If you thought French dining had to be that chi chi experience involving small portions on dainty plates at steep prices, Les Canons is a sure way to prove you wrong.
We recently visited Les Canons, an all-day French bistro in Singapore’s Central Business District and it just might be the best value authentic French dining experience you’ll get in town. An outfit of veteran restaurateurs ilLido Group, the restaurant serves up classic French comfort food in a warm and welcoming setting.
Les Canons. Photo © Fen Chia.
The first thing that struck us about Les Canons was its accessibility, not only in terms of the downtown location, but also the friendly and flexible interior and prices that are hard to beat. Beyond the dining area for friends, families and colleagues, there is also a bar counter that caters to both solo diners and the drinking crowd, making it suited to everyday dining for just about anyone. We were also impressed with the authenticity of the menu that has all its well-portioned food items priced under S$23; you just don’t get French cuisine like this any more.
The bar counter at Les Canons. Photo © Fen Chia.
Duck rillettes for S$9? Non-alcoholic drinks like our house-made lemonade and coffee from S$3? The place even offers cocktails and wines from S$6 and S$8 respectively, making Les Canons an easy stop for a post-work glass or a relaxed apéro in the CBD. Oh, and it is open for breakfast too.
Despite the reasonable prices, there were eye-popping ‘exotic’ dishes which some would see as hallmarks of French cuisine, which impressed me for a casual restaurant. Seeing the likes of escargots, steak tartare, frog legs and foie gras on the menu, it was hard to quell our excitement and expectations. And indeed, Les Canons rose to the occasion.
Housemade Lemonade (S$3). Photo © Fen Chia.
For appetisers, we began with Escargots (S$12), where the snails were prepared with a garlic butter sauce that we mopped up with sourdough baguette slices. The sourdough baguette slices were, unfortunately, a bit too hard – the only gripe of our evening. The Foiegras (S$16) came with a tangerine duck juz, which was sweet yet slightly tart enough to cut through the creamy savoury fat of the duck liver.
Escargots (Garlic Butter Snails). Photo © Fen Chia.
Foiegras (Roasted Duck Liver). Photo © Fen Chia.
If you are open to it, Les Canons is a good place to try Steak Tartare (S$12). I would be quite selective about ordering this raw beef dish, and the one here is well-seasoned and fresh.
Tartare (Steak Tartare). Photo © Fen Chia.
We also liked the Grenouilles en Persillade (S$14) – the frog legs were plump and tender, smothered in a garlic-butter sauce with some salad and a squeeze of lemon. The Encornets Maria Rose (S$12), fried calamari with cocktail sauce was nothing to shout about. Perhaps, that was because it was the least exciting of the appetisers, and arguably the least French dish on the table.
Grenouilles en Persillade (frog legs in garlic butter). Photo © Fen Chia.
Encornets Marie Rose (calamari with cocktail sauce). Photo © Fen Chia.
Proceeding on to the mains, we liked the classic Steak au Poivre (S$23) where a seared Angus steak is served simply with a peppercorn cream sauce and accompanied by a mound of crispy fries. It is the most costly food item on the menu; you’ll be hard pressed to find a better value steak in town. The Coq au Vin (S$19), chicken braised to tenderness in a rich and moreish red wine sauce, was equally satisfying. This dish, elevated with lardons, pearl onions, mushrooms and perfumed with thyme, can be surprisingly hard to find in Asian casual French eateries. Other popular mains that we saw on neighbouring tables – and which friends have recommended – are the Bœuf Bourguignon ($19) and Confit de Canard (S$18).
Steak au Poivre (Angus Sirloin with Pepper Sauce and Fries). Photo © Fen Chia.
Coq au Vin (Chicken Braised in Red Wine). Photo © Fen Chia.
The sides that we tried were both well-executed. Haricots Verts ($6), French beans, were elevated simply by adding toasted almonds and a delectable brown butter sauce, and Pomme Purée (S$5) arrived as a very smooth and buttery mashed potato.
L-R: Pomme Purée (Mashed Potatoes) and Haricots Verts (Brown Butter French Beans with Toasted Almonds). Photo © Fen Chia.
The number of dishes that called out to us were many on this evening, but we had limited appetites. I resolved to return soon to try the salads, breakfast menu and mains recommended by my friends. We moved on to desserts , which did not disappoint. Our first sweet treat was a Mont Blanc ($9), a chestnut meringue dessert served with hazelnut ice cream, followed by a Mousse au Chocolat (S$8), a decadent dark chocolate mousse.
Mont Blanc (Chestnut Meringue Hazelnut Ice Cream). Photo © Fen Chia.
Mousse au Chocolat (Dark Chocolate Mousse). Photo © Fen Chia.
The perfect way to round off our meal, the Tarte Fine aux Pommes ($9) was a thin and crispy apple tart served with vanilla ice cream. It was typical of French cuisine – rich in taste and also finesse, while somehow still allowing you to walk away feeling light. Like the rest of the meal, the desserts were finely executed and not too sweet, such that we managed to enjoy all of it without feeling overwhelmed.
Tarte Fine aux Pommes (Apple Tart with Creme Chantilly). Photo © Fen Chia.
There were numerous other dishes on Les Canons’ menu that we were already noting down to try on our next visit. No eatery can claim to be French without a comprehensive wine menu. The restaurant has over 50 domestic wines spanning various regions available by the glass and bottle, which makes it as ideal a watering hole to enjoy authentic French cuisine. Les Canons’ value proposition is incredibly hard to beat, and we sure hope it stays around for a long time to come.
Les Canons
2 Central Boulevard
IOI Central Boulevard Towers #01-07
Singapore 018916
Opening hours: Weekdays – Breakfast: 8.30am to 11am and all-day dining: 11am to 10pm; Saturday – all-day dining: 11am-10pm
