Fine-dining restaurant La D’Oro rebrands as casual eatery
Two years ago, a chef dreamt about Michelin stars.
He opened a restaurant and pulled out all the stops: Moody, dim-lit counter. Omakase-style menu, priced according to the market sentiment then – high. To hedge his bets, he added a semi-casual dining room.
And he waited for customers to come.
On paper, it should have worked. It didn’t.
So Yohhei Sasaki staged a dramatic turnaround – that actually turned things around.
What Sasaki has done is what a lot more restaurants should do: read the room.
He simplified the menu and got rid of the fancy omakase, so you can sit in his “inner sanctum”, no matter what you order. And while the food is casual, there is nothing cheap about the ingredients and preparation that go into it.
For example, a recent three-course set lunch, priced at just S$38, included a proper beef tartare, lightly smoky grilled swordfish that was plump and moist, and yuzu sorbet or panna cotta. The portions were just nice for a light lunch, with a pasta option if you want to fill up.
Think of the food at La D’Oro as unpretentious cooking by someone who would rather be doing fine dining. Regulars might get complimentary shavings of raspadura cheese (S$6 if not) piled high on a tall ceramic stand. And there’s bread in a basket kept warm by hot stones at the bottom, with butter and olive oil, even before you start.
Prices range from around the late teens to under S$40, unless you spring for wagyu as your main course.
Even a simple rocket, pear and gorgonzola salad (S$18) gets a classy treatment with a shower of frozen cheese freshly grated at your table. Crisp candied walnuts mingle among the leaves, lightly dressed in olive oil and a hint of balsamic vinegar, so you get the flavour without the tartness.
Freshly made pasta is the draw here, and the seasonal pasta (S$32) of the day is even pressed into long noodles through a hand-cranked machine just before you eat.
Sasaki may have had to give up his Michelin aspirations for now, but he’s making people happy with his food – which is, after all, the whole point.
La D’Oro
#01-16/17 Mandarin Gallery Singapore 238897
Tel: 8382-6200
Open daily: 11.30am to 3pm, 5.30pm to 10.30pm
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