As we entered the black-and-white bungalow that houses Maison de Fontaine, we were greeted by warm smiles. We started our French meal with baked oysters with pickled beetroot and black caviar and the signature French escargot. Six fresh, large oysters arrived on a bed of coarse sea salt. The escargots were satisfactory but had no hint of the herb butter and garlic the menu promised. For mains, our Japanese snapper coated with hazelnuts was dry, but was complemented nicely by the cherry tomato sauce. The hearty baked lamb shank was tender and fell off the bone easily. What baffled us was the side dish—sauteed spinach, which tasted to us more like a local Chinese vegetable (di wang meow) than spinach. Our meal ended with a hazelnut and chocolate soufflé. A fair amount of chocolate powder had settled at the bottom of the tureen, leaving us wondering if the soufflé had been mixed properly before baking. We expected more and left the restaurant feeling a little let down.
