Le Bon Funk
You know that feeling of nervous excitement and butterflies when walking into a first date? I had that – except not for the person I could be sitting across. Instead, it was for my first solo date – with myself.
With this trip to Singapore, I was determined to make it everything I wanted, and that included taking back the city for myself, spending time with my own inner world and the woman I knew she could be.
Anyone who has taken the steps to go on a solo date will know that it is inherently a little awkward, sitting alone at an intimate table for two right across the open-concept kitchen pass. Chefs bustled from station to station in an efficient assembly line and friendly servers would smile at me as they passed through with plates of food balanced on either hand. Slowly but surely, I found myself mesmerised by this perfectly orchestrated dance, warming up to the restaurant’s cozy-natured environment.
The one thing they don’t tell you about dining solo is how much more you notice the things around you. From the trays of fluffy round loaves of bread resting ready on the countertop to the organic-shaped pottery adding to the rustic homemade stamp the restaurant seems to have made amongst the city.
Ordering what seemed like a random succession of plates as those were the ones that could be made into single portions, I sat back with my glass of chardonnay ready to soak it all in.
What I love about dining in Singapore is how every single element is so well thought out from the concept of each plate, to its ingredients, to what actually ends up landing on the table. The first dish I had was love at first bite. The lightest pillowy cloud of shaved foie gras, hit with a deeply caramelised pineapple jam, and a pinch of salt to balance out its tropical notes, all heaped on top of a soft toasted brioche – it was like an elevated kaya toast on crack. Usually, I’m not a fan of pineapple, but the parallels of their Paradise Jelly and Foie Gras Toast to the Singaporean classic are uniquely unmissable.
The rest of the dinner was a symphony of autumnal flavours and colours. The Endive, Grapes, Seeds, and Tete de Moine arrived like a blooming flower, each brightly crisp endive petal ready to be picked from the bowl - do you love me, do you love me not? Lightly dressed with an equally ephemeral acidity paired with the smoked caramel nuttiness of the seeds, creamy, gamey cheese shavings that melt the second they touch your mouth, and the sweet richness of macerated grapes, it was a luxurious cheeseboard masquerading as a salad.
The Casoncelli was an explosion of textures. A generous pile of crunchy breadcrumbs conceals the golden jewels of sweet charred White Corn, topped with the Lime Kosho whose acidity cuts through the creamy pasta filling. Fried curly parsley added another layer of mouthfeel, which in that already salty and creamy umami, makes you keep coming back for more.
Finishing off the meal with a sweet and sticky Castella Cake (one of my favourite things about baking with honey), the floral notes are lifted by the Jasmine Tea Chantilly and a dusting of bee pollen. Cold and soft wedges of pear lie beneath, making what could have been an overly sweet dessert into yet another refreshing bite.
I was right. From the moment I stepped foot through those restaurant doors, I knew this night would change everything for me. This meal felt like the beginning of a new season; a transition from the chaotic sweltering summer into the harmonious, elegant fall. Shedding away the careless adventures of intoxicating heat and stepping into the woman who I knew I was meant to be.
LE BON FUNK (CLUB STREET) • SINGAPORE
29 Club St, Singapore 069414