Francophile foodies in Singapore can expect French cuisine from a top toque when world-renowned chef Anne-Sophie Pic of her family’s three-Michelin-starred restaurant, Maison Pic in Valence, France, opens its first Asian outpost next spring in the historic Raffles Hotel.
Pic, who is part of a handful of chefs who helm three-starred restaurants around the world, will open a 50-seat fine-dining restaurant, La Dame de Pic, in the 130-year-old hotel, which is undergoing a major interior spruce-up.
In an interview with the MICHELIN Guide Digital, the third-generation chef/owner of Maison Pic says that it is humbling to take her place among fine-dining restaurants in Singapore. “The special feature of La Dame de Pic will be the femininity of my cuisine and its aromatic approach,” she says. “I want to share my vision and focus on the harmony of flavors that is the main medium to express my emotions.”
When Raffles Hotel approached Pic with the opportunity to front a restaurant in the famed luxury hotel, she felt “very proud and honored to be part of a legendary place that is full of history.”
Sharing A Long Culinary Heritage
The illustrious history of Raffles Hotel, which started in 1887, also resonated with Pic, who
comes from a long lineage of French chefs that founded Maison Pic in 1889. In fact, she was a guest at the hotel on a trip to Singapore back in 2000. “I was amazed by the architecture, design and traditions of this historical building,” she recalls.
According to Pic, Singapore makes a good location for the third outlet of La Dame de Pic as “the concept of gastronomic restaurants with a very casual approach is a really seductive one nowadays.” La Dame de Pic will be located in the main building of Raffles Hotel.
She was also won over by the cosmopolitan city’s confluence of cultures and food. “Singapore reminds me a little bit of London,” she reflects. “Both cities offer a diversity of kitchen horizons that create a great culinary symbiosis.”
While the menu of La Dame de Pic in Singapore is still in the works, one dish that diners can look forward to is her signature berlingots. The pyramid-shaped matcha-flavored pasta—named after the French hard caramel candy—is stuffed with ingredients such as Banon (a soft goat's cheese with a natural rind produced in Alpes-de Haute-Provence), mascarpone cream and brousse de brebis (a sheep milk cheese).
Made-In-Singapore Berlingots
Pic reveals that the berlingots will be “adapted to Singapore’s spirit,” as part of her kitchen research on vegetables, spices, alcohols and marinades local to the area. Pic, who worked as a management trainee in Japan before taking over Maison Pic in 1997, is known for weaving in Asian ingredients and ideas in her contemporary French dishes. Some of her Asian-inspired dishes include lobster in red fruit dashi, as well as zucchini dashi with John Dory fillet. Green cardamom and turmeric are among her favorite spices.To build a unique identity for her Singapore restaurant, she will be in town “as often as it is required,” she says. “I will be taking some time during my next trip to discover the local food scene with my Singaporean colleagues and I am already looking forward to that experience.”
Revamped Raffles Hotel To Have 10 Eateries
Besides La Dame de Pic, the revamped 115-suite Raffles Hotel, which will boast 10 eateries, will also house two other restaurants by celebrated chefs. French celebrity chef Alain Ducasse will make his foray into tapas and grills with BBR by Alain Ducasse. The restaurant, which takes over the bar at the Bar & Billiard Room, will serve food inspired by the Mediterranean coastal regions of countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy and France.Singapore chef Jereme Leung will helm Chinese restaurant Yi By Jereme Leung that will serve contemporary Chinese cuisine inspired by Cantonese classics and ancient Chinese delicacies.
