sgelite

WHEN two proven names in Singapore's food scene combine forces, one can naturally expect something good.

And Picotin (say piko-tairn) - a bistro-bar opened last December by Saint Pierre owner-chef Emmanuel Stroobant and Sebastien Reuiller, who used to run the French eatery Sebastien in Greenwood Avenue - does deliver.

Located in what used to be a holding stable for horses before and after races in the old Singapore Turf Club in Bukit Timah, the eatery has a rustic charm which the owners have left intact. The decor is simple, with beige walls and natural wood furniture.

There is an air-conditioned bar and adjoining dining room with high tables and chairs.

But if the weather is cool enough, and it was both times I was there, it's more inviting to sit at the patio outside, where the furniture is of normal dining-table height.

Picotin is a French word that is either an archaic measure for liquids or a horse's ration of oats. But the restaurant's offerings are hardly horsefeed.

The focus is on hearty French classics such as duck confit and beef bourguignon, a reflection of the two owners' nationalities. Stroobant is Belgian while Reuiller is French.

But there is also a selection of Italian pastas and pizzas, perhaps to cater to those not familiar with French country cooking.

The pastas come with the usual carbonara and bologna sauces, and the pizzas are equally familiar, with toppings such as ham and mushroom on top of the standard tomato sauce and mozzarella cheese.

But the chef did come up with one experimental pizza called the Bashkir (from $19 for a 9-inch pizza). It is topped with yogurt, chicken, onion, coriander and mozzarella cheese, and tastes like something out of a North Indian kitchen.

It is not bad, even if it does sit oddly among the French dishes.

Ttagine d'agneau

Those, however, stay very traditional.

If you have watched the movie Ratatouille, you would remember the scene where the restaurant critic was moved to tears by a ratatouille cooked by the cartoon rat because it brought back memories of his mother cooking the vegetable stew for him when he was a small boy.

Well, I didn't grow up in the French countryside but Picotin's cooking did make me remember my first experiences of French cooking in the 1980s at restaurants such as The Brasserie in the long-gone Marco Polo Hotel.

It was full-flavoured, robust fare that I could well imagine a French boy growing up on.
Take the braised pork belly ($25). A big chunk of fat-streaked meat cooked to just the right tenderness and served on a bed of chopped-up cabbage and bacon, it is a dieter's nightmare and a foodie's dream.

I ate it during my first visit and the delicious memories of the tasty, fatty meat have been haunting me since.

My doctor won't be pleased with me, but I succumbed to temptation and ordered it again when I returned. It was just as perfect as it was the first time.

For those not into pork or fat, I'd recommend the other slow-cooked dishes.

There is the beef bourguignon ($27), a classic beef stew with cubes of meat simmered for hours with carrots and shallots.

Or, for a more Mediterranean flavour, go for the tagine d'agneau ($24), a slow-cooked lamb shoulder in which the tender meat is infused with the sweetness of the vegetables and Moroccan spices it is cooked with.

And for starters, get the vol au vent ($16), a creamy stew of chicken and mushrooms in puff pastry. This is the real deal, with the pieces of chicken plump and juicy, and nothing like the dried-out hors d'oeuvre you may see once in a while on buffet tables.

You'd probably be stuffed after that, but try to find some room for dessert.

The sticky date pudding ($9) here is totally worth the extra calories. It is moist and not very sweet, which is perfect because the accompanying toffee sauce adds the required sweetness with a richness that you do not get with plain sugar.


PICOTIN
100 Turf Club Road, Tel: 6877-1191
Open: Noon to 10pm (weekdays), noon to 10.30pm (weekends). Starting from Saturday, it will open for breakfast as well from 8 to 11am daily.
Food: ****
Service: *** 1/2
Ambience: *** 1/2
Price: Budget from $60 per person for a three-course meal.


This article was first published in The Sunday Times on Mar 9, 2008.

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