachio nuts on top.The last dessert item to arrived took us all by surprise. The menu simply read "milk and cookies" and it was printed on an extra sheet of paper that was stuck onto the last page of the menu - I guess they probably added in this new dish recently. The dessert was simply a plate of foam (milk foam, I think) with a chunk of cookie hidden within it. The foam also had a sparkly texture to it, similar to those "pop-in-your-mouth" candy powder that you used to eat as a kid. This is an unforgettable dessert that you definitely must try!Well, the service however was just average. The staff were just very curt and did not converse much with their customers. The crowd there was mainly made up of young working adults and a few expats. And do you know that "Saveur" means "flavour" in French? One thing for sure, this restaurant is definitely filled with lots of interesting flavours. Overall, it is a pleasant place to have an affordable French meal at!…查看更多

I had lunch out with my Boss, Manager and my Colleagues on that day! happy, enjoy and sweet. I am thank you to my boss, who invited me to join lunch. Then all the foods also the best taste there.Duck legs are mislead me from the world and potato mash too. Fish & Chicken made me to forget my lovely all the desserts also made me sleepy after lunch Thanks Saveur and My lovey colleagues.Sour taste and it's woke me up Funny foam and love it The best one, I like the most …查看更多

Was here with my wife for lunch today and luckily we went earlier before the lunch crowd has swamped the place. Overall, the ambience was very cozy and well decorated, especially those bulbs that compliment the restaurant name "Saveur" with a few pot-holes on the wall.The price stated on the menu are very much economically priced and portions are quite generous. Ordered their signature '"Duck Confit", presentation was very nicely done, and the meat itself is well-cooked. You could easily shred the meat with a fork. Pairing up with mash potatoes and chinese mushrooms, this dish is simply delicious.Next up, "SAVEUR’S PASTA"A signature of Saveur’s, pasta tossed with chili oil, fine-chopped Japanese konbu & sakura ebi withminced pork sauce. for just $4.90, it comes with large portion of spaghetti and sparing topping of sakura ebi. A must visit for french food lovers and a economical place for french cuisine try-outs.…查看更多

Went to this place for lunch with some colleagues knowing that they are famous for french fare and have grew beyond the days of a coffeeshop outlet at East Coast area. This cosy little restaurant will first wow you with its simple but classy interior decor, wall murals which heavy hint of Christianity messages are apparent. Table setting is more simple but sufficient to give diners the feeling of restaurant standard despite not using table cloth. I ordered the duck confit, its a deep fried version with little fats and comes with sauteed mushroom, orange segments and buttery creamy mash potato below it. Thumbs up for this dish, glad that i trust my instincts after seeing the duck being their iconic mascot and hence my decision on this duck dish. We share 3 of the desserts with the cookies and milk looking most interesting. In layman terms its cookie drown in soap like foam. The foam has this special taste to it and yes its sparkles within your mouth and i kid you not, you can hear the sparkles. Definitely return to eat at this place again and i strongly recommend it if you are new to french food.…查看更多

After coming back from Paris, I've been craving their duck. I finally headed down with some friends to Saveur after hearing favorable reviews about it from others. Man, I was not disappointed. The confit of duck was exactly like the one I had in France. My tastebuds were singing after the first bite. The mash potato (?) under the duck was also another winner, it was so yummy my friends and I practically scrape every inch of it of the plate. At a price of $9.90, it was also extremely affordable.Each of us also ordered a bowl of angel air pasta with sherry minced pork and sakura ebi ($3.90). This was another delicious dish. I've never tasted something like this, it was extremely good. The sakura ebi added a crunchy mouthfeel.Will definitely be going back!…查看更多

I walked past here a few times during lunch time and its often super long queue! We were looking for dinner ideas and knowing angmokia is craving french food again so i suggested here. Service was great that they took down our numbers so that they could call us back when there were seats. Thumbs up! Staff were friendly too! But the place is abit too noisy if u are looking for a date place. Anyway after taking a look at the menu.. i realised the reason for the long queue.. if u dun really mind ordering high class food.. u can get a bowl of basic pasta (like aglio olio) at about $5. Seriously! Even in food court these days pasta probably cost more than that! So we went ahead to order starters, bread, wine and the premium dishes. I had the salad starter which was very very tasty! A tad oily from the duck but very yummy and im not even usually eating duck. The duck was fragrant and crispy and doesnt taste 'gamey' at all. *slurpssoup was so-so with more potato taste than leek so it wasnt spectacular.I premium menu only consisted of 2 items and it was the one who ordered. I had the monkfish-a white fish with a very rich and chewy texture. You can really tell its a good quality fish.. a bit more chewy than cod and less soft with more bite. The cream sauce was just nice and not overwhelming.. nice to mop it up with bread. When angmokia's tenderloin came his first expression was.. OK it was very 'atas' looking.. with carrot puree design on the plate.. hahaha.. but i think we both agreed the meat portion was quite good for the price. $22 or @28? Cant really remember..One bad thing was the wine tasted horrid.. and to add salt to wound they serve italian wine in a french restaurant to a french! lol.. sacrilegious! I would recommend this to friends and if u go please do not just order the pasta because it is the cheapest dish around. Try the other items! I probably would not go back soon due to the lack of variety. …查看更多

