An invite to a lavish fine dining restaurant, situated in Raffles Hotel, moreover, a restaurant that is headed by Michelin-starred chef Frederic Vardon, sets very high standards. La Residence is having a weekly offer of Ladies’ Night, where every Wednesday, women can enjoy four free drinks and 50% discount from their total bill.

La Residence is a French restaurant that boasts beautiful interiors with low chandeliers. Chic and elegant. It was a crowded Wednesday evening, but we were ushered to our table in no time. It pays to reserve in advance. Looking at the menu, they don’t have many non-alcoholic drinks, just three mentioned as cleansers. I was very clear while ordering one of each to our server. Fifteen minutes later, she gets three drinks looking exactly similar to our table. After I had pointed out her mistake, she took all three back and returned half an hour later with the ones ordered!

Yes, it was a busy evening. And yes, sometimes mistakes can be made. We shook off the fact that we had to wait over 45 minutes for just drinks and proceeded to order food. Since they had a sharing concept, we decided to ask for a Tuna Tartare, Milk-fed Lamb with Citrus fruit and a Tenderloin. I assumed that we would be served after another half an hour, and I was right.

Since I’m not a fan of raw meat, my taste buds didn’t quite agree with it. My guests enjoyed it, though. They felt that sourness of the lemon juice took away the smell of raw fish. All in all, a good dish. Sadly, our server hadn’t paid attention while ordering yet again. Maybe it was because of the overly loud live music, which I felt did not suit the concept of a quiet, cozy restaurant.

I had precisely asked for the meat to be well done and found that it was quite raw on the inside. I had to wait for it to be well done and brought back to me. Not a good sign, really.

Well, to comment on the food, the lamb was satisfactory. The sauce complemented it and the citrusy feeling was good. The tenderloin, on the other hand, could have done with a sauce.

For dessert, the recommended Valrhona Chocolate Square was brought. This was an absolute delight! Something that I didn’t see coming after the experience we had. The dessert was topped with edible gold and had layers of dark chocolate with a chocolate cake as the base. Served on the side was a scoop of dark chocolate.  A perfect mixture of bitter and sweet.

La Residence was a disappointment. What I ordered were the dishes recommended by our server, so these must be the signature ones. Maybe they were having a bad day, or our server was a new kid on the block? I would suggest them to do something about the music, though, screaming to hear each other is not the way I would like to spend an evening with friends.

The fries served as sides was how I survived the night. Or maybe, chocolate saved the day again?

Disclaimer: Though I was a guest at La Residence, all opinions expressed are my own and they stand honest and unbiased.