Le Chasseur

There are so many people writing about food and countless food blogs are floating everywhere in cyber world. I am not the best blogger about food because I do not do much research about the owners and the history of the setup. I just go there to eat and usually with good company, we embark on a food tasting experience. Most of the times, my companions do not cook but they know how to appreciate the difference between home cooked, food cooked by chefs who profess to be chefs but are not, and they can tell the diff between porridge and risotto. This way I get a more unbiased opinion as eating on my own and drawing my own conclusions would not be fair.

So thus my eating companion came up with a recommendation from a recommendation from a friend to try this Le Chassuer. She stuffed the name card to my face and said :"Let's try this, you free this Thursday?" I looked at the address and concluded it is in a shophouse type so I said okay . Memories of Sik Wai Sin came flooding back. I was hoping I would not have to perspire again while eating.  Fortunately in the evening the restaurant was not crowded. It is located opposite Central Mall and close to many backpackers hotels.

This restaurant has its own rustic feel and it has its fair share of locals and caucasian patrons too! Its walls are decorated with pictures of all their dishes for those who prefer not to peruse the menu. The pics will also indicate which ones are unavailable for the day. The only research I did was to check out its more popular dishes and the orders were: Pig Trotters in Vinegar, Coffee Pork Ribs, Stir Fried Bean Sprouts with Salted fish bits, Claypot Rice and Ngoh Hiang (Five Spiced Rolled Minced Pork in Bean Curd Skin Sheets). The other signature dish is Fried Pork Knuckle but since we ordered so many meat based dishes we just had to give it a miss- there was just the two of us you see.

The Bean sprouts came first and while it is hot, it is nice to eat.  Unfortunately the bean sprouts came with roots unplucked. If you do not care about the aesthetics, then it is alright. But to me, it looks like some unplucked hair of an armpit of a lady. Of course arguably this is not fine dining, so I shall shut up here. Bean sprouts partnered with carrot strips and mushroom slices for colour balance with a little spring onion thrown in, complete with salted fish bits on top. A bit dry overall and if not consumed within the first 10 mins with hot rice, the dish dries up and became lacklustre.

Ngoh Hiang looked like it was begging to be consumed when it arrived. It came piping hot with a small sauce dish of black sweet dipping sauce. Would have like an additional side of garlic chili sauce but they had none of that sort. Usually, I am used to ngoh hiangs being wrapped tightly with the meat and its other ingredients fully packed a la Mdm Sim's (my eating partner's mother's Ngoh Hiang, she does a mean Ngoh Hiang with oomph!). It is worth a try for the clueless but it is a dish I think can be improved.

 The Coffee Pork Ribs were large and succulent but the taste of coffee sauce was drizzled on the surface. It is not so full bodied as I expected it to be. If they marinated the ribs overnight with coffee then I would enjoy it more. But they tasted like it was boiled first then sauce was added over to call it Coffee Pork Ribs.  If you are a fan of this style, then this would be for you. If you are a fan of those ribs that need to be boiled, then grilled for that extra crispiness on the outside, then this is not going to satisfy you. Neither is this dish of the baked kind. The ribs are are sufficiently meaty for meat lovers who need to sink their teeth into ribs to call them ribs.


A waiter (of Indian origin) later arrived with my much 
awaited pet dish while nibbling through ngoh hiang and ribs.  However the good dish arrived with no aroma permeating through the air.  The ginger pieces were definitely there but not enough to soak through to give the tanginess (even I cannot do that personally). The hard boiled egg was fully soaked through but my partner finds it too hard-overboiled. The skin of the pork trotters is soft enough to roll in your mouth like jelly but some may think it can be softer still. I feel the meat itself is soaked fairly well but wished they take more effort in buying meat that will give a sweetness when chewed and a softness or tenderness that is synonymous with pork from Indonesia. Other than that, the vinegar is just nice for first time tryers and general pig trotters' eaters. But those who want the extra kick of vinegar, with the aroma permeating through your nose as you spoon it to your mouth, well this ain't it.


After ploughing through all the food, I wished I had some rice to mix the vinegar with. Just as the thought floated up to make a speech bubble, the Claypot Rice arrived!  There was no sizzle or crackling sound! When the waiter  plonked the claypot filled with rice and chicken onto the table, my disappointment lasted only three seconds. He reached out to the black sauce bottle, drizzled generously over the rice and chicken and voila, the clapot started crackling and sizzling. The aroma roused from the pot and despite being filled with all the other dishes, my tummy was shouting "Let's try the Claypot Chicken Now!"

This dish is truly yummy and really is a winner in terms of taste of home-cooked.  Chicken was not too dry and hard like the pig trotters and had the kampung chicken tenderness. Spring onions were generous and chinese sausage (lap chiong) is all over the rice too. The sesame oil was not too overpowering and I must say the chef hit the right balance on this one. Rice continued to stick to the sides of the claypot resulting in burnt bits of rice. Scrap it and eat it! It has a tasty crunch if you fill your mouth with other ingredients! My mother used to do her claypot rice this way and I used to have it with cut red chili in thick black sauce. If she ran out of fresh chili, garlic chili sauce will do. I asked the staff if they had any of those two, they pointed to a table near the cashier counter, with a look that says "it's over there, get it yourself". Right above the counter you are reminded by a sign that wrote "No service charge", among other signs..(I leave you to go find out).

Overall, this place is a gem and perfect for bringing friends and especially those who have gone overseas for so long and need to get the good old Singapore fix. It is a place for old folks who do not want any fancy fusion dishes and want to spend a modest sum for that nostalgia. Also a good place for foreigners who want to try Singapore food and do not want to perspire in an open hawker centre. Would I go back there again? Yes, to introduce my folks this time :)