Claudine is Julien Royer’s French neo-brasserie at Dempsey Hill. It sits inside the former White Rabbit, a 1930s chapel, and takes its name from Royer’s mother. The cooking draws on the generous French meals he remembers from growing up in Auvergne: familiar dishes, good produce and food meant to be shared.
Claudine belongs to the same restaurant family as Odette and Louise, but it has its own place in Royer’s story. Odette, named after his maternal grandmother, is the polished three-Michelin-starred tasting-menu restaurant. Louise, named after his paternal grandmother, brings French cooking to Hong Kong. Claudine is the most direct nod to Royer’s childhood, and the most relaxed of the three.
The restaurant took more than two years of planning before it opened in the old White Rabbit space. The chapel is part of the experience. Stained glass, mosaic floors and timber beams give the room a character that a standard brasserie could not match. The high ceiling and open kitchen keep it from feeling formal.
Royer has built the menu around the food he associates with his mother, then adapted that idea for Singapore. You get recognisable French cooking, generous portions and French technique, with some Asian influence in the background rather than a menu built around fusion.
Claudine describes itself as a place for shared meals and close relationships. That comes through in the room and in the menu: the dishes suit a table ordering together, with a bar and terrace adding to the easy, social feel.
The cooking stays close to classical French formats. The work shows in the sauces, pastry, terrines and stocks, and in preparations finished at the table. The dishes remain easy to read; you do not need to decode each course.
The menu rests on three things: familiar French dishes, good ingredients and portions for sharing. Claudine feels like an ambitious neo-brasserie. The sourcing and standards come from the same world as Odette, but the format is looser and built around the table.
Odette remains Royer’s flagship, with a tasting menu, polished service and three Michelin stars. It puts his technical and artistic side front and centre.
Louise takes French cooking into a Hong Kong setting, with a more relaxed bistronomy format. Portalier leads the kitchen, bringing experience from within Royer’s restaurant group.
Claudine is the family-table restaurant: Royer’s mother as its reference point, a converted chapel as its setting, and a menu of French classics and dishes to share. It is less formal than Odette, while keeping a high standard of produce and service.
The three restaurants share Royer’s French roots, attention to seasonality and ingredient quality, and an emphasis on hospitality. They express those values in different ways: refinement at Odette, contemporary French bistronomy at Louise, and generous home-style cooking at Claudine.
The walk to Claudine takes you along a leafy path before opening into the former chapel.
The building remains largely intact. Stained glass lines one side; on the other, you can look into the open kitchen.
The room is gorgeous. Its layout reminded me of Louise, though the chapel gives Claudine its own scale and atmosphere.
I started with sourdough and butter while I waited for my companions to arrive.
The steak tartare was prepared at the table, a proper French classic and a good start.
My companion had the moules marinières, another French classic.
For the main course, we shared Claudine’s Dover sole Grenobloise: pan-fried sole with brown butter, capers, lemon and croutons. We stayed with the French classics throughout lunch, and the kitchen handled them well.
The sides were less successful. The cheesy potato dish congealed into a dense, solid mass. The macaroni reminded me more of dry macaroni from a cha chaan teng than a French brasserie dish.
Claudine was a good lunch when we stayed with the classics. Those dishes were properly executed. I would be more selective with the sides and the less familiar parts of the menu.
Total Damage: $370 SGD/3 people