Visited the much talked about Henri at Pekin Street — the establishment is a more formal, French bistro concept that is opened by the folks behind Bread & Hearth which has outlets at Katong V and at Keong Saik Road which operates as a cafe serving up pastries and bakes. Taking up the former space which Dean & Deluca had previously occupied at Far East Square, the entire space is decked out in wooden furnishing and fittings; all that with floral wallpapers for the walls with a slight Victorian touch. Whilst operating as a bistro with a boulangerie operation, the bistro menu offers patrons light bites, soup, entrées, main dishes and dessert, while the boulangerie retails pastries such as danishes and even entire bread loaves for dine-in and takeaway. Payment for bistro menu items will be billed at the end of the meal, and comprises of served charge, while the same for boulangerie items will be charged upon order at the counter, and does not include service charge.

The Échine de Porc En Chevreuil is an item off the mains section of the menu, and features elements such as marinated pork collar, red wine berry sauce and mashed celery root. The marinated pork collar is done pink for the desired doneness by the chef — the result is a tender and moist slab of meat that comes with some slightly fatter parts; quite balanced and doesn’t require too much of an effort to chew; all that with a clean taste that did not carry any undesirable porky stench. The accompanying red wine berry sauce gave much of a tang that attempts to cut through the slight meatiness that made the entire dish pretty appetising, while the use of mashed celery root over mashed potato was a clever move — provided for a similar savoury note yet with a smoother texture (you know, missing of the usual graininess of mashed potato); also kept the dish pretty light considering how mashed potato is a little denser given it’s starch content. A pretty decent item where one as a meat lover could have alone, or as an item to be shared at the table.

Henri is pretty much an extension to what Bread & Hearth has to offer — whilst the boulangerie does carry some of the items that Bread & Hearth serves up, the bistro menu seems to showcase classic French cooking at its best; all that in an environment that is fitting to its theme. There isn’t quite anything that seems pretentious here — from the vibes to the food, though we did wish that several aspects to the service can be looked into more considering how this is more of a bistro than a cafe; things such as changing of a napkin and cutlery for a single diner but not for the other accompanying one, just to list one particular detail that was missed. Nonetheless, Henri is a great spot for dates as much as it is for a girl’s day out for a catch-up over pastries and coffee; a spot that is undeniably French in its character and soul — worth checking out at least once for what the vibes and the food they have to offer.