Le Papillon: Last chance to try the Rigatoni!
Now when it comes to fancy restaurants, I must say that aside from the nice ambience and fancy cutlery, it is only the very few that actually have that shiok factor that keeps me thinking about the food months after I have eaten it.
One of those dishes that I remember is the Rigatoni Pasta from Le Papillon. Unfortunately, I just found out that Le Papillon will be closing it's doors permanently on 29 April which is really disappointing. If the restaurant business in Singapore is based solely on the raw talent, passion and creativity of the chef, then Le Papillon and Chef Anderson will be in the business for quite a long time. Unfortunately, our business environment is too rigorous to be conducive for the fostering of artistic talent. As a result some other well known names also had to go overseas to make it big.
Rigatoni Pasta Tossed in Crustacean Oil, Shaved Bottarga,
Tiger Prawns, Konbu and Baby Spinach Salad - Degustation portion
Anyway enough ranting.
If you have not yet had the chance to taste the Rigatoni, you only have just over a week left to head down to Le Papillon for a meal!
Read my previous post on Le Papillon here
PS: Just spoken with Chef Anderson, he will be there for dinners from Thurs till Tues (Except Sat).
Le Papillon
28 Maxwell Road #01-02
Reddot Traffic Building
www.le-papillon.com.sg
63274177
Closed on Sundays
27 comments:
i m saddened. it had good reviews from the blogging community. but seems like word of mouth is not good enough for a restaurant to survive.
ah.. that was where i first ate with a bunch of bloggers too.
I beg to differ. I had a meal at Le Papillon just last month, and it was disappointing, to say the least. Before the end of the meal, my friend and I decided it was one of those "never again" type of restaurant.
There were only 4 tables filled that night, but service was slow. This was exacerbated by the floor manager, who did not allow the other 2 waitstaff (who stood around chatting to each other much of the time we were there) to take orders and to serve the customers. The other thing the 2 waitstaff could do was top up the water in our glasses.
Add this to our opinion that the food was nothing to write home about, and the bill appeared unreasonably high.
I'd rather spend my money at Senso or Garibaldi.
Serene
I certainly hope that won't be the case when I visit them one last time for the Rigatoni!
Chef Anderson is now cooking at Novus Restaurant at The National Museum.
So fans of his could still continue to taste his food/dishes over there :)
Hi Damien,
Anderson is @ Muse (National Museum).
He told me that he will not be serving the same food there. :(
how much are they charging for the rigatoni?
it is such a common dish, with bottarga (sardinian mullet roe) and 3 shavings of parmiggiano? I wouldnt pay more than $10 for it.
Its no wonder they went bust.
The portion in the picture is part of the Degustation menu so it can't be more than $10 for that particular portion.
You know, a lot of eating places go bust not because they are no good, but because the location is no good. In fact I think location plays such a big role that lack lustre eateries can do well just because they are located in the right places.
Unlike other places eg Malaysia or Thailand where rent is so cheap that people can afford to pursue their passion, in Singapore the pressure of the rental dollar forces many to give up their dreams in order to feed the family.
As a result, I feel that the food places in Bangkok and Malaysia are so much more better than Singapore. I am of course talking about the chef owners opening up rustic little eateries and not the well endowed eating places.
"In fact I think location plays such a big role that lack lustre eateries can do well just because they are located in the right places." -> Which of these establishments specifically are you referring to?
"You know, a lot of eating places go bust not because they are no good, but because the location is no good." -> How do you explain then the success of restaurants like Buko Nero, Wild Rocket etc? Whilst being sited at the most insular locale, they are still able to command such traffic. I don't think location is an integrant part for failure in Singapore.
If the food is really good, the restaurant normally will survive if the price is right for the masses. Word of mouth is the best route.
If it depends on a few bloggers in the blogging community to support it, then it is day-dreaming. Worst still, if some bloggers go round for free food tasting and review it. Lose money and may not get good reception to free review because public may not trust the review.
i went there last night.
despite chef anderson not being there, overall i found it to be value for money for the degustation menu. the food was wellprepared, but wasn't outstanding.
spoke to the maitre' D and he said lunch hours there is a good crowd, but dinner was usually very quiet.
indeed, it was empty save for my table, and another caucasian couple who walked in later.
in this instance, i think the locality is really not ideal, as its in the middle of the CBD - i work i the CBD, and i wldnt want to hang around there for dinner at night - the further the better.
