andlemon-curdscrolls,followedbyluxe
renditionsofnasilemakandchicken
congeewithfriedcrullerstickscould
easilymakegrandesdamesofusall.
Butnothingis quiteas grandas La
DamedePic,a 46-seaterthathasreplaced
thetuxedoedfussoftheRafflesGrill.
Thisis thefirstrestaurantinAsiaby
Michelin-starredchefAnne-SophiePic,
ofRestaurantAnne-SophiePic,Chez
AndréandMaisonPicinValencein
south-eastFrance,andLaDamedePic
inParisandLondon,amongothers.
It’sgloriouslypretty,withleather-topped
tables,bas-reliefpeoniesontheceilingand
a goldchandelierofdiscslaser-cutwith
spades(thenameis a playontheFrench
forQueenofSpades,LaDamedePiques).
ChefdecuisineKevinGatinspenteight
yearscookingwithPicinFrance.He
skewersFrenchmarshmallowonsticksand
duststhemwithroastedpeanutpowder
ina funplayontheSingaporeansnack,
muahchee.Tastingmenusbuildtowards
Pic’ssignaturepyramid-shapedfilledpasta,
lesberlingots,servedwitha bitter-leaning
brothmadewithchoucao,a localherb.
A Mediterranean-inspiredgrillbychef
AlainDucasse,BBR,is settoopeninthe
historicBar&BilliardRoomas wegoto
press,alongwitha contemporaryChinese
restaurant,YìbyJeremeLeung,andan
upmarket steakhouse, Butcher’s Block.“Thenewconceptsinjectnewlifewithout
changingthecharacterandpersonalityof
thehotel,”saysWestbeld.“It’srefreshed,
it’supdated,butit’sstillRaffles.”
AndRaffles,tomostvisitors,is
synonymouswithSingaporeSlings,
snackingonpeanutsandthrowingthe
shellsonthefloor,whichis whythe
LongBaranditscentury-oldgincocktail
recipehavehada shake-up,too.Therecipe
hasbeenremixedwithmorerefined
ingredients,includingbespokebittersand
anall-naturalpomegranate-juicegrenadine
madebyAustralianbartendingveteran
JasonCrawley.Notnearlyas sweetas they
oncewere,theslingsareshakentoorder
bya contraptionthathandlessixat a time.
InthenewRafflesArcade,high-end
designstoressuchasLeicaandRimowa
sitalongsidea hipco-workingspace
andtheRafflesSpa,inspiredbythe
healingpowerofgemstones.(Even
thespa’sdrinkingwaterhasgemstones
init,whichseemsveryNewAgefor
a venerabledamelikeRaffles.)
Manytraditionsliveon:Raffles’
Sikhdoormen,including27-yearveteran
NarajanSingh,incrispwhiteturbansand
jacketswithgoldepaulettes;andat high
teainthelobby,thepre-warsilverware
bearingthehotel’sinsigniaearnsasmuch
admirationasthepeanutandchocolate
brittlebarsandyuzu-citrustarts.
“I satontheverandaofthehotel,
sippinga ginslingandstaringat the
muddysea,”wroteNoëlCowardinPresent
Indicativein1937.It’sbeena longtime
sincetheoceanwasvisiblefromRaffles,
buttherevampedhotelstillinspiresquiet
reflection.Witheveryturn,thegrande
dameofSingaporeretainsherold-world
charmandglowsbrighter,lighter.
RafflesSingapore,1 Beach Rd, Singapore,
rafflessingapore.com●Clockwisefromtopleft:
a bartendermixesan
EternalYouthcocktail
intherevampedWriters
Bar;viewofa verandah
andsuite;thedining
roomatLaDamede
Pic.PREVIOUSPAGES
the Grand Lobby.
GOURMET TRAVELLER 163