This would be my second visit to Andre. And the reason I decided to head back was because Andre has made it to S. Pellegrino Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants 2013! So yes, in a way, I was also curious to see if there was (going to be) any difference between Andre just opening its door in 2010 and after Andre became internationally recognised/famous.

I called to make a reservation but was informed by a voice message to make reservation via email. And with that, I dropped them an email two weeks in advance for a Tuesday night.

My girlfriend and I arrived at 8pm sharp and were greeted by two ladies at the entrance. Everything was very professional, which was a little intimidating for me especially when I was not able to easily understand her heavy accent despite her being a local. “Will you ladies be comfortable climbing the stairs in heels?” “No problem”, I said before we were led up to the second storey.

After we took our seats, a non-local gentleman took over and explained that the menu is a set menu based on chef Andre Chiang’s octaphilosphy. We must have looked young for he asked if we wanted to know more about the pricing, etc.

After checking if we had any allergies or food restriction, dinner started excitedly for us!

1) Snacks (above) – We were presented with three dishes which the staff introduced as snacks. The three dishes being :-
  (A) Snack #1 – Edible soil (made of chocolate and garlic), mushroom chip, potato and fish & chip.
  (B) Snack #2 – Lobster salad and popcorn.
  (C) Snack #3 – Chicken masala.

2) Pure (above) – For a dish which used no salt or pepper, this was simply tasty. The meat (sashimi, mussel) were sweet while I could not get enough of the soup.

3) Salt (above) – An ocean inspired dish comprising caviar, seaweed, oyster, etc accompanied with the sweetness of apple. I had not quite gotten over my phobia of oyster (after eating too many at an oyster buffet) but the bed of small pieces of oyster which was hidden at the bottom was fresh and had no fishy smell. In fact, I enjoyed every mouthful. The different elements had different textures which created very interesting bites. And the dish succeed cause I really felt like I tasted ocean while savouring this.

4) Artisan (above) – “And after being in the ocean, it’s back to the land”, as the staff presented the duck tongue on eggplant which came served on a clay plate designed by chef Andre.

5) South (above) – And to depict generosity, the dish came in two plates. One comprised of tomato sorbet with tomato, flounder, white peach while the other was cold risotto with amberjack.

6) Texture (above) – And as how the staff very correctly presented, “Playing with texture with traditional food.” There were blue lobster, caviar and potato gnocchi. I especially loved the lobster bits where were so fresh, juicy and sweet!

7) Unique (above) – Japanese fish with French vegetable. The fish, which was served curled, had minced meat in the centre. Superb!

8) Memory (above) – The staff presented this being a dish which chef Andre first created back in 1997. Foie gras jelly with black truffle. My two favourites. It’s almost like chawamushi with the custard topped with a layer of black truffle coulis, but far better of course. Yum!

9) Terroir (above) – By now, my girlfriend and I were so full. But the staff assured us that this was the last for the savoury and cheered us on “You can do it!” Ha. However, while my girlfriend finished everything, the pigeon which was medium rare was a little too bloody for me.

10) Palate cleanser – We were served shaved ice of red berry with honey ice cream. This was refreshing and certainly made us hungry for desserts! Round 2? Bring it on!

11) Desserts (above) – Desserts was a spread! Chef Andre is currently onto his fourth interpretation of the Snickers bar. Simply awesome. Chef Andre should really consider showcasing all his past interpretations in an one-time special. =)

I really enjoyed my dining experience at Andre. Despite the hefty price at $350, I say it’s money well spent. And this time round, I finally got to exchange words with chef Andre although I did not say much. Shyness sank in, you see. Haha. And despite his fame, chef Andre has no air around him and comes across as being very down-to-earth. It’s nice he made the effort of coming up with topics when we went quiet (and almost shared an awkward silence). Why travel overseas to Michelin starred restaurants when there’s Andre in Singapore? A must visit.

UPDATE 1: Restaurant was awarded 2 Michelin stars by Michelin Guide Singapore 2016.
UPDATE 2: Restaurant was awarded 2 Michelin stars by Michelin Guide Singapore 2017.