My apologies for the mix-up. Thanks for pointing it out superfinefeline :)
sumosumo: what items were included in your degustation and how much did it cost? thanks.
damn... i didnt really take note of the exact names..
here;s what we had:
1. a salad starter,
2. a mango mouse appetisre with chopped fruit and veg,
3. shrimp and scallop cream soup
4. fois gras,
5. escargot grilled on button mushrooms
6. main course: grilled sirloin steak
7. dessert
for $88. it was fantastic value.
From their website:
Menu Prestige
Freshly Picked Mud Crab Wrap with Mango and Tomato Salsa
Served with a Light Orange-Mango Espuma
***
Sauté Foie de Canard “Duck Liver” with Vanilla-Pineapple Compote
Brioche Toast, Mesclun Lettuce and Spiced-Pineapple Syrup
***
Seafood Nage with Tiger Prawns, Hokkaido Scallop and Cod
***
Escargot with Herb-Garlic Butter Crust on Button Mushroom Gratinée
Basil Oil and Rocket Leaves
***
Sorbet of the Day
***
US Black Angus Prime Ribeye Steak
Sautéed Mushroom, Spinach and Potato
***
Sweet Chestnut Dessert with Hazelnut Sauce and Almond Ice Cream
$88.00++
sumosumo: thanks.
ieat: then where did your rigatoni pasta come in then? you mentioned it as "degustation portion"?
hoho... how crudely i described the mneu... vs the real thing..
but yeah u get the picture....
ice - i substituted the ribeye for the pasta.
it was quite substantial. most of the items are half portions, except the fois gras. but more thane enough
anyway. u got a couple days left to try it.
Honestly,they really are too expansive,i can rattle of a hlf dozen names that would give ou better nosh for half the price !
hey,are they opening again ?
OK here's the story.
I first ate and blogged the degustation menu last year. Since then the Rigatoni pasta has always stood out for me. It was one of the best pasta dishes I had.
I had it again at the food bloggers dinner earlier this year. And I am making arrangements to eat it again before they close for good.
I am not an expert in Ang Moh cuisine. So to me the Rigatoni was just shiok that's all. I like the way Anderson flavours the oil and the addition of the Konbu really gave it some kick.
Olsen, I am very pleased to hear that you have a list of 6 places that I can get a degustation menu for half the price! Do let us know where they are as I am really interested. Nowadays can't eat much, just go for taste, so always on the lookout for degustation menus.
Best one for me still Iggy's but I hear now they are like 150-200. Of course ingredients are more esoteric. Would like to try Auram one day but heard mix reviews. Not cheap too.
Just some thoughts i would like to share.Sadly these days you have to take blogger posts with a huge pinch of salt . Too many people pushing their own agendas . Just read yesterday in the papers somewhere about "shilling" or something like it where people are abusing blogs by defaming right and proper eateries and actually succeding at it to the point that PR companies are hired to fight these dishonest posts !
Are you referring to blogger posts or comments on blogger posts? Or are they the same. Would be good if you could give us the link to the article.
I agree with Veron these days these bloggers just do everything possible to push their own agenda and start a controversy. The worst are students who seem so free. We should take their commments with a huge pinch of salt.
sumosumo & ieat: Thanks. actually I am already going down tomorrow with reservations made since I got news from long ago. :)
veron & jill: Bloggers' space is our/ their own. We have our freedom to write whatever we wish here in our space. Taste is subjective so is the cost. YMVV. (your mileage may vary) To a person who earns a 5-figure sum per month, $88 is a pinch of salt, but to one who only earns a fraction of that, indulging in a $88 degustation or even a $29 set lunch is a deep dig into his pockets.
Comments/reviews-wise, you can, as a reader, choose to read or ignore, take it seriously or with a pinch of salt. That said, I think if a review is an invited one, the blogger (like ieat does) must state the disclaimer so readers can be informed of any discrepancies lest he/ she gets a different treatment.
veron - going into polemics on unsubstantiated claims dosen't do anyone any good.
noone is forcing u to read the reviews on the blogs. food blogs are just a socio-cultural evolution of food reviews by the masses on the cyber medium.
at the end of the day, you can hear this and that, but until you experience the food for yourself, you can never imagine how the food tastes even with the most lucid taste sensations as described by reviewers/bloggers.
I just think blogging sometimes sucks. People post anything they like and no control. What is to stop someone from tarnishing anyone's name seriously. Think about it. To be fair to the places ieat goes to each one has his own taste. What i like you may not like and vice versa. The problem is i have noticed people hijacking the site and posting bullshit.
"The problem is i have noticed people hijacking the site and posting bullshit"
anonymous: example u??
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