I had their duck confit. The pan-fried duck drumstick was served sitting on top of pomme purée. The potatoes were smooth & nicely done. The duck was lightly salted. The only downside is that the skin is not really crispy. It's somewhat like a combination of chinese and western cuisine.Food presentation is great. Taste wise i will give it a 4 as there can be room for improvement. Personally, i prefer the dish to be a little more salty and flavourful. As for the portion, it was just nice for me. Service was average.They are closed on Wed night and Sun lunch. Do note they are close between 2pm-6pm.…查看更多

Be warned and be fully prepared, and, by no means, come to Saveur while you are already starving and in no mood to wait in a length line. Saveur's current dining hours are almost blink-and-you-will-miss-them: from 6pm to 9:30pm. The queue outside starts growing long before the place opens, so expect to wait in line for about an hour, if not more.With that being said, the French food and the value that you will get for your money are almsot unbeatable in Singapore. S$8.90 for an entree of duck confit and mashed potatoes? I personally have not seen any decent duck confit concoction sold for under S$15, and I've searched far and wide across the city to find a good duck confit deal.An appetizer of fois gras (30oz) will cost you about $7.90. The portion is tiny and it will quickly make you realize that there is no such thing as amazing value for fois gras, but you will be more than satisfied with the succulent tenderness and a hint of outside sweetness as soon as you take your first bite.The salmon confit at S$8.90 is a true star among the appetizers, as it is tender to perfection, without any of the pesky fishy smell. A green apple side salad served as part of this appetizer is a wise addition as it distills the slight saltiness of the confit with its sweet-and-sour kick.My hope is that, with time, Saveur's dinner hours will extend to a longer period of time than just 3.5 hours and the waiting time will diminish exponentially. For now, be prepared to come on a full stomach and bring a book to read in line. You're in for a loooong wait!…查看更多

Saveur (pronounced as sah-vere) has moved into it's current more centrally located shophouse space. It has also recently received a lot of publicity for serving (really) affordable French food, but does it live up to the hype?We arrived slightly after 12pm (opening time for lunch) on a weekday, but the restaurant was already filled up to the brim. Business is bustling good here! We had to subsequently wait for about an hour to get a table for 3. So if you intend to come in a group with more than 2 people, I would suggest you make your way to the restaurant after 1.30pm when it’s less crowded and more seats are available. Or you can start queuing at 11.3oam. (BTW, the restaurant does not take reservations.) While waiting in the queue, many passerby office workers actually know of this place but are simply unwilling to wait so long.The white-walled eatery is simply decorated and unpretentious. The service staff were really polite and apologized for the long wait. One waiter actually asked us three times whether our good was up to mark.This is their incredible Angel Hair Pasta With Sherry Minced Pork And Sakura Ebi ($3.90) that has everyone swooning over its value for money quotient. I really liked this al-dente spaghetti tossed in olive oil and garlic, topped with bright pink dried shrimps and minced pork paste. Where can you find decent restaurant quality al dente pasta for $3.90? RERG compares this dish to “bak chor mee” and I have to agree in terms of taste and texture there are similarities. This italian mee kia may be a tad oily for some but it just has such intricate balance of flavours at an affordable price.Pan Fried Foie Gras With Lentil And Pickled Onion (70g- $14.90)- an affordable french delicacy. This is actually my first time sampling foie gras, but I understand the best foie gras should not have any lingering taste of liver. The foie gras served here melts in your mouth but did have a little liver taste.Confit Of Duck With Orange Segment And Sauté Shittake ($8.90) is a dish adjusted for the Singaporean palate. The original french duck confit is usually very salty, but this dish is not salty at all, but still well done. The duck meat is very tender, not overly dry or tough. The duck skin is also roasted to a perfect crispiness. This dish comes with mash potatoes, very flavourful shittake mushrooms and random pieces of orange.In such pressing times of austerity, everyone is cutting back on spending. Should you scrimp on good food too? As much as I would love that this eatery serves restaurant quality food at affordable prices, I’m not sure if I would want to queue so long to get in. But if I do manage to get a seat, I will definitely savour their cheap and excellent angel hair pasta.For more details, do visit http://mrfoodnotes.wordpress.com/2012/05/21/saveur-purvis-street/…查看更多