LouLou is Casual French Dining Done Affordably and Done Beautifully
The general perception of French cuisine is one of opulence and class, and one of Haute Cuisine. The French culinary canon transcends these misattributed confines — homely food is just as integral to the French as they are to the Italians. Amongst a wave of casual French dining restaurants popping up all over Singapore, LouLou is perhaps one of the most underrated.
Opened by the same people behind Josephine restaurant, this Keong Saik outfit is an exercise in simplicity. Exessive pizzazz isn’t an afterthought here and most of the space is given a tastefully homely touch, with comely floral wallpaper, hanging plants, and rattan chairs evoking a scenery of Southern French suburbs.
LouLou might be small in size but it’s welcoming and immensely snug while service is brisk and personable — the perfect setting for a casual date night.
If anything, it feels too homely. Spacing between seats is not the most generous and sometimes you can overhear chatter that spills in from the next table over but still, it does lend to the cosy ambience.
Comfort, Comfort & More Comfort
I think it’s not fair to pigeonhole LouLou’s offerings to merely being that of a casual French restaurant. There’s plenty of diversity within the menu, particularly sporting overlaps with its Mediterranean neighbours.
A good representation of that is the classic ham and melon ensemble, where LouLou featured Iberico Ham as the star. As the ingredient list would suggest, the Iberico Ham & Melon ($20) was inelaborate and uncomplicated.
This relied heavily on the interplay between the Iberian ham’s umami and the fresh rock melon’s juicy vivacity but fried mozzarella provided a surprising complexity, both in flavour and texture, that elevated the humble duet.
Everything was then capped with a drizzle of syrupy balsamic — just the deft finishing touch it was calling out for.
Switching things up a bit, we indulged in the carb-dominated Fregola Pasta ($26) that showcased delicate pearl-shaped Semolina pasta which was excitably chewy with a gentle, mochi-like recoil.
LouLou’s choice of sauce for the pasta was a charmingly gratifying one, built upon a sweet, creamy bisque and oodles of rich prawn flavours. One of the most comforting plates of Pasta I’ve had at any French restaurant in Singapore.
Plenty of Fish out there
Even if the preceding dishes had already left us with a warm and fuzzy feeling in our cores, we still found ourselves effortlessly devouring the handsome hunk of Grilled Sea Bream ($38) when it arrived.
As far as grilled fish go, there’s no doubt that this LouLou star slots into the top of any value ranking. For $38, this was a rather sizeable portion and came immaculately grilled.
Beautifully worked, the flesh was astoundingly tender, succulent, and moist while the accompanying mix of herbs and smoke made it such an endearing eat that we finished it without regard for our ballooning bellies.
Simply put, LouLou doesn’t just provide great food. They do it with conviviality and homeliness that paired perfectly with their sound execution in the comforting and uncomplicated flavours — all done as affordably as you’d expect for a French restaurant in Singapore.
Make your reservations here.
Loulou – French Cuisine & Wine Bar
- Address: 6 Keong Saik Rd., Singapore 089114
- Hours: (Tues–Sat) 11:45am–2pm, (Tues–Sun) 5:45pm–11pm