French food doesn’t always have to come in small delicate portions. Over here at HENRI, you get generous portions of hearty dishes made with authentic ingredients from France which you can easily share with others around the table.
The restaurant is brought to you by Chef Owner Henry Ng who is also responsible for Sourdough Factory and Bread and Hearth. They started out as a bakery cafe with a bakery serving French breads and pastries but have recently started to serve bistro-style dishes for dinner. What attracted us to the restaurant was the quality of the ingredients and their attractive prices. The set dinners is currently priced at just $48++ for a three-course meal!
What’s in the $48++ Set Dinner
At $48++, you get a decent 3-course meal with good sized entrees and mains. For starters, you can choose something like a Salmon Tartare ($20++ ala carte) or Saint Jacques (Hokkaido Scallops with beurre blanc sauce). We got to try the former which was a wonderful bed of smoked sashimi-grade Norwegian Salmon on creamy diced avocado. Along with the crème fraiche, dill and sesame oil, it makes for a delightful mouthful when paired with their cheese crackers. As mentioned previously, the portion is large enough to be shared. 4/5
Between the Soupe De Poisson and Margret de Canard ($35++ ala carte) for mains, I’d recommend the classic French fish soup. The Snow Cod Chilean Seabass was nicely cooked and the broth was delicate but still had a robust seafood flavour. My only peeve is that there’s not enough of the soup, although I must say that the piece of nicely seared cod fish looked more like it could be the main dish. 4/5 The French Duck was unfortunately a tad dry . 3/5
For dessert, we had the had the Souffle ($18++ ala carte) which expertly constructed such that it was light and airy. 4/5
Smoking Steak Box
The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly the Boite A Steak (Steak Box) $138++. The three cuts of beef were beautifully seared and presented in a wooden box with a separate drawer beneath that contained smoking wood chips. The extra wood smoke sure made a difference to the overall flavour of the beef! 4.25/5
We got to compare three premium ribeyes steaks viz Japanese Wagyu, Australian Wagyu and Aged Angus. Although the Japanese wagyu had that requisite burst-in-your-mouth juiciness, we felt that the Australian Wagyu had more of that beefy flavour that we all enjoyed. Having three different steaks is certainly more enjoyable than just having one and it’s great for sharing too. 4.25/5
Sharing Plates
Speaking of sharing, HENRI also features a variety of sharing plates! We have a fondness for sharing plates because they allow you to savor a wider array of dishes!
I particularly enjoyed the Baked Camembert Cheese that was perfectly baked with white wine, walnuts, pistachios, garlic, honey, and rosemary. It comes with a serving of their house-made toasted sourdough which is a sure-win combination. They used an authentic French Camembert which was creamy and pungent even though it wasn’t a raw milk (au lait cru) Camembert 4/5
There’s one thing I can never resist, and that’s Foie Gras! The chef skillfully pan-fries the duck liver from Southwestern France and manages to achieve that delightful combination of a crisp exterior and a creamy, rich interior. The foie gras (more accurately, foie de canard) was served on a toasted brioche with strawberries and caramelized apples. However, we felt that the addition of whipped cream was unnecessary and somehow cheapened the dish. 4/5
From my previous experiences with Heirloom Tomatoes, I have come to the conclusion that they usually sound and look a little better than they taste. This is by no means a criticism of Henri’s handling of this seasonal veg. If anything, they did a good job tossing the tomatoes in a tasty and appropriately tangy vinaigrette dressing. Perhaps “Heirloom” tomatoes are just overrated. 3.5/5
Soups
HENRI gave the classic French Onion Soup a bit of a twist by adding generous chunks of tender beef in the soup and crowning it with a puff pastry made with melted cheese and pastry. The multi-layered puff pastry was amazing to behold but could have had a stronger buttery aroma. The beef broth was robust and flavourful though we were missing the melted gruyere cheese. 4/5
The other dish that I can’t resist ordering is Lobster Bisque. I must admit that this is not the best I’ve had but you do get a really generous serving of creamy seafood soup with a sizable piece of crayfish/lobster in it. 3.5/5
Souffle
For dessert, we had a beautifully baked Souffle ($18++ ala carte and available in dinner set). With a drizzling of orange liqueur and vanilla ice cream on the side. It was a sweet end to the meal. 4/5
Cosy Bistro
The restaurant offers both indoor and outdoor alfresco dining (under an awning). They have comfy rattan chairs or cushiony booth seating. The floral wallpaper and wood finish give a sense of warmth, coziness, and European influence.
Conclusion
While we didn’t get a chance to meet Chef-owner Henry Ng, we can tell that HENRI is an expression of his love for French cuisine.
HENRI is a place to experience classic French bistro dishes set in a casual, comfortable environment. Their dishes are generous and attractively priced. Their set dinners starting at $48 are great value and a good introduction to the menu. The fact that they are also a bakery means you’ll get really good bread and pastries incorporated into your meal.
Their wines are curated from the South Rhône wine region, located in the southern part of France.
Disclosure: this was a media tasting, meaning we were hosted but the opinions shared are of our own.
