Reviewed by : Deyana
Le Papillon, or “The Butterfly”, is located in one of Singapore 's most underrated arts venues – the Red Dot Traffic Building. Like the building, Le Papillon focuses on artistry of food and décor, serving elaborate European cuisine in a designer setting. The area around the restaurant is quiet despite being in the Central Business District, attracting a crowd of middle to high income professionals, who enjoy good conversation and good art.
If you want to go somewhere clean and posh with a streak of creativity, Le Papillon is the place for you. Belying the neat white theme of the place are its walls, on which outlines of butterflies and other motifs are painted. Lamps hang down from the ceiling, also in monochrome colours that blend in with the restaurant's colour scheme. However, like the motifs on the walls, you see subtle defiance in the curved spiral design of the lamps. In the afternoon, the place is bright because of the large windows – always a plus for a restaurant.
Le Papillon's most acclaimed offering is its Menu Prestige ($80), a 7-course meal that features the restaurant's signature dishes. All the dishes here are also in the ala carte menu, with a larger serving portion when ordered individually.
The Menu Prestige unfolds with a cold dish for appetizer – the Freshly Picked Mud Crab and Pear Salad ($16 in ala carte ), a modern, molecular cuisine dish. Served in a large dish with a trapezium-shaped centre of fresh crabs, this salad comes with slices of soft pear and cherry tomatoes. The dressing is a spicy-sweet, foamy gravy that is chilled. Interesting and tasty, it takes a little time to adjust to the modern, technological cooking methods employed in making this dish.
The Menu Prestige also features a second appetizer, this time “hot” - the Saute Foie de Carnard “Duck Liver” ($26). Accompanying the pan-fried duck liver are sour black plum compote and Mesclun lettuce, moderating the slightly oily duck liver, which is crispy on the outside but soft on the inside. It is, however, not crispy enough.
The Parsnip Cream Soup with Truffle Oil and Sauteed Scallops ($18) comes next. The soup is thin for a cream-based one, and slightly sweet. You will find a single pan-fried scallop sunk in the soup, a treat at the bottom. The scallop is delicious – big, fresh and juicy, and is the highlight of the slightly foamy soup. Next on the menu is a bite-sized portion of the Rigatoni Pasta ($34 for a full portion), cooked with crustacean oil, and a creamy seafood base. It comes with shaved bottarga, tiger prawn, seaweed and aragula salad. The gravy of this pasta is thick and slightly spicy, with mild bitterness from the aragula. The prawn is this pasta is fresh although a little overcooked. A favourite of Le Papillon's regulars, the dish is usually ordered on its own, from the ala carte menu.
Sampling so many courses is a little taxing on your taste buds, and Le Papillon is considerate enough to address this. To cleanse your palate before serving you their main course, the Menu Prestige includes a Sorbet of the Day. The Pink Guava Sorbet, a small scoop in a shot glass, is a sour and smooth ball of shaved ice.
Featuring the US Black Angus Prime Ribeye Steak ($42) as the main course, the steak is thin and tender. While simply presented with a slab of meat atop the sautéed mushrooms, spinach, potatoes and a unique brown sauce that tastes light; this dish is worth a try.
Menu Prestige offers a choice of desserts, the Spiced Carrot Cake ($14) or the Orange Chocolate Tart, Cappuccino Parfait, Coffee Crème Brulee ($14). Both desserts are very sweet. The warm carrot cake's intensity is complemented by the cold orange marmalade ice cream, while the chocolate platter elevates you to sheer chocolate ecstasy.
Le Papillon offers excellent service. For example, the wait staff offer free, warm bread at regular intervals. Water is topped up at regular intervals, and the staff are excellent at anticipating your needs. In the same way, they are timely when leaving you alone to enjoy your meal in peace.
So flutter in your love for food, culture and design at Le Papillon. The prices are steep, but it is a wonderful place for a romantic dinner or a special occasion. If ambience is what you are looking for, Le Papillon is a must-try; the European fine-dining experience is surely something to treat yourself to.
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