Odette | Wallpaper*

Interior view of the bar and dining area at Odette featuring light coloured decor, tables with tableware, chairs, green plants in white pots, shelving behind the bar with bottles of drinks and glasses and shapes hanging from the ceiling that resemble butterflies — (Image credit: Jovian Lim)

This year, Singapore marks the golden jubilee of its founding and the marquee event has been the opening of the studioMilou-designed National Gallery Singapore – an absorbing amalgam of two early twentieth-century piles, the former Supreme Court and City Hall buildings.

Almost lost in the hyperventilating hoopla has been the quiet debut of chef Julien Royer’s new restaurant on the ground floor of the gallery. Named after his grandmother, Odette – which is backed by local F+B bigwigs The Lo & Behold Group – channels Royer’s European credentials and bent for seasonal produce harvested from around the world into a modern French fine dining menu in the tropics.

And so, in a dazzling, gorgeous dining room designed by London-based Universal Design Studio and Singapore-based artist Dawn Ng, Royer toys with cheeses from Vieux Ferrette, black truffles from Manjimup, grass-fed beef from Scotland, seafood from Hokkaido, and pigeon from Plounéour-Ménez. The opening menu offers up visual treats by way of steamed and diced arctic surf clams, and guinea fowl served grilled and confit with celeriac risotto and foie gras – all restfully framed by the creamy dining room anchored by Ng’s whimsical Calder-like chandelier. Little wonder that the reservations list is booked up a month in advance.

Interior view of the entrance area at Odette feautring light coloured decor, a counter, seating, curtains and dual coloured flooring. The dining area can be seen in the distance

Close up view of a dining area at Odette featuring a round table with a white table cloth and tableware, a curved seat, a wall light, a green plant and a window with white curtains

Alternative view of the entrance and dining area at Odette featuring pendant lights, round tables with tableware, curved chairs and green plants in round white pots and a gold oval planter

ADDRESS

1 St. Andrew's Road

VIEW GOOGLE MAPS

Daven Wu is the Singapore Editor at Wallpaper*. A former corporate lawyer, he has been covering Singapore and the neighbouring South-East Asian region since 1999, writing extensively about architecture, design, and travel for both the magazine and website. He is also the City Editor for the Phaidon Wallpaper* City Guide to Singapore.