Malaysia
Singapore
Thailand
Located within the new Parc Soverign Hotel, lies the brainchild of 987FM Radio DJ Darren Wee. Babette, inspired by the 1980s Danish film ‘ Babette’s Feast’, Babette brings forth the idea of how a good meal can transcend language and culture. Putting the spotlight on French inspired Japanese cuisine, Babatte presents their sincerity through sourcing for premium ingredients yet keeping prices affordable for masses.
Babette has a range of in-house cocktails and beer selections which were cheekily named after characters that appeared in Babette’s Feast.
Babette Cocktail ($16). A passionfruit, lemon, mint gin concoction that is sweet and mildly acidic, where you can’t really feel the alcohol but you know it’s there when the buzz comes. I’m a fan of sweet and sour cocktails and this hits the spot for me.
Charred Cauliflower ($8). Served together with a thick, creamy yuzu veloute which pairs rather well with the otherwise mild cauliflower. Nothing citrusy although yuzu was the veloute ingredient, it is more on the creamy savoury side and was surprisingly delicious with that hint of charred finish.
Roasted Avocado ($12). The presentation looks interesting, and it sure is appetizing. Aburi salmon and diced tomatoes are mixed in with avocado paste and soy sauce, topped off with seaweed to taste. I am pleasantly surprised by the taste of the ingenious creation which has a thick full flavours form the avocado and salmon.
Grilled Octopus Salad ($17). Mediterranean octopus braised sous-vide style in Japanese sauce and served with fresh garden greens. The octopus is really seasoned just right, with a slight tantalizing crisp exterior and chewy interior.
Bacon Tempura ($10). Warning, this stuff is addictive. The bacon is coated with tempura batter, fried and served with yuzu mayonnaise. I was excited to try this dish and it surely lived up to the hype. The batter remains crisp while the fatty bacon meat remains soft. The dip helps balance the greasiness of the tempura as well, but it’s hard to go wrong with bacon. Perfect accompaniment with beer.
Duck Confit Donburi ($28). One of Babette signature dishes. Pan-seared duck confit served with homemade pickles and drizzled with special sauce. I found the duck meat a little too tough for my liking though- had a hard time tearing the meat off the bone. In terms of dish composition as well seems a bit dry especially with rice, and would have been better with some form of sauce to moisten the dish.
Babette Chirashi Donburi ($19). Bara chirashi with marinated assortment of fresh salmon, maguro, hotate, tamago, sprinkled with tobiko roe and served on unseasoned short grain rice. I personally liked this way more than the duck confit donburi. The unseasoned rice complimented the assortment of sticky seafood well.
All rice dishes are served with a bowl of miso soup as well.
Confit Salmon & Soba ($17). Confit salmon served on a bed of soba noodles with tamago slices. I found the ingredients rather one dimensional with a very overpowering fish flavour, and didn’t seem to build together that well.
Steak & Foie Gras Donburi ($28). The Australian grass-fed sirloin steak was pretty good with decent marbled fats and a wonderful shade of medium rare red. The gyudon sauce used in the rice was also very tasty with the beef. The foie gras wasn’t as creamy as others I’ve tried, but considering the price though, this is rather worth it as the restaurant balances price and quality.
Matcha Lava Cake ($12). If you don’t mind the 20 minutes wait for each cake to be baked a la minute, this is a wonderful dessert to end your meal. Green tea infused white chocolate fondant served with vanilla ice-cream drizzled with premium azuki red bean.
I appreciate that green tea fondant wasn’t too overpowering and sweet. Now if they can only churn out these babies a lot faster. Great effort to the chef’s team in producing creative dishes using inspirations from French and Japanese cuisine. Ultimately, there are some dishes that did hit all the right spots; of all the dishes I’ve tried I would recommend the Bacon Tempura, Roasted Avocado, Babette Chirashi Donburi and perhaps the Steak and Foie Gras. Babette also serves a ‘Mix and Match’ Brunch catering to a wider customer preferences. Expected Damage: $30 to $60 per pax 
