Review: Restaurant Espoir’s halal modern European concept tastes hazy, but its personality shines through

The first thing that caught my eye when I stepped into Restaurant Espoir was the Greco-Roman motif on its napkin rings — an ornamental pattern of classical architecture and the mosaics and fashions of its time. 

It was an invitation to dine in bourgeois luxury, what with the emerald walls and orientalist touches, such as the maneki-neko (the beckoning cat), exotic flowers, perfume bottles, and feathers set before a glass watercolour scene.

Like the decor, the menu showcases flavours from many places. We have masak hitam (stewed meat in sweet soy sauce) and dendeng sitting on the same pages as uni (sea urchin), pearl couscous, shakshouka (Middle Eastern dish of eggs poached in spiced tomato sauce), Moroccan ribs, paella, risotto alla milanese (saffron risotto), and po’ boys (sandwich originally from Louisiana).

It’s as if the team is trying to send me around the world from Southeast Asia to the Middle East to Northern Africa to Southern Europe to New Orleans. Some ingredient combinations sounded interesting, such as the kecap manis and coconut salmon, while others were a bit far out, like the crab with aged cheddar.

The backstory

Espoir translates to “Hope” — an homage to the shophouse the restaurant is located in, which used to be home to Anglo-Chinese School in 1886. From a food standpoint, that is an unusual choice given how abstract the theme is. The restaurant is also the sibling to The White Label, a French restaurant that is popular with the Muslim crowd.

Our verdict

Overall, there were several cross-cultural flavours that were interesting to taste, though the main concept “modern European, Malayan influence” got lost amid the list of cuisines the team drew from. The dishes that kept within the theme were executed well.

Its alcoholic-free cocktails are intriguing, though the Elixir (S$16) had a pervasive synthetic sweetness that prevented me from tasting the natural flavours of the elderflower and fruits listed.

The service stood out as well. A staff member was excited to share about the ingredients and food, and I felt genuine delight as she told me about the uni and her favourite dishes. 

The team stumbled on some questions though, such as when I asked if the rose component listed in a beverage was from rose water (i.e. the hydrosol) or rose syrup. They did not know, even though some of their food items were inspired from Moroccan cuisine — and rose water is a ubiquitous Moroccan ingredient. That said, this did not detract from the sincerity.

What it’s good for

The squid ink paella (S$38) is a splendid fusion of modern European cuisine with a twist of Malayan influence. It features squid ink-infused rice, seafood, and an exotic blend of spices accompanied by a sweet and spicy masak hitam sauce.

The first thing that caught my attention though was my favourite seafood ingredient — sea scallops — an uncommon choice even in paella de marisco. This is perhaps due to the precision required in cooking them, along with how paella is traditionally more of a communal dish served to many people. One of the scallops was stringy when cut due to overcooking, but the others were done perfectly. The prawns were also firm and tender without being chewy.

In terms of the rice, I liked how the seafood flavour was on par with the sweet and spicy masak hitam without being excessively salty.

That said, the socarrat wasn’t done well. The crispy bits were resigned to certain spots at the bottom. Still, this dish was outstanding overall from the other technical aspects. The smoky fragrance of the paella from the dried chilis was also easy to love when the dish hit the table.

The pan-seared salmon with coconut cream sauce (S$34) was another dish that showed the harmony between Malayan flavours and European cooking techniques. I was wary to see the salmon served skin-side down — but there was nothing wrong with the crispy skin. 

This was probably done to showcase the deep caramelisation from the kecap manis glaze — a result from its thicker consistency unlike that of other glazes such as teriyaki and nikiri. 

The salmon itself was tender, moist, and flakey, and the vegetables had excellent char. The coconut cream also offered a contrast to the glaze.

When it came to the pan-seared scallops (S$26), I was happy to see a good level of caramelisation matched with a proper level of done-ness. There was some variation in the degree of cooking in each scallop but none had real problems. 

Hokkaido scallops cook more quickly due to their relative fat content, which makes pan-searing tricky as one needs to get that sear in before they turn rubbery — a problem even one-Michelin-star restaurants struggle with.

In terms of the puree, the butternut squash complimented the sweetness of the scallops, though it needed to be thicker  — I had to mop the plate to get it to cling to the scallop.

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One of the reasons that drew me to Espoir was the fact it had compressed watermelon (S$14), a dish I first came across in New Haven. It’s a simple dish where melon is compressed in a vacuum chamber to concentrate its sweetness. It can also be done without one, but it would take time. 

The version at Yardbird Singapore was good, though the whiskey masked the natural sweetness of the melon, which was why I wanted to try Espoir’s.

