Cocotte. Why would anyone name their restaurant a prostitute? But herein lies two reasons why it is aptly so named.

1. Cocotte is located within the premises of the new-ish Waanderlust boutique hotel in Little India. Admittedly, the area that surrounds Wanderlust is a little shady considering the number of transit hotels sprouting up every so often and;
2. Cocotte is what you call a serving dish that was traditionally used for individual diners, which is used quite frequently in French cooking.

I’ll have to be frank upfront and confess that Cocotte was not the first choice venue for dinner that evening – Black Sheep Cafe was. Unfortunately and fortunately for us, Cocotte was a mere minutes walk away from Black Sheep. Before my visit, I’ve heard of Cocotte from both traditional offline and social media platforms. Since most of the reviews somewhat illustrated a positive experience for reviewers and diners alike, I was looking forward to my meal here.

So, my friends and I were discussing about affordable and decent places to have a meal back in Singapore. It’s funny, we’re all the way in Perth yet somehow or rather during our casual conversations, the topic of food in Singapore definitely springs up. If it is not about where to go about finding the best Char Kway Teow stall in Singapore, it’s the best place to go for squid ink pasta. I guess, we’re all true-blue Singaporeans and the constant search for better tasting food is forever ingrained in us.

Anyway, I digress. About that affordable and decent place – that accolade, in my humble opinion, falls on the shoulders of Chef Ratha of Black Sheep Cafe.

You know if a particular restaurant is a must-try if you have friends, who more occasion than once, remind you to visit the place, with nothing but compliments to boot. Let’s see, it’s been covered by by almost every other blogger thus far and besides the occasional grouse of an abysmal waiting time during dinner, the comments are generally positive. And by the way, I love my duck confit, which I have probably reiterated many times on this blog; And The Black Sheep Cafe’s duck confit definitely passes my taste test!

I like Andre. No wait, I love Andre. The meal that I had at Andre was nothing short of being spectacular. The reality is true there was only one dish here that did not tickle my taste buds, the rest well, blew me off. It’s not so the bursting of flavours of each dish, rather, the natural progression of Chef Andre Chiang’s Octaphilosphy menu as a whole that truly brings something simple, food, to a whole new level. It’s truly an experience.

There is no menu, per se, at Andre and no choices are available – you do have to inform the staff of any allergies or dislikes if any and the kitchen would gladly replace that particular with an alternative.

Without further ado, let’s welcome the stars of the evening.

It seems like only yesterday that I last visited Le Bon Marche back in February 2010. So in late November, while deliberating on where we should go for a quick lunch, Le Bon Marche came to mind – an excellent choice, I must add.

I’m pleased to say that while the prices do seem to be on the rather high side, the quality of the food alone more than compensates for the hole in my wallet. Service is extremely sincere and particular mention has to be given to the lady boss, who greets you at the door, serves you with a smile and thanks you for the business and wishes that you return some time soon.

All of us have favourites, period. My favourite venue for a French lunch or just lunch in general is Saint Pierre.I’ve blogged about their set lunches previously here, here and here. This visit marks my fourth lunch visit Saint Pierre in a year and deservably so. I have never once been disappointed here.

Aside for their standard set lunches, Saint Pierre is offering a special Festive Set Lunch at S$88++ per person, available from 1st to 24th December 2010.

I first heard of Pamplemousse when it was featured on the newspapers and have always wanted to visit it since. Pamplemousse is a cosy little restaurant in Dempsey that offers French food at affordable prices. I like its concept of offering only set menus instead of an ala-carte menu.

Lunch is a 3 course affair at $32++ while Dinner is a bit more elaborate – either a 6 course Chef’s menu at $98++., or a Prix Fixe menu (2 courses at $48++ and 3 courses at $58++)

I seldom touch on the decor of the restaurants that I visit, but on this occasion, I thought why not! I like the decor of the restaurant – it isn’t anywhere opulent or grandiose, but it has this certain charm to the place that makes this place a welcome change from the run-of-the-mill fine dining restaurant. Perhaps it’s the “high-ish” ceiling, perhaps it’s the display tables with ornaments.