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Located along Rangoon Road, Fleurette is a quiet blooming restaurant that stands out amongst the shops in the same row.  Opened in 2020 by fresh-faced local chef Tariq Helou, Fleurette quickly made its way onto the lists of “to-try” for many foodies.  Reservations also snapped up quickly and when I wanted to celebrate a friend’s birthday here with a couple other friends, we did not manage to get seats on our preferred dates.  You can therefore understand the anticipation that has built up since then and I am glad to have scored a seat to try out chef Tariq’s winter menu.
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Push open the heavy oak door and walk down the dim corridor to reveal high ceilings, a dark wood counter-dining and a beautiful open kitchen.  Crisp white towels with Fleurette’s signature flower motif embossed is also neatly placed in the center of all serving plates. 
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Once all the guests have seated and chef has said his greetings, the amuse bouche was served.  An ikura-centered dish (house-cured, Chef Tariq’s grandmother’s recipe) with crispy croutons served on a bed of silky chilled cabbage custard.  The little bubbles of ikura popping in my mouth was delightful. 
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The next dish is tempura mussels, stuffed with scallop mousse, seasoned with tarragon and harissa for a little spice.  The mussel is then served in its shell with a cold egg sauce.   
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The next course is the most beautiful set-up throughout our meal.  Hassun: an elaborate tray of exquisite seasonal starters made its entrance to many wows, oohs and ahhs from the diners.  Almost everyone took out their phones to take pictures of the tray.  This season, you can expect 5 snacks all of different profiles – from tuna sashimi wrapped in avocado to an uni cheese puff, foie gras monaka and cured sardines on nori crisp. 
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The signature snack is the “prawn noodle” / botan ebi somen – raw botan ebi is served with chilled dashi, somen noodles and dribbles of oil made from prawn shells that glisten on the surface.  A refreshing dish that is quickly slurped in a bite and the prawn sashimi that slithers down easily.
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The fourth course marks the start of the warm dishes.  Fleurette’s take on chawanmushi comes with “special reserve” caviar and bits of gold foil for added luxury.  Taste wise it was not particularly outstanding and seemed more like a luxe chawanmushi.
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The last appetiser is a giant scallop served with sambal sauce, finger lime and pearl onion.  The roasted buttered scallop is well-executed with a grilled exterior and moist interior.
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After all the snacks and appetisers, the guinea fowl makes its appearance in a dramatic fashion as chef fires up the grill.  As you can see, the bird shows signs of char and so do the accompanying maitake and charred kailan after being grilled over binchotan charcoal.  This smokiness is well-paired with potato puree.  Given that this was the main, we only hoped that the portion was slightly larger. 
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The last savoury dish is the crab donabe, a Japanese version of the claypot rice that Singaporeans are more acquainted with.  Served steaming hot, it is tough to resist even if you’re on a low-carb diet.  The addition of kaffir lime gives it a slight tang that somehow makes you want additional servings (and you should!).
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The pre-dessert is a basil sorbet served with yuzu jelly, yuzu foam and shiso flowers.  A well-balanced dessert that makes you want more dessert, if that makes any sense.
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The last course on the menu is the “Signature”.  Chef’s hokkaido milk ice-cream served with olive oil and awayuki shio (salt flakes).  It sounded like a strange combination and we could see skeptical looks all around the table when this was served.  However, this quickly grew on me and it was light on the palate – some parts sweet, some parts salty, some parts savoury.
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We thought the meal had come to an end but as we were halfway through the signature, we thought the smell of butter wafted out from the kitchen.  Sure enough, the chef brought out these beautiful madeleines that were so buttery, fluffy and if I was any more shameless, I would have asked for more (I did not).  

At $298++ a head, it is quite a steep price for a meal and there are certain expectations pegged to it.  Fleurette does deliver, but don’t expect yourself to roll out of the restaurant as the portions are fairly controlled.  It does however provide you a space for intimate dining, some theatrical dining and many courses that doubles up as a visual treat.  

It is likely that I will make a return visit when the menu changes, and we hope to see more Chinese / Lebanese influences in Chef Tariq’s next menu!

Budget: $298++ per person (sake pairing available at additional $198++)

  • Fleurette

  • Phone
    +65 8725 8218
  • Address
    204 Rangoon Rd, Singapore 218451
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