Louise

Inside the courtyard of PMQ, Louise feels removed from the city’s usual rush. The restaurant—conceived by chef Julien Royer, whose Singapore restaurant Odette has long shaped contemporary French dining in Asia—translates his style into something looser and more everyday: elegant French cooking, but not overly formal. The kitchen, overseen by executive chef Loïc Portalier, draws from the familiar language of French cuisine while keeping the tone relaxed. The caramelised onion tart arrives glossy and deeply savoury, its sweetness balanced by a delicate pastry shell. Then there is the roasted Hong Kong chicken, one of the restaurant’s signatures, burnished to a golden finish and carved with the quiet confidence of a dish that knows exactly what it is. Upstairs, the dining room carries a certain polish, but the terrace below shifts the tone entirely. Here, lunch stretches easily into the afternoon, glasses of white Burgundy appear unprompted, and the garden softens the rhythm of Central life.

Tatler Tip

Weekends are best spent on La Terrace, where brunch leans into the pleasures of oysters, foie gras and a long, leisurely glass of wine outdoors.