Allo – Delicious French Food

Allo is a French bistro located in shophouses along Desker Road, Little India. I was attracted to Allo when I saw a posting on Allo’s dish on social media and added it to my list of places to try.

Allo

When you reach the front door of Allo, you will be welcomed by a nice al-fresco dining area, complete with rattan chairs and white round tables, just like those found in France. The indoor dining area is separated by white steel doors with glass windows. In the evening, the ambient of the indoor dining area is dimly lit. It is furnished, with square tables, rattan chairs and long banquette seats, for seats against the wall. Though not an open kitchen, through the pass, you can see the chefs at work in the kitchen.

Allo's Al-fresco dining area

We started the meal with Pan Seared Foie Gras [$26] - Pan-Seared Foie Gras, Figs Compote, Rice Crackers. A generous serving of foie gras, cooked to perfection. It has a lovely crisp externally, smooth and creamy internally. The figs compote is sweet and bodes well with foie gras and crispy rice crackers.

Pan Seared Foie Gras 

Warm Oven Truffled Camembert with Figs Compote [$28] - Camembert Cheese, Truffle Paste, Figs compote. The camembert is sliced evenly like a muffin and generously slathered with truffle paste. It is then baked, to the point where the cheese is warm and gooey. Eaten together with crispy sourdough and figs compote, it is just delicious.

Warm Oven Truffled Camembert with Figs Compote 

Moving to mains Wagyu Sirloin Steak with Pomme Puree & Seasonal Vegetable [$38] - Sirloin, pomme puree, brandy sauce. The steak is cooked to medium-rare, as ordered. It is nicely seasoned, juicy and succulent. The pomme puree (French mashed potatoes) is creamy, velvety and ridiculously delicious complemented by the crunchy seasonal vegetables. Yummy!!

Wagyu Sirloin Steak with Pomme Puree & Seasonal Vegetable

Beef Tenderloin with Potato Dauphinoise & Seasonal Vegetable [$38] - Brandy Sauce. The thick beef tenderloin is meaty and succulent. Unlike the sirloin which has more fats, the tenderloin offers a nice meaty texture. The Potato Dauphinoise (Potato au Gratin) has a crisp exterior, followed by a creamy interior, which complements the beef tenderloin nicely. The seasonal vegetables are crunchy, while the brandy sauce binds all the ingredients nicely.

Beef Tenderloin with Potato Dauphinoise & Seasonal Vegetable 

The service is friendly but minimal. On that night, we only have 1 service staff covering 4 tables.

Overall, Allo served delicious French cuisine in a French café atmosphere. The food is fairly priced and we will surely return for more. Santé!! Cheers!!

Food & Drink: 8/10

Value: 8/10

Service: 6.5/10

Ambiance: 7.5/10

Budget per Person: $26 - $50; $51 - $80

Allo French Restaurant

72 Desker Road

Singapore 209595

T: +65 8897 9230

W: https://allo.com.sg/

F: https://www.facebook.com/allo.com.sg

IG: @Allo.com.sg

OH:

Tue – Thu, Sun: 11.00 – 15.00, 18.00 – 22.30

Fri – Sat: 11.00 – 15.00; 18.00 – Midnight

Closed on Mondays

Cinder Steakhouse – A Steakhouse in Colonial Environment

Cinder Steakhouse (“Cinder”) is an extension of their brother brand – Wheeler’s Estate Cinder Steakhouse aims to serve amazing steaks, hearty dishes and extensive wine selections. The restaurant is located on the second floor in the Wheeler’s Estate premises, known for its lush greenery, rich historical black & white building and away from the noise of city life.

Cinder Steakhouse

Walkway to Cinder - 2nd Floor

From the front yard, you can see the Cinder Signboard clearly, leading you to the entrance. Once you reach the second floor, you will pass the walkway, decorated with natural plants. The dining area can be separated into a few sections. In the main dining area, Cinder has long bench seating options, against the window facing the front yard. The tables are square and around 1m in length and are easily moveable to accommodate the number of guests per section. There is also a seating area in front of the bar and along the corridor facing the backyard. While it combines modern furnishing, Cinder tries to retain the characteristic of the colonial dining room.

Main Dining Area

Dining Area - Corridor Facing Back Yard

The Bar

The Table Set Up

We started our meal with Pan Fried Foie Gras ($38). The two pieces of foie gras are accompanied by Berry Compote, Quince, Toasted Brioche, Fresh Berries, and Pistachio Nuts. The fattiness from the foie gras nicely balanced with the sweetness from the compote and acidity from the fruits. It was a party in our mouth.

Pan Fried Foie Gras

Pan Fried Foie Gras

Charcuterie Board ($48) - Dingley Dell Coppa, Parma Ham, Cooked Ham, Camembert, Grana Padano, Blue d’Auvergne, Berries, Sicilian Olives, Dried Apricot Cornichons, Sour Dough, Cream Crackers.

Charcuterie Board

A good combination of charcuterie board. The portion is very generous, but you should order this when you have a group of 4 or bigger. We like the camembert and the ham, especially when we eat it with toasted sourdough. A bit of recommendation, ask for the honey, to enhance the flavours of the cheese or cover the pungent taste of the blue cheese.

Charcuterie Board

For the main, we shared 600G 28-Days Dry Aged Bone-In Striploin ($110) - Grass Fed, Gippsland Victoria. The steak is cooked to medium rare and served on a thick and heavy plate. We like the charred exterior, while the interior is tender with a bit of chewiness in it. We tasted a bit of beefiness in the steak, as it was grass-fed.

600G 28-Days Dry Aged Bone-In Striploin

600G 28-Days Dry Aged Bone-In Striploin

The steak comes with these sauces Red Wine Sauce, Black Pepper Sauce, Bearnaise & Pommery Mustard. I like the red wine sauce and bearnaise.

Rock Salt, Red Wine Sauce, Bearnaise Sauce & Black Pepper Sauce
*Pommery Mustard is on the Steak Plate

The Steak with Sides

For the sides, we ordered Creamed Spinach ($18) - Crispy Onions & Cheese. The portion is very generous. The combination of the cream and cheese covers the usual bitterness in the spinach.

Creamed Spinach

Grilled Asparagus ($19) - Bearnaise Sauce, Crumbs. Nicely grilled, crunchy and juicy. The asparagus tasted good on its own. Since the steak already comes with bearnaise sauce, I think it is redundant to serve it with the grilled asparagus.

Grilled Asparagus

We end the meal with Sticky Date Pudding ($16) - Butterscotch Sauce, Vanilla Ice Cream. Since we were there for my birthday, I got the nicely decorated plate. The sticky date pudding is moist and tasty. Once the vanilla ice cream starts to melt and combine with the butterscotch sauce, it turns out to be a fantastic combination. Yummy!!

Sticky Date Pudding - Birthday Version

The service is very good. They are a bunch of fun and friendly service crew, but you can tell they know the stuff on the menu very well.

Menu - 1

Menu - 2

Overall, Cinder Steakhouse is a great dining destination outside the city. Nice place, with great food and very good service. What else can you ask for? Cheers!!

Lunch Menu

Food & Drink: 8.5/10

Value: 6.5/10

Service: 8.5/10

Ambiance: 8.5/10

Budget per Person: $81 and Above

Cinder Steakhouse @ Wheeler’s Estate

2 Park Ln

Level 2, Seletar Aerospace Drive

Singapore 798386

T: +65 8940 0885

W: https://www.cindersteakhouse.com/

F: https://www.facebook.com/CinderSteakhouseSG

IG: @Cinder_sg

OH:

Tue – Sun: 11.30 – 15.00; 18.00 – 22.00

Closed on Monday