Le Bistrot du Sommelier

Le Bistrot du Sommelier is a French bistro on Armenian Street, in the museum district near City Hall. It serves cuisine bourgeoise, the generous, home-style cooking of French family tables. Portions are big and slow-cooked dishes come first. The bistro started out on Prinsep Street and moved to this two-storey shophouse in 2012.

As the name suggests, wine matters here. Sommelier Maximilien (Max) Fedkiw built the wine list in-house. It leans towards natural wines, made from organic or biodynamic grapes with little intervention in the cellar. Many bottles come from small producers you may not see elsewhere.

What to order

The menu sticks to classic French bistro food. Expect escargots, foie gras, duck leg confit, several cuts of beef and desserts such as profiteroles and a soufflé for two. The côte de boeuf is a roasted beef rib of about one kilogram, meant for two to three people, so it suits a group.

Rillettes are the house speciality. These are meats cooked slowly, shredded and kept in their own fat, then spread on bread. The kitchen makes its own rillettes, pâtés, terrines and sausages. A board of these with a glass of wine makes a good start to dinner, or a lighter meal on its own.

The setting

The ground floor holds the main bistro dining room. It is a long, narrow room with exposed brick, wooden beams, red curtains and long wooden tables. Upstairs, the Rillette Bar is more casual, with high tables, white brick walls and pans hanging overhead. It suits an evening of wine and charcuterie with friends. Outside, a few tables sit beside a large painted mural on the side wall of the building.

The Rillette Bar also works as a private event space, with its own bar and washroom. The team hosts wine tastings and wine classes there, led by Max Fedkiw.

Good to know before you go

• Book ahead for dinner, especially towards the weekend. On Friday and Saturday nights dinner runs in two seatings, so arrive on time.
• The restaurant does not encourage guests to bring their own wine, as it prefers diners to drink from its list.
• For private events, the kitchen can prepare set menus, and vegetarian menus are available on request.
• Takeaway can be ordered through the Le Bistrot du Sommelier website.

Getting there

The bistro is at 53 Armenian Street, close to the Peranakan Museum. According to the restaurant, Bras Basah MRT (Circle Line) and City Hall MRT (North-South and East-West lines) are both about 450 metres away. Drivers can use the public car park beside the Peranakan Museum, entered from Loke Yew Street. Another option is the SMU School of Law car park off Canning Rise.

Nearby

Armenian Street is an easy base for a day of museums and history. The Armenian Church is close by, and the National Museum of Singapore is a short walk away. For French fine dining at a higher price, Odette is at the National Gallery. You can also browse all restaurants in City Hall and Clarke Quay or our list of European and Italian restaurants.