Visually, Espoir’s deep ruby melon cubes were stunning against the pomegranate seeds, though I was surprised that the melon only made up 10% of the dish. That said, the natural sweetness in each piece was magical with the touch of soy.

For dessert, I enjoyed the matcha moelleux (S$15). The cake revealed a rich matcha heart that’s made better with the tartness of quince. The earl grey ice cream was smooth and full of bright bergamot, which worked well with the bitter notes of matcha. 

One thing I didn’t like was the dry and somewhat hard exterior of the moelleux, though the pairing of the green and black teas made up for it — it taught me something new about the refreshing and profound combination of grassy and citrusy-floral flavours.

What it could improve on

I was disappointed by Espoir’s chicken cordon bleu (S$32). At this price point, the most difficult part of the chicken to cook — the chicken breast — should be treated with more care. 

It was dry and slightly overcooked — a discredit to the name of the dish. The basil cream offered a fragrant touch when it hit my tongue, but it got lost within the blankness of the cream.

Overall, this dish was a missed opportunity to incorporate that Malayan touch, like a lighter and tangier sauce, to cut through the richness inherent in the traditional Swiss recipe.

The smoked burrata (S$22) was not bad, and I found the burrata itself decent. What I look for in a burrata is that elastic skin which offers some resistance to the touch, giving way to clumpy parts of stracciatella that ooze out, slowly, without spilling out too quickly when cut. 

In Espoir’s version, there is some semblance of an elastic skin, though the curds were too stiff to flow out. The smokiness on the burrata was also too weak — it was overpowered by the smokiness of the dendeng. 

Overall, the combination of cherry tomatoes, peaches, caramelised onions, dendeng, and burrata was confusing, though I did enjoy the burrata with just the peaches and onions.

The crab croquette (S$24) was not what I expected. Instead of a single piece stuffed with crab, I received three huge pieces loaded with filler. They tasted great though, if I reframed my expectations to see them as crab croquettes instead of the single crab-centred dish the menu had promised.

The spices worked for me, particularly the oregano and lime paired with peppers. The kaffir lime in the mayo sauce was aromatic, though the creaminess undid the spices in the croquettes when used. If only I could have this seasoning in a Maryland-style jumbo lump crab cake.

Going back to dessert, I was interested to see how Espoir’s flower pot (S$18, left) compares to Koma’s Bonsai (S$19, right). I love the mousse-like and crunchy components of the latter, though I did not appreciate the milkiness of its chocolate. Hence, I was interested in Espoir’s, given its use of 70% dark chocolate mousse. 

Unfortunately, this was not comparable to Koma’s, as the chocolate tasted like that of a supermarket milk bar. I had two spoonfuls, could not find the soursop, and stopped eating. Also, the broken pieces of coloured candy at the bottom seemed like an odd choice.

In terms of the pastries, I tried the spinach and mushroom quiche (S$9) and found it to be lacking in mushroom flavour within the custard. The entremets reminded me of Cedric Grolet’s Fruit from afar, though their tastes and textures did not work for me. 

The pear whip in the Pear (S$9.50) tasted like a blank canvas — a critical issue considering its proportion in the cake. Moreover, the fruit pieces in the pear compote no longer had much texture to contrast against the other components. 

The Sakura (S$9.50) fared better, as the sakura whip had a stronger floral flavour and the cake overall had a more even distribution of components so I could get a decent set of textures and flavours with each bite.

Overall, there are many things to love about Espoir, though its central theme “Modern European, Malayan influence” did not fully come through. Some details were missed, perhaps due to the desire of the team to draw from so many cuisines. My stance on fusion dishes is that they must be better than the sum of their parts, and Espoir did hit the mark on several.

What stood out to me more was the personality of the chef in using so many diverse ingredients and combinations. Some were questionable, such as the tagliatelle surrounded by a moat of mentaiko cream, while others made me smile — like the pairing of Moroccan ribs with Israeli pearl couscous instead of the crumbly Moroccan type. Smart.

Our quick takes

Is it conducive to conversation? Yes. The mood was soothing enough to also observe what the other diners were having, like a flaneur.

Is a reservation necessary? Not always.

How to get there? Amoy Street is easily accessible from either Telok Ayer MRT station or Tanjong Pagar MRT station. Or be chauffeured to the door.

HungryGoWhere paid for its meal at this restaurant for this review. Still hungry? Read our reviews of Salt & Palm and Two Men Bagel House.

Restaurant Espoir is on the GrabFood delivery service and offers free delivery (up to S$3 off) with GrabUnlimited.  

Book a ride to Restaurant Espoir.

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