Racines, which means "roots" in French, takes influence from Sofitel's history as France's first luxury hotel brand as well as its location in Singapore at the heart of Tanjong Pagar. Its menu features both French classics as well as elevated local favourites on top of its daily breakfast buffet for visiting guests.
During the month of July, Racines kicks off its Culinary Masters Series – a string of collaborations with local hawker masters. First up is Da Dong Prawn Noodles, a popular shop on Joo Chiat Road that sees long queues for its piping hot bowls of pork and seafood broth. Watson Lim and his team run the pop-up booth at Racines, serving bowls of prawn noodles made with the same recipe that his father perfected back in 1966. It's only available on Tuesdays as a part of Racine's set lunch menu ($30/two-course, $38/three-course). If you happen to be there on another day of the week, the set lunch also has other local offerings prepared by executive Chinese chef Andrew Chong. This includes bak kut teh served with steamed rice tossed with shallots and peanuts as well as oyster omelette served with a dried chilli paste.