A helluva GUY!

By Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling Gourmet

The indomitable Travelling Gourmet visits a ‘superbe’ Restaurant in a flashy Casino…

MADE famous by its founder, the humble and ultra creative Guy Savoy, the discerning gourmet cannot but realize that great effort has been made to recreate the superlative dining experience of Guy Savoy’s haute cuisine temple of gastronomy in ‘la ville lumiere’ – Paris…right here in sunny Singapore.

MAGICIANS are a dime a dozen but a truly great magician can be counted on the fingers of your hands. Similarly, Chefs are plentiful but the truly magnificent are few.

Monsieur Guy Savoy is one of the few magnificent Masterchefs and his creativity and attention to detail impressed and awed me. Master of ‘nouvelle cuisine’ his dishes are tasty, fragrant, exquisitely presented and yet light and healthy. C’est formidable!

Prelude…

The Amuse bouche was intriguing, 2 waffle squares filled with….You must go to Guy Savoy to try and find out!

Guy welcomed me at the entrance, smiling, his warm eyes so full of intelligence, “We have created a special menu for you…”
“Merci beaucoup!” I said.
The restaurant is decorated with modern surreal art pieces and giant wooden fishes hand carved by fishermen from the River Niger in Africa. A plain brown carpet and very comfy black leather sofas plus contemporary furnishings set the stage for a culinary extravaganza.
The restaurant’s GM is French-Chinese and Georges is as charming as Guy Savoy is humble. As The Travelling Gourmet I have dined all over the world and one common denominator sets the TOP Masterchef apart from the rest. Humility.

As Nicolas BOILEAU said: Le plus sage est celui qui ne pense point l’être (The wisest man is he who doesn’t think he is).

Like Paul Bocuse, Heinz Beck and Anne Pic; all 3 Michelin Star Chefs I am honoured to call mes ami, Guy is modest and unassuming but his cuisine is ….

Gastronomic Magic!

On the spotless white tablecloth were 5 volcano like teardrop vessels that cost over 1000USD in different colours. Like a Magic Show, each was opened to reveal AOC Butter and unsalted butter and Fleur de Sel and cracked black pepper. The red centrepiece held a lighted candle..and in my humble opinion to add even a  smidgeon of salt, (even if it is Fleur de Sel) to the cuisine here, would be an insult to the Chef.

The bread is freshly baked and so scrumptious with a dab of AOC Butter from France that I had a hard time stopping myself from eating more..I knew I had to pace myself like a Marathon runner or I might be too full! Champagne arrived like a gracious seductive lady, Guy Savoy’s own private label champagne pleased with its pale gold colour, lovely perlage and unusual notes of green kalamansi and pear. Julien Drevon, the Chef Sommelier, will recommend the wines to go with your dishes.

Act 1

Terrific Tomatoes!

Tomates “d’autrefois” en salade et tartare,

tartelette au basilique, granite “algues-citron”

Absolutely fabulous is what I call “Tomates ‘d’autrefois” en salade et tartare…
These Heirloom tomatoes are to kill for! They are so good mere words do not do them justice. Paired with Granite ‘algues-citron’ comprises Seaweed & Lemon made into a super-refreshing Granite. The flavours, colour & temperature contrasts delight, seduce and entice…like  ravishing Spanish lady from Fuengirola I once knew. One taste and I knew somehow that every dish thereafter would be even better.

Act 2

Masterchef Guy came by quietly and remarked, smiling, “J’ai une surprise pour vous..” A large white plate was set befor me and eh, voila! Clouds of mysterious smoke appeared like a Harry Potter magic spell! As the smoke swirled and slowly disappeared…luscious Maine lobster appeared. carrots,turnips and beets flavoured the sweet meat while a simply delicious chilled lobster bisque (gazpacho style) put the icing on the cake. Gastronomic ecstacy! In French: Homard du Maine “cuit” en vapeur froide. Excellent with a glass of Guy Savoy Champagne Brut!

Guy Savoy est…”The Magician of Gastronomy!”

How does he do it? As I am sworn to secrecy, I can’t tell you…so you must dine here and see if you can figure it out.

Act 3

Verrine of CoC

A colourful concoction with many colours in a simple glass is Guy’s signature dish:

Colours of Caviar!

