The fifth Merci Marcel has opened in Robertson Quay, featuring a dinner menu created in collaboration with French chef Bruno Ménard.
“What drew me to this collaboration was Merci Marcel’s strong identity and their commitment to genuine hospitality,” says Ménard, who was executive chef at L’Osier in Tokyo when it clinched three Michelin stars in 2008. “With this menu, we celebrate French culinary heritage while embracing fresh perspectives.”
Set inside a restored warehouse, the new location has a cosy indoor dining room, as well as a riverside al fresco area that’s good for cool evenings and end-of-week get-togethers.
Highlights from the starters on the dinner menu include beetroot tartare ($14++), made wonderfully fragrant with sesame and just barely acidic to whet the appetite without entirely losing the beetroot’s natural earthiness.
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There’s also the Cévennes onion soup ($24++) — a fluffy, light version of the standard French onion soup that’s topped with truffle-infused chantilly cream, instead of the usual layer of gruyère. Bringing back that indulgence of the original are generous chunks of foie gras.
For mains, a hearty ribeye steak ($69++ for 300 grams, $120++ for 600 grams) is served with smoked Kampot pepper butter; the unsurprisingly addictive fried potato shreds on the side are also available a la carte for $14++ a bowl.
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For a vegetarian option, ravioles ($27++) — the French cousins of Italian ravioli — are filled with cheese and doused in an unctuous porcini mushroom sauce. A sprinkle of granola over top adds much-needed crunch.
Dessert is where Ménard’s flair really shines on this menu, not least in his spin on rum baba ($17++), which takes inspiration from a recipe by his father. A passionfruit glaze adds just a touch of fruity tang, balancing the rich and complex Plantation Dark Rum. For those seeking something that’s more cocktail than dessert, there’s a syringe of extra rum on the side.
Coming into the new Merci Marcel, we wondered if we’d be in for a case of cut-and-paste from the previous outposts. But the food certainly proves the brand hasn’t stagnated into the realm of soulless chains. You may not find anything remarkably haute about the cuisine here, but there’s just enough of a twist here to serve as a reminder that a top chef worked on the cuisine.
Merci Marcel
41 Robertson Quay, #01-01
Singapore 238236
Tel: +65 6022 0625
Email: hello@mercimarcelgroup.com
Operating hours: Tuesday to Sunday, 8am – 12am
