Odette returns with a new look and focus on more soulful dining after its three-month transformation

Fresh off a three-month makeover, French fine-dining restaurant Odette has emerged with a more mature, sophisticated mien. Gone are the soft pink palette and delicate motifs that once anchored the dining room. Odette has come of age in the 10 years since chef-owner Julien Royer opened the restaurant with The Lo and Behold Group’s Wee Teng Wen, and it shows in the warm, buttery hues that have taken over the space.

“We’ve taken everything we’ve learnt over the last 10 years to make the dining experience for our guests more memorable,” said Royer, who was in a buoyant mood as he walked CNA Luxury through the restaurant on opening day on Dec 10 (Tuesday). “We’re not opening a new restaurant. This is an evolution. It shows how we’ve matured.”

Fittingly, the space exudes the calm assurance of someone who knows what she stands for. In much the way Odette’s soft femininity broke the restaurant design mould when she debuted in 2015, the new palette and design are quite unlike anything else around.

“Every table is now the best table, which was not the case before,” Royer added as he pointed out the spot where a bar once ran along one side of the dining room’s wall. Removing it allowed interior designer Sacha Leong from Nice Projects to create a more open, symmetrical space in which comfy booth seating in a hue he describes as “pale beurre” fronts the kitchen and pass.

Reuniting with Leong, Odette’s original interior designer, made sense, said Royer. “He knows the DNA of the brand, which means he can apply the small, but important touches (that allow) people to see something new, but still recognise who we are.” So too the new artwork by Dawn Ng, the artist behind The Theory of Everything, a charming mobile once suspended above the dining room. For the revamped space, Ng dreamed up a sleeker, more understated artwork titled Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, reflecting Royer’s seasonal palette. The aerial installation greets guests as they enter the restaurant.

In keeping with the times, the prix fixe menus are now shorter, with five courses at lunch and seven at dinner. “People don’t want to spend five hours eating anymore. Those days are long gone,” Royer said. “They still want to indulge in great quality cooking and great produce, but timing is crucial. You can enjoy our menu in 90 minutes if you want.” Odette’s prices have stayed the same as well, at S$368 (US$285) for lunch and S$498 at dinner.

Another sign of growing up: Less familial storytelling. Odette was named after Royer’s maternal grandmother, who shaped her family’s attitudes towards hospitality, farm-fresh ingredients, and making the most of what’s at hand. While those memories shaped much of the restaurant’s narrative in its early years, this new iteration, with its focus on Asia and Singapore, where Royer built his career, is free of meandering storylines and nostalgic yarns. The focus remains squarely on good ingredients and seasonal cooking that yield dishes rooted in French fundamentals while reflecting the restaurant’s place in the world.

To wit: New dishes like Hokkaido botan ebi glazed with yuzu kosho, set on a bed of dashi jelly and creme fraiche, and topped with a generous mound of caviar. “The (botan) shrimps are so sweet, you actually need the caviar for salinity. I don’t want to use caviar for the sake of using caviar,” Royer was quick to explain.

There is also a dish of Norwegian king crab served two ways: a remarkably succulent European-style steamed crab leg draped with bearnaise and crab remoulade, alongside a steamed-then-fried bao filled with slow-cooked chilli crabmeat. 

“I just want the focus to return to what a restaurant truly means, which is to take care of people,” said Royer when asked how he intends to steer Odette in a time where Singapore’s restaurant industry is fast-changing. “As a chef and restaurateur, I want to deliver an experience that is very customised, and I think that challenge is in the dining room, where our front-of-house staff have to read the customer. It’s not easy, but you have to be able to tell and read what kind of mood people are in and customise the experience based on their mood and their previous experiences.

“So, we want to open this second chapter of our book and embrace the values of humility and transparency, and we just want to give our very best. We want to reflect the evolution and everything we learned over the past 10 years.” And with that, a visibly joyful Royer loped back to his kitchen. “Vamos!” he yelled cheerfully to everyone within earshot.