Flutes at the Fort

Address 21 Lewin Terrace (enter through S’pore Philatelic Museum carpark, just before the Registry of Marriages at Fort Canning)

Opening Hours lunch and dinner daily

Telephone 63388770

In between searing his signature sea scallops on a prawn fish cakes smothered in a smooth sea urchin sauce, he was snorting cocaine.

He snort and got caught.

Francois Mermiliod was nabbed in a highly publicised drug bust in 2004, which involved and implicated a few newsmakers, high profile professionals and expatriates. They breezed him into Changi Prison for a year.

“Actually, prison wasn’t that bad. We were treated fairly and you won’t believe this, but I never once saw a fight when I was inside.”, although he was expecting to witness some. The makan inside, he claims, was not bad either. Francois put on about 10 kg in the six months (with good behaviour) he was in jail from the tofus, curries, vegetables, rice and bread they fed inmates with.

“When they knew I was an expatriate chef, they quickly ensured my skills didn’t go rusty. They got me to cook and actually asked for French food with the ridiculous budget.”, recalling, as he cocked his shoulders and rolled his eyes. So he attempted roast chicken with potatoes and he had to quickly learn to whip up local makan like ayam masak merah (spicy chicken in red spices), laksa, mee siam and of course chicken rice. He even had to toss a couple of hundred roti pratas for lunch.

And back in the cell, he read up on the finer points of wine appreciation and officially penned the recipes that were lazily hiding in his head with a mind to be more diligent in his craft in future.

It was his overall positive outlook that made his ex-employers vouch for him. “It was one of those stupid things I did and on reflection, it was not just about the harm I did to myself but more of how I hurt the people who trusted and loved me. I regret it and am very sorry.”, recalls Francois.

Current and ex-bosses knows him to be diligent and professional. Ms Jessica Lim-Charungchareonvejj, who worked with him at the then award winning Salut Restaurant, felt he needed a second chance as “ he’s an up and coming French chef and Singapore needs good chefs like him.”, and is willing to look away from his silly folly while Ms Stephanie Magnus, his boss at the Flutes at the Fort Restaurant, while surprised at his drug habit, knows that he is good at what he does.

So Francois is now back from a kitchen at fort Changi to this one at Fort Canning. Which is actually an old charming colonial black and white pre war stilted bungalow of the then British Fire Chief. “ I am grateful for their support but if it wasn’t to be, “ his eyebrows stretching, “ I would have returned home to France and set up a Singapore makan eatery called Mat Salleh Restaurant and sell all the local stuff I learnt to cook in prison. My staff says my laksa can sell!”. (Mat Salleh is a local Malay slang for a Caucasian.)

His formal French food school stint gave him a good foundation which helped evolve his style. He is a bit of an any-ingredient-that’s-right chef and incorporates Aussie and Asian influences in his current style. Besides his seared scallops on Thai style prawn cakes, his soft lamb racks with macademia nut polenta in red wine sauce with Chinese spinach and Japanese enoki mushrooms is also a long term menu resident. Even his assistant Ken Lim is surpised at how he introduced the refreshingly tangy wild rosella flower (hibiscus) to the pan fried foie gras and comes up with a palate awakening ceviche of mahi-mahi in coconut lime milk with sesame crackers and salad.

These days, he’ll whip up set five course dinners at $88 and it packs them in most nights.

And while he is happy to exchange smiles with guests who gives him the “are-you-the-drug-bust-chef” look and share his story, he is also too willing to share a recipe he concocted while staring at the four walls in Changi prison.

The Changi inspired…
Tartare of Yellow Fin Tuna with Coconut, Lime and Toasted Foccacia.

For 4:
150gm yellow fin tuna sashimi grade
1 small red onion
½ bunch of chives
Juice from 2 limes
3 tbs of coconut milk
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tbs olive oil
8 slices of toasted foccacia

method:
Chop tuna into small cubes. Chop the onion and chives. Mix it all with lime juice, coconut milk and olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper. Chill the tartare and serve when well chilled. Mix a salad (or mesclun salad) with olive oil, salt and pepper. Plate it with the toast and serve.