Zouk Group debuts French brasserie The Plump Frenchman in Bugis on June 16
SINGAPORE – In the face of rising costs and soaring food prices, one new restaurant looks set to offer hearty French classics that do not break the bank.
Think $17++ for half a rotisserie chicken, mesclun salad, housemade sriracha sauce and pickles; $37++ for a coq au vin (French chicken stew), the most expensive item on the a la carte menu; and from $25++ for a daily two-course menu.
All this from the 70-seat French brasserie The Plump Frenchman by lifestyle company Zouk Group. The eatery makes its debut on June 16 at integrated development Guoco Midtown ll in Bugis.
It is helmed by a familiar face in Singapore's dining scene – Germany-born chef Lorenz Hoja, 44, who has been the group's chief culinary officer for the past 1½ years.
Trained in French cuisine, Hoja spent more than a decade with the Joel Robuchon Group across London, Paris and Singapore.
Here, he was the executive chef and part of the opening team at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon and Joel Robuchon Restaurant at Resorts World Sentosa in 2011. Under Hoja, the L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon received two Michelin stars in 2016 and 2017.
After leaving Singapore in 2017, he worked in restaurants in Hong Kong and Paris. He returned to Sofitel Singapore Sentosa Resort & Spa from 2019 to 2021 as the cluster executive chef, then ventured to other properties in Switzerland.
Prior to The Plump Frenchman's opening, The Straits Times gets a taste of several dishes on its menu. These include a la carte highlights such as Salade Nicoise ($24++), a generous portion of crisp lettuce with eggs, tuna, beans and potatoes; and Chipirons ($16++), tender chorizo-stuffed baby squid with parsley, garlic and olive oil. A blackboard menu of rotating specials will include dishes such as La Soupe A l'Oignon (18++), a rich French onion soup topped with crispy croutons and melted cheese.
Set menus ($25++ to $47++) feature options like Beteraves, a salad of beetroot, feta cheese, pickles and dill; Saumon en Papillotte (add $10++), salmon cooked in parchment paper; and a one-person portion of roast chicken, with mashed potatoes and mesclun salad.
Desserts – scooped and served tableside – include Tiramisu Citron ($11), a lemon-soaked spin on the classic tiramisu , drizzled with olive oil ; and Mousse Au Chocolat ($14), a rich chocolate mousse.
A wall of wine bottles , which Hoja calls a 'wine shrine', offers labels priced from $14++ a glass and from $70++ a bottle.
On creating The Plump Frenchman, Hoja says: 'We want to show good French food at low cost made with local ingredients. I'm incredibly excited to make feel-good French food more accessible in Singapore , food that's soulful, satisfying and rooted in tradition.'
He adds that he is no longer a fan of long-drawn fine-dining meals and prefers to have 'a good hour-long meal that doesn't break the bank'.
The Plump Frenchman adds to a slew of new eateries at Guoco Midtown II, which is also home to Chinese restaurant Xiang Ju and home-grown brands Jew Kit Hainanese Chicken Rice and Kopifellas Cafe.
Others opening soon at the building include Chinese restaurant Pang Pang, Korean restaurant Kong Madam and salad chain The Daily Cut.
The Plump Frenchman marks a shift for the Zouk Group, which is better known for its nightlife offerings. It is now focