La Terrace, the breezy extension of Claudine at Dempsey Hill, is proof that French cooking doesn’t need foie gras or fine china to charm — just radishes, gin and tonics, and a whole lot of soul.
Let’s be clear. Any restaurant that dares serve radishes as a headline act better be bloody confident.
Not roasted. Not smoked. Just baby radishes. Raw. Fresh. Crunchy. Dipped in lemon-laced Greek yoghurt that’s garnished with chives like it’s a five-star canapé. And you know what? It works. Because at La Terrace — the breezy new extension of Claudine in Singapore’s Dempsey Hill — confidence is served in abundance.
La Terrace, for the uninitiated, is Claudine’s playful backdoor fling. Yes, that Claudine, celebrated chef Julien Royer’s French neo-brasserie occupying a lovingly-restored 1930s chapel in Singapore’s vibrant enclave Dempsey Hill.
The main restaurant — with its stately hallowed dining room — remains all preppy and elegant, but out back the new extension combines intimate indoor seating and a pet-friendly outdoor terrace, where you can enjoy a view of the surrounding verdant green spaces where your pooches can run amok.
You’re looking at stained glass panels, fluted panelling, fluffy fabric armchairs, a chic bamboo ceiling and Claudine’s signature mosaic flooring leading back into the restaurant proper in a seamless flow. Floral patterns add a certain whimsy. It’s a casual, relaxed sanctuary, more akin to the welcoming porch of a prosperous French farmhouse than an actual restaurant.
But that’s exactly where its charm lies.
This open, light-filled area offers a flightier, more playful counterpoint to Claudine’s elegant formality, one that speaks to the way we sometimes prefer to dine today: casually, convivially, with great food and preferably with even better company. If Claudine is your prim Parisian church wedding, La Terrace is its enchanting Provence garden party equivalent.
As for the cuisine at La Terrace? Here you’ll find Claudine’s reverence for classic French home cooking, but graced with a lighter execution and favouring sharing plates and small comforts over complex flourishes.
Like those radishes.
Otherwise, you start with Oysters. These are plump specimens from Normandy, dressed in a Japanese shio kombu to hide its briny nakedness. There’s Hokkaido Scallop Crudo too, chunks of fleshy scallop sitting in a zingy pool of yuzu kosho, along with blood orange and capers to tease your palate.
The Potato Galette, crisp and golden with a cheesy garlic crown and morel mushrooms, is one of those dishes that lingers in memory long after the last bite, while the Zucchini Flower, fried in tempura batter and stuffed with cottage cheese, shows off a deft crunch.
You’ll want to order the Sardine Toast, which thankfully bears no resemblance to that traumatic tin of Ayam Brand in your mother’s pantry. Here it’s a piece of cured fish lounging atop blistered sourdough feeling all luxe and assertive. Delicious.
The signature Half Roasted Chicken at La Terrace, though, is the undeniable showstopper. If you’ve ever been to Royer’s Hong Kong offshoot Louise, you’d have tasted a version of this before. It’s moist, deeply seasoned, and modestly covered by a glorious crisp of chicken skin, and accompanied by a cocotte of flavourful Niigata rice that deserves to be a star all on its own. Here’s it’s a dish to share, luxuriate and linger over… and to eat with one’s fingers when no one’s looking.
And yes, there’s a drinks programme here at La Terrace, which reads as “we’re very into gin right now”. An eye-popping list of 25 gins — ranging from Japan’s floral Ki No Bi Sei to Brazil’s tropical Amazzoni Maniuara — served with your tonic of choice.
What truly elevates La Terrace is that elusive quality no Michelin guide can quantify: soul. It’s charming without being cloying, elevated without being exhausting, and Gallic without the sneer.
Bring your dog in the afternoon, your date in the evening, and your appetite anytime.
And order the radishes.
[Image credits: La Terrace | Claudine]
La Terrace
Address 39C Harding Rd, Singapore 249541 (Google Maps link)
Opening Hours 5pm to 9.30pm Wednesdays to Mondays; closed on Tuesdays
Web www.claudinerestaurant.com/la-terrace
Instagram @claudinerestaurant
Reservations book here
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