New Kid on the Block – &Made by Bruno Ménard

After the bad experience at Dean & Deluca, I decided to wait a while before trying &Made by Bruno Ménard at Pacific Plaza. According to the website, it is Singapore's 1st restaurant by 3-Michelin starred chef. Apparently, Chef Bruno Ménard will be permanently based in Singapore and he actually helms the kitchen. As no reservations are allowed, I decided to try my luck for lunch on a Tuesday about 3 weeks into its opening on 16 Jul. The row of cushioned seats was already taken when I reached around noon so I choose a table by the side as I did not want to sit right smack in the middle of the place. I was deciding between DD and The 3 Little Pigs and finally settled for the former.
 

While waiting for my lunch to be served, the crowd started to stream in and I noticed how those who came alone asking for table of more than one were asked if their friends were arriving soon. Most were seated anyway, though I could not hear their replies. Friendly service by cheerful staff (about 8 of them including kitchen crew) but customers who sat at the few tables outdoor, where taps for its draft beers are, in the daytime might be neglected. Located on the 1st floor, its indoor seating can accommodate about 60 people with benches for customers in the queue.

The place is brightly furnished with splatter of red, mainly its logo and the top that staff wears, among the black and white mosaic tiles. Other details include the serviettes on every table, little corners of bench, cabinets, door, pipes (magazine racks) and shelves as well as photo frames. Interestingly, the red, blue and black wires of the naked bulbs on the ceiling were also replicated on its menu. In addition, the white underside of the escalator leading to the 2nd floor of the shopping centre was filled with quotes in red and black. My favourite is "Sleep 'til you're hungry, eat 'til you're sleepy".

As the burger was not small, I cut it into halves and figured it would be easier to use my hands than fork and knife considering that the duck leg confit was shredded. One bite of DD brought a smile to my face as I relished how the taste and texture had been well-balanced – soft fluffy burger reminiscent of a croissant with succulent duck leg confit that had a smoked taste and was a tad salty, not to mention the crunchiness of the red cabbage pickles and a tinge of tartness from both the pickles and the mostly sweet green apple (couldn't say much of its crunchiness as it was thinly sliced).
 

The duck leg confit was not overwhelming even 'til the end, maybe because it was shredded but probably more due to how the savoury was balanced with just the right amount of mayonnaise so that it was not cloying. Speaking of which, I could not tell it was green pepper lime mayonnaise without reading its description on the menu again. DD was so juicy, tender and delicious that I polished off the whole burger (yes, all of it) including the shredded pieces that had dropped earlier. It was simply finger-licking good and I would be back to try other items on the menu.
 

And now, for the french fries sprinkled with a dash of salt – crispy and good enough to eat on its own but the &made BBQ sauce was irresistibly tangy and yummy. While the food was good, I could not say the same of its macchiato that tasted flat, bitter and acidic. As the raw and white sugar cubes were individually packaged like candies, it was hard to add the right amount of sugar to a small cuppa. Though I removed the sugar after stirring for just a while, the coffee ended too sweet and the acidity lingered. The only let-down of the otherwise thumbs-up experience.

You may also be interested in &Made by Bruno Ménard Revisted and &Made by Bruno Ménard.

Update: The bistro has moved to Robinsons Orchard.