Poulét (Bedok Mall)

It was meant to be a gathering of undecided people who finally settled on Poulét at the newly opened Bedok Mall. Poulét serves up an array of French cuisines priced at a comfortable range and it was my first time at the outlet despite having heard of it prior.

Open concept kitchen to see the action going on, but once the food is on your table you pretty much forget that it's there lol

With the venue finally decided, all 11 (and a half, since X is under 2) of us made our way to Poulét on a sleepy Sunday morning. We were early and just in time too as the restaurant was just about to open its doors at 11am. The star of the brunch was X was a darling, we also had another guest, An, who was larger than life (in character of course) but X stole the show that day.

Having such a large party, you can be sure that almost all the food was ordered and tried:

Country Side Mushroom Soup: The soup was nice and had a tinge of mushroom taste to it. Unfortunately for those who like their mushroom soups to be mushroomy, you might be disappointed as the soup was overpowered by the taste of cream with a tinge of mushroom.

Potato Gratin: The potatoes were a little under baked and the overall creamy (and cheese) accompanying it was (watery and) underwhelming. A2 makes better potato gratin (the french way).

Sauteed Wild Mushrooms with Egg: The mushrooms for this appetizer were done well. The egg, however, was overcooked. We were expecting the yolk to ooze out and smother the mushrooms, but all we got was an egg that was neither half-boiled or hard-boiled. Still it was nice.

Mediterranean Stew Lamb Shank: The shank was tender and flavorful. Recommended for those who love their lamb.

Pork Belly: The meat was well flavored but it was a little dry (considering that it is supposed to have fats). This dish was also one of the most unsustainable portions. The portion at Everything with Fries was even bigger than this.

Poulét Roti - signature roasted chicken: This dish comes in either half or a full (spring) chicken. The chicken was moist, tender and flavorful (DramaQueen would love this!). The creamy sauce accompanying the roasted chicken was not overpowering and even complimented the chicken. Highly recommended.

As we ate our way into the early afternoon, the crowd around us grew and the queue outline lengthened with some 'glares' towards our directions. This prompted us to order almost all the desserts on the menu just so we could stay and chat a while longer.

Banana Bread Pudding: This was nice and the ice-cream on top was literally the icing on the cake; full of banana and vanilla ice-cream goodness. Recommended.

Can't remember the name of this but it was another disappointment. The lychees were canned and had a strong syrupy taste while the custard/jelly beneath them was like water - thin and plain.

Tiramisu: Now this was also another disappointment. It had none of the familiar goodness of tiramisu. In fact it tasted like a watered down version of tiramisu. The jar in which this was served in is actually quite big and can be shared between 2-3 people.

Caramelized Apple in Puffy Tart: They weren't kidding when they said it was a puffy tart. It was too 'puffy' for my liking and it did not really compliment the caramelized apples. It just tasted like apple pie in a curry puff encasing.

Creme Brulee: Now this would have to be the highlights of the desserts (and also highly recommended!). The top layer of sugar was crisp yet melt in the mouth crunchy, while the creamy custardy filling beneath just slides down your throat with ease; an interesting combination that is simply a delight! The portion for this was also quite reasonable.

Overall, service was acceptable and the food was relatively good (though the dessert, except for the Creme Brulee could have been better). Price wise it was in the midrange as each of us paid an average of S$30-35 for the amount of food we ate.