Les Ducs: Fun, flirty French flavours with revolutionary intent

Chef Louis Pacquelin’s new digs, Les Ducs on Ann Siang Hill, is French comfort food reimagined with quirky Asian twists.

If you’re wondering where Chef Louis Pacquelin disappeared to after Clos Pasoh closed over at Bukit Pasoh Road, wonder no more. The inventive chef has thrown the doors open to a new contemporary French bistro in a heritage shophouse along Ann Siang Hill where he continues to serve up his eclectic Asian-inflected Gallic fare.

Les Ducs, or ‘The Dukes’ in English, boasts a totally different charm from his previous digs. Where Clos Pasoh was airy and cheery during the day but intimate and cosy as the sun sets, the more enclosed 40-seater Les Ducs is darker and more mysterious especially in the evenings. Exposed brick and cement interiors offer a contemporary New York SoHo feel, while opulent Arabian rugs and Asian accents provide tasteful pops of Oriental contrast.

That eclecticism extends to the cuisine.

We previously called Chef Pacquelin’s fare at Clos Pasoh as of “traditional French fare elevated with top-quality ingredients and the latest culinary techniques, but also brandished with an Asian flair“. It is rather the same at Les Ducs.

And in an even more playful manner. The chef-owner now unabashedly mashes up French brasserie classics with Asian inspiration in near abandon, offering up a fun and inventive slate that runs from small bites to larger sharing plates.

You’ll find the likes of Katsu de cochon Iberique, which essentially is Japanese-style pork katsu and slaw served up in a Chinese bao steamed bun, while Hot dog de poulpe appears as chargrilled octopus leg tucked within a brioche bun, and loaded with hot dog condiments like relish and mustard.

Or the Croque prata. This is French ham, Comté, and truffled bechamel sandwiched between prata, or what they call “the love child of the croque monsieur and prata”. Now that may sound like some gimmicky TikTok culinary hack, but the flavours totally work, the prata’s inherent doughy sweetness the perfect counterpoint to savoury ham and salty cheese.

On the other hand, the Mousse de cèpes, Porto & champignons is a curious dish. Neither soup nor salad, this is mushroom mousse topped with more mushrooms – roasted in brown butter with shio kombu – with rich, umami flavours. It’s baby food, reimagined for poncy adults.

What’s truly sublime at Les Ducs though is Volaille au vinaigre Paul Bocuse. As you may ascertain from its name, this course of roast chicken borrows the classic recipe from legendary French chef Paul Bocuse (from which lauded global cooking competition Bocuse d’Or draws its name). Fabulously roasted into tender juiciness, the vinegar sauce – rendered from chicken jus, aged red wine vinegar, and cream – adds lusciousness and oodles of flavour. Bocuse knows best.

Those with a sweet tooth will want to end your repast with the Petit pot de crème vanille, caramel au beurre salé, is simple, classic French vanilla cream pudding lashed with salted caramel.