My birthday lunch with Sarah was at Au Petit Salut, a French restaurant at Harding Road. I’ve long heard of their wonderful set lunch, and finally found the opportunity to give ourselves a treat there.

The set lunch consists of an appetizer, a main, a dessert and coffee or tea. There are multiple options per course, which makes it really interesting.

We both had the half-dozen butter herb escargot for starters.

Half dozen escargot

I was apprehensive initially because I’m not a big fan of slimey creature and I thought they would serve the whole snail complete with shell. That would have been shellshocking (pun intended). However they baked and served it in this specially made dish, and coated the snails well in decadent buttery and herby sauce. This is nice. (But the picture can be improved – remind me not to bring a 50mm lens into a restaurant again)

Braised pork neck with creamy polenta

Sarah had the braised pork neck with creamy polenta. The pork neck, as evident in the picture, is fatty. The lean meat portions not as tender as I expected because the muscle is fibrous and lengthy, quite like the way chicken is built. The creamy polenta is very yummy. What exactly is polenta? It tastes and feels like cauliflower, but it is actually ground cornmeal. Wiki says that it used to be peasant food until the late 20th century where it became a premium food in high-end restaurants. Interesting.

Norwegian mackerel

I had the Norwegian Mackerel atop capsicum and onion. I didn’t like this because the mackerel had a fishy taste. I’m not a big fan of fish with fishy taste – contradictory, I know. The skin of the mackerel was also too salty, making it unenjoyable.

Profiterole

WSe both had profiterole – choux bun with ice cream, chocolate sauce and almond flakes. The chocolate is very rich and sweet – it’s almost a ganache. The choux bun is delightfully eggy and crunchy; very well made. The ice cream, which I suspect is homemade, is very thick and creamy. I think people with sweet tooth will love this dessert. For me, I like it enough, but after a while too much chocolate is just cloying.

The set lunch at Au Petit Salut is priced at $30++ and is value for money for the quality of food they serve. I recommend placing a reservation if you want to sit indoors. Visit their offcial website at http://www.aupetitsalut.com/. Au Petit Salut is located at Harding Road, near the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.