After having our order taken, I jealously watched as my lunch companion got served a free glass of champagne. The restaurant was offering free bubbly for ladies on Mondays and Tuesdays. But in this sexist world, life goes on and the meal began with bread service and the amuse bouche which was smoked salmon served on a slice of crisp bread. As simple as the item might sound, the flavours were well composed, a smokey flavour and the soft gelatinous texture of the salmon were complemented by the oniony note of the chives, with the crisp bread providing a nice textural contrast.
The same play of textures and flavours was to be found again in my starter which was a huge hunk of Hokkaido scallop with a slice of Iberico ham wrapped in a crispy ciabatta skin and served with a slice of lettuce on a bed of heirloom tomato slices. The dish was aptly named BLT scallop, though the lone slice of lettuce would be rather frivolous if not for the name. My companion had the roasted Challans duck ravioli, celery and diced foie gras in an "essence of duck" consomme. As I had chosen the 4 course menu, I had a middle course which was an oven cooked pike perch with spinach and ribbon pasta on a bed of mustard, which on the whole was a tad boring and disappointing after what the amuse bouche promised.
For mains, my companion had the slow baked Britanny kabeljau with spinach and butter sauce (i can't remember what the thing is on top, sorry) while I had the steak done medium rare served with (a leaf of) lettuce and a (note the singular again) truffle potato fry. The steak was well cooked, with tender red centre which is not bloody. Again, I didn't really care for the lettuce, which in all fairness was well cooked, green, crunchy and oozing full lettuce flavour, blanched-to-perfection if you will. The potato fry, on the other hand, was a better complement to the steak, the crispy exterior wrapping around a smooth fluffy centre with bits of truffle.
For dessert, we had the terrine of tropical sorbets with melting chocolate beignet (basically a deep fried chocolate cake) and the peach melba. The sorbet terrine came as a slice with various layers of multicolour sorbets separated by a thin layer of chocolate. It reminded me very much of a slice of nonya kueh or those neopolitan ice cream from the supermarket that comes in a tub. I stole a section of the sorbet and tasted it layer by layer. The effect was melodious, with sweet mellow flavours contrasting with the high notes of the citrusy flavours, mediated by the slight bitterness of the intermediate chocolate layers. The peach melba (we were told was named after the opera singer Nellie Melba), a composition of vanilla parfait, peach jelly with raspberry foam and a slice of peach on a biscuit base, was in contrast much lighter. The flavour profile, though aromatic and cleansing on the palate, lacked a heavier or stronger component which might help set of the lightness of the rest. We ended the meal with lychee infused oolong and a cup of cappuccino, along with a delightful mignardise plate which consisted of cherry financier, orange meringue, hazelnut biscuit and canele.
I left the restaurant reassessing my impression of Les Amis, it is perhaps not as "haute" and fancy as I had expected but is really about serving simply but well cooked dishes that respect the ingredients, allowing their inherent flavour to shine and not clouding them with complicated flavour combinations and over the top presentation.
Les Amis
1 Scotts Road
#02-16 Shaw Centre
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