Golden Oscietra Caviar with a rich gold like sheen is from the Oscietra Sturgeon (Acipenser gueldenstaedtii) from Iran. A layer of creme fraiche, a layer of haricot vert (french beans) and a layer at the boittom of warm caviar sabayon. One must use the nonmetallic spoon to get to the bottom of the glass…and then enjoy all the different flavours and textures and temperatures on your palate. OMG!!! It is so super-yummy you can experience “le petit mort”otherwise known as the big “O”.

Le petit mort…

Le petit mort is how you feel when you engage in a pleasurable activity beloved of many, and you may experience this by simply partaking of CoC.

By now I was completely under Guy’s gastronomic spell. I knew, believe you me, that every dish thereafter would be even more fabulous than the one before. Mon Dieu! 

Act 4

Durian Fish!

The scales on this fish stand out like the thorns on the King of fruits that is the durian, and they are edible! Bar in French does not mean wine bar per se but Sea Bass and there the fish is delicately spiced with earth Black Trumopet Mushrooms and a Jus spiked with fragrant perfumed Vanilla. Oh! La! La! Super yummy and I love to crunch on the scales which taste like potato chips. Incredible! Alas, my charming companion, F, not blessed with an adventourous palate,didn’t dare to taste the fish scales.

“What can surpass this?” went through my mind.

Act 5

Guy’s signature dish of Soupe d’artichaut a la truffe noire came and one taste told my brain this had Surpassed the Durian Fish! Thin 1mm thick rectangles of Parmigiano cheese and Black Truffle floated seductively on the rich flavour packed soup. Truffle is the Emperor of Fungi and costs over S$2000 per kg! This dish is to parachute behind enemy lines in Afghanistan for! Perfect with a red wine from Barcelona.

Act 6

Send in the Carnivores!

A déclinaison of Wagyu Boeuf(beef) served on a high grade  porcelain plate was elegantly presented. All the plates in Guy’s restaurants are specially crafted for him by Bernardaud who has been making porcelain ware since 1863 in Limousine.

Cole Porter’s romantic “Night & Day” played in the background as I savoured 25mm thick Wagyu Sirloin, juicy and rare in the middle as it should be. The other had been lovingly braised till fork tender. Potato Maxim in the shape of a flower had two textures…crisp outside and tender inside. Chassagne-Montrachet 1^er Cru Morgeot Vincent Girardin 2007 was a lovley wine with this meaty declinaison.

 I felt transported to my happy childhood, and I sat with a happy smile like I used to at the dining table, waiting expectantly for my Mum to bring out another fabulous dish…

 Sweets for the Sweet!

Textures de fraises featured a colourfully auspicious dish with dehydrated thin sliced 0.5mm thick Korean strawberries (from the dehydrator) striking for its elegant simplicity in a clear glass bowl. There’s compote, fresh brunoise, granite and sorbet all in one! C’est magnifique! The other dessert of Floating Meringue is a cube of egg white with a dollop of fresh Raspberry jus. On the palate it tastes just like Italian Frangelico liquer. The mind boggling dessert trolley will leave even the most hardened gourmet weak at the knees. The ‘petits fours’are also delicious, diabolically delectable delights. The gigantic Clafoutis aux cerises (black cherry Clafoutis) is marvellous.

Here, every dish has a marvellous ‘suprise’ to delight you just like a magician pulling cute rabbits out of a top hat!

If only Guy were a beautiful blonde mademoiselle, I would have gone into the kitchen to hug him to show how much I appreciated his wonderful cuisine. What more can I say, Guy Savoy is an immensely gifted Chef with a very intelligent understanding of the products he cooks with.

Discerning tycoons with very good taste who understand ‘nouvelle haute cuisine’ like to come here. I wonder why? (No prizes for your answers).

Simply because in Restaurant Guy Savoy…you will leave with a happy smile on your face because it is soooo…gorgeously good! {:-)

In my humble opinion, Masterchef Monsieur Guy Savoy is a gastronomic Genius! Bon appetit et a votre sante!

Restaurant Guy Savoy

Marina Bay Sands

109 Bayfront Avenue

Singapore 018956

Tel: 66888513

Hours: Dinner daily from 6pm to 10.30pm

The General Manager, Georges Tov, was born in France of Chinese parents and is very helpful and capable.

Ambience ****             Cuisine*****             Service *****

Wines served with dinner included:

Sancerre Domaine Vacheron 2010, a young and lively white wine from the Loire Valley.

Priorat Huellas Franck Masssard & Christophe Brunet 2007

Jurançon Domaine de Souch 2005

Text & photos copyright Dr. Michael Lim The Travelling GourmetTM.  All rights reserved