Choupinette

Choupinette – 607 Bukit Timah Road #01-01

Ah, the joys of a French Cafe. Tucked in a little nook along Bukit Timah, Choupinette is a cosy eatery with a bare handful of tables and chairs that are virtually always filled. A largely expatriate crowd typically gathers for leisurely weekend brunches, picking up a gorgeous loaf of freshly baked bread from a sizable variety in wall-mounted baskets on their way out. Prices are consequently significantly above the norm though you are paying for quality, brunch for 2 amounted to $92.40.

If the Bread Basket amuse bouche was anything to go by, I'll be back for a loaf of bread soon. Soft, airy and light, it had a gorgeous chewy yet yielding crust.

Oddly, the coffee that came with my brunch set (described later) came first. I found the Doppio Espresso of middling strength, pleasant yet not the rocket fuel I typically favour.

I could not go without an a-la-carte Le Croque Monsieur ($17), a French working-class signature of a grilled ham sandwich cloaked in molten cheese. The generous amount of shaved ham had been lovingly crisped at the edges and stuffed between slices of fluffy white bread. Now, bursting at the seams, it is plugged and sealed in a sheath of mild cheese – Emmental's my guess - for an exquisitely decadent result.

Following this, I found true love in the scandalously-priced Eggs Benedict Set ($20). At ten bucks an egg, the bar was set extremely high but it was arguably met. The eggs were absolutely perfect with a fragile, just-solid white holding a liquid yolk together. They were clearly fresh as my first yolk slithered out of the white still whole, oozing gooey golden goodness only when prodded. The Hollandaise napping it was pretty much the best I've ever had; rich and creamy without being too heavy, it was balanced by the most delicate lemon tang. I doubt I could've returned a cleaner plate once I was done mopping the drippings with crusty bread.

The set came with a very light, mildly-flavoured Cranberry Juice which was daintily tart and not too bitter.

My dining partner started off with Le Gazpacho de Monsieur Jason ($11). Thick, sweet and mildly herbaceous, it was perfectly refreshing on what was a hot, muggy day.

He then moved onto the Papi's Set ($36) which set the stage with a Salad de Mélange of super sweet, orange-hued cherry tomatoes and lightly dressed crisp greens.

Course two was a much anticipated Daube Provencal avec de Frites or Provencal-style beef stew with homemade fries. The beef was excellently done in my opinion, retaining a semblance of bite just shy of being melt-in-your-mouth. With tender, sweet carrots and a wealth of flavour from a generous amount of shallots, it easily induced sighs of pleasure.

All that was washed down with Grapefruit Juice that was as light and clean-tasting as the earlier cranberry. Neither too sweet nor too sour, it was pleasantly balanced.

The set is rounded off with any dessert from their repertoire and we went for a dramatic Cream Puff about the size of a rugby ball. This proved to be the one weak link though; the custard filling was delightfully creamy and subtly sweet but proved way too much for one to attempt to finish alone. Furthermore, the choux pastry was dry and almost hard, a far cry from the soft chew I'm used to.