Picture this: you unexpectedly fall in love with a chef and several years later, he dedicates an entire restaurant to you — how romantic is that?
Well, that’s pretty much the backstory to this new French restaurant, La Table d’Emma.
Situated within the new Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre in Chinatown, La Table d’Emma serves hearty and homey French fare with an Alsatian flair. The restaurant also embodies the essence of La table d’amis which translates to ‘the friends’ table” which explains why the restaurant is more brightly lit as compared to many other French restaurants.
Probably another thing that you’ll notice here is the amount of butterfly motifs in the restaurant. These beautiful and graceful creatures hold sentimental value to Chef Michael as his childhood home was adorned with butterflies. Coincidentally, his wife, Emma, is also in love with butterflies — awww, how sweet!
For starters, make sure you get the Tarte Flambee, or as it is more affectionately known here La Flemmakueche. There are four different flavours offered here — La Tradition Onion/Lardons (S$20), La Gratinee A L’emmental (S$24), La Champignons (S$22) and La Salmon Fume Maison (S$28). It is kinda like pizza except it is made with a cheese base instead of tomato sauce.
My personal favourites were the La Tradition Onion/Lardon and the La Champignons. The former comprises caramelised onions and small strips of fatty bacon which gave a good sweet-savoury mix.
The La Champignons is a classic cheese and sauteed mushroom combo that can do no wrong, especially if you love mushrooms. It tasted almost like a creamy mushroom soup on toast, with a burst of sweetness from the caramelised onions — super yums!
Up next was the Comte Crusted Seafood Bun (S$28) which comprises soft and airy bun stuffed with creamy scallops, prawns and crabmeat. The exterior of the bun is coated with a thin layer of crispy comté cheese which kinda reminded me of a bolo bun, except stuffed generously with seafood.
It is paired with a foamy clam chowder which complemented the seafood bun well. Although, I personally would have preferred if the clam chowder was creamier and had a stronger seafood flavour.
The Bretzel Beef and Cheese Slider (S$24 for a box of three) which comprises house-made juicy beef patties sandwiched between two soft and chewy pretzel buns. Honestly, I was really surprised by how well constructed this dish was, especially with the burst of tanginess from the pickle.
One of the signatures, and a must-try, at La Table d’Emma is the Bouchée à la Reine (S$34). It is a vry interesting dish comprising veal, chicken, and a creamy mushroom velouté. This dish is traditionally made by a queen’s chef to reignite the spark in a royal romance. And, this was also the first dish that Chef Michael made for his wife Emma.
The butterflies also make an appearance in this dish, this time in the form of buttery and flaky pastries — props to Chef Micheal for his incredible effort. The pastries were made to perfection with just the right balance of butteriness and flakiness. The veal was also soft and tender with no gamey aftertaste.
But of course, you can’t leave without having dessert. La Table d’Emma really surprised us with their signature desserts. The Le Mille-Feuille Vanille, Hazelnut Praline ($20) comprises layers of meticulously crafted puff pastry enveloping a blend of vanilla cream and hazelnut praline. It was a little on the sweeter side and kinda reminded me of ferrero rocher.
But my favourite dessert was the Le Rz Au Lait Cramel Beurre Sale (S$20) which comprises Japanese rice pudding slow cooked in a vanilla milk, salted butter caramel and crunchy nougatine. I never thought Japanese rice could work as a dessert, and the bits of nougatine added a nice contrasting texture to the dessert — definitely worth a shot!
Don’t forget to get yourself a good cocktail to pair with your meal here. The Alsac Blanc Chilli Margarita is great for those who love a good spice, while the Riesling Lychee Martini makes for a refreshing dinner tipple.
If you’re looking for a vibey date spot to impress your significant other or to soak in the romantic atmosphere, you should definitely head down to La Table d’Emma. While you’re here, make sure to check out some of Chef Michael’s favourite childhood dishes too!
La Table d’Emma
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📍 8 Club Street, Mercure ICON Singapore City Centre #01-04, Singapore 069742
🕑 11am–2pm, 5pm–10pm (Daily)
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Photos by Marcus Leong
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