Opened in partnership with celebrated chef Anne Sophie Pic, Raffles Hotel’s La Dame de Pic is the latest in the series of offshoot-restaurants that Pic has opened around the world — in Paris, London, and Switzerland. It’s also her first in Asia.
The restaurant has been described as her “most feminine” yet, with plenty of pink pastel hues, floral motifs, and metallic accents all tied together by a central chandelier with laser-cut spades — a play on the restaurant’s name, which translates as “the queen of spades”.
There is a strong femininity to Pic’s dishes. We brought this up because in gastronomy, there are still glass ceilings in places. Pic is still the only woman in France to currently hold three Michelin stars for one restaurant (she has a total of 7, if we’re keeping count).
The soft-spoken Pic shares: “I strongly believe my gender influences by cuisine. I’m sure of that. But feminine cuisine is not linked to gender. It influences, but much more than gender I think it’s the personality of the chef shows in the food. It’s more of a personal philosophy.”
The food at La Dame de Pic Raffles may come with a graceful levity that belies the understanding of French cuisine, but helming the kitchen is actually Pic’s protege of 8 years, Kevin Gatin. While the food is light, both on the eyes and palate, flavours abound. Dishes at La Dame de Pic are all cleverly perfumed with a myriad of herbs and spices — butter is spiked with sweet star anise; while turbot — one of Pic’s favourite ingredients to work with — comes with an almost juice-like broth of Granny Smith apples, marigold, and tarragon.
Everything from snacks to the mains and petit fours often come with edible flowers garnishes. What Pic’s gender has defined strongly though, is her motherhood — something that she feels has completely changed the way she cooks.
“You become more sensitive to things. You have to make a lot of decisions when you’re a new mother, which definitely makes you more confident and mature. It makes you a more nurturing person — you have to take care of your children, and then you also learn to take care of your guests. I was definitely a different person, more nurturing,” explains Pic.
Reservations for La Dame de Pic open 5 July 2019. Visit at 1 Beach Road, Tel: 6337-1886.
A version of this story was first published on The Peak.