Acclaimed chef Anne-Sophie Pic made her Asia debut with La Dame de Pic at Raffles Hotel Singapore back in 2019. The soft blush-toned dining room is charmingly cosy and smoothly run to provide a superlative dining experience. The restaurant claimed its first Michelin star in 2022, adding to the now 10-star-strong collection across the prolific chef-restaurantuer’s global portfolio.
Now, newly appointed chef de cuisine Alexandre Alves Pereira helms the kitchen as La Dame de Pic – widely known as The Queen of Spades when translated to English – sets its sights to land the same ratings as the three-Michelin-starred flagship restaurant in Valence. And it all boils down to fate.
Alexandre first met Anne-Sophie Pic when she mentored him for the world grand finale of the San Pellegrino Young Chef Award in October 2021 where he eventually became the regional winner of the Europe Northwest category.
This led to a job opportunity as head chef, leading the opening of the Megève outpost which attained the coveted star in just eight months. Before his arrival at his new posting in Singapore, chef Alexandre spent time working closely with the doyenne in her hometown of Valence in preparation for the upcoming seasonal menu.
Together, they string along the locale’s finest Asian flavours and herbs with beautiful florals while remaining rooted in French techniques for summer. The five-course Experience menu is priced at $248 while the heartier seven-course Elegance sits up on the shelf at $348.
Inspired by market shrimps observed during his travels in Asia, Alexandre presents an elevated ebi chawanmushi. He deftly balances the heady flavours of botan ebi, shrimp tarama, and sakura ebi with the delicate notes of local cucumber, kiwi, marigold and tarragon. The textural appetiser is crowned with a quenelle of oscietra caviar for added decadence with its creamy and nutty expression.
To Anne-Sophie Pic, tomatoes are the ultimate symbol of summer. Chef Alexandre reimagines the classic French tomato tart by roasting Japanese tomatoes with aromatic geranium. It is presented with marinated tuna and umami-rich sea fennel tsukudani set on a buttery nori tartlet. The artfully sophisticated yet comforting dish is rounded off with geranium-infused cream and a blanket of rose-hued seaweed gel.
Of course, no meal at La Dame de Pic is complete without Chef Anne-Sophie Pic’s signature Les Berlingots. The exquisite pyramid-shaped pasta parcels hold the season’s bounties of French earthy bluefoot mushrooms and Japanese shimeiji and white maitake mushrooms. Hints of floral brightness are then introduced by the wisps of pepper and hibiscus leaves rolled into each sheet of gorgeously imprinted pasta.
The finishing touch of a deeply savoury mushroom consomme, redolent with the warmth of ginger and subtle sweetness from Indonesian vanilla beans, whisks guests away on a forest foraging adventure.
The mixed beverage pairing programme is also worth a shout, with chef sommelier Justin Wee tinkering with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic pairings. From a vibrant granny smith apple shiso-infused tipple to a custom-made roselle-flavoured lager from a local brewery, it offers diners experimental alternatives to elevating their dining experience.
