Adjacent to the stretch of famous Upper Bukit Timah prata hotspots is a longstanding French restaurant that has outwitted and outlasted many of its competitors over its substantial history of 15 years. Vis-à-Vis, whose roots were in The Brasserie Bistro of the former Marco Polo Hotel, has a faithful crowd of regulars captivated by their tried-and-tested French Onion Soup and innovative desserts.

• The Vibe
  Unlike any other fine French restaurant, Vis-à-Vis does away with all the pretentious décor and chi-chi feel that is expected of their stature. Sporting bright orange walls and a multitude of old-fashioned photographs framed upon the walls, the restaurant exudes a strangely casual sense of familiarity that puts you right at ease within the cramped dining area. If you care to traipse up the stairs and peek at the second storey, you will find a more spacious region that looks up into an enchanting ceiling covered in funny mirror squares. By dusk, the upper storey is transformed into a haven for the lovey-dovey.

• The Food
  Witness the charm of their renowned French Onion Soup ($10.50). Onion-blasphemers can stop fingering the poor bulb because here, in Vis-à-Vis, hides an onion soup that tastes more like beef stock than onion. The rich, brown concoction carries a tinge of burnt taste, presumably from the use of caramelized onions, and comes served with a circle of molten cheese on top. The cheese lends a chewy touch, adding another dimension to the usual French onion soup and scoring even further with this one at Vis-à-Vis.

  For entrée, instead of escargot or foie gras, I had a Crayfish ($20.50) that features the crustacean flesh pan-seared and lightly simmered in a seafood bisque. After the lovely French Onion Soup, I was eager to taste if their seafood bisque would possess the same wow factor. Unfortunately, the bisque was nothing compared to its onion comrade, but the highlight of this entrée really is the combination of freshly firm scallop, savoury crayfish in seafood bisque and refreshingly sweet caramelized melon balls. With 3 different tastes thinly veiled against one another, the Crayfish entrée convinced me that Vis-à-Vis has more to offer than onion soup.

  For the main course, I ordered a Duck ($35) to indulge in a roasted confit of duck served atop ravioli of foie gras. The duck confit wears a pretty golden skin that is extremely crisp to the knife but this dish sounds and looks better than it tastes. My taste buds were momentarily paralysed by how salty the crispy skin was. The ravioli fared better, with its foie gras filling, but my kidneys and I were already sorely disappointed.

  Dessert at Vis-à-Vis made me a happy kid again. Their rendition of the puffy pastry, Lemon Soufflé ($13.80) is beautiful and delicious, with its passion fruit tart base, mango sherbet and citrus meringue. Again, Vis-à-Vis displays their knack for presenting a myriad of tastes in a dish by effortlessly layering sour passion fruit with tangy mango and saccharine meringue.

• The Service
  You never need to worry about running out of drinking water here. Instead, you should only worry about being splashed by stray droplets as your glass gets refilled. If the torrent of water from their huge water jug reflects the staff's motivation, then I must say they are a very motivated bunch at Vis-à-Vis. Other than those minute water issues, staff members are very helpful and efficient so there should not be any cause for serious complaints.

SD Food Advisor's Take on Vis-à-Vis
There is no doubt as to why this restaurant has withstood the fickle nature of Singaporean diners for the past 15 years. Vis-à-Vis' sheer determination for constant improvement in quality and variety is clear for all to see, thus winning much return patronage from satisfied patrons who often pop back in hope of tasting his changes to the menu. Even if you are not into any intriguing desserts, swing by to try their legendary onion soup. The soup is indeed a legend, or at least deserves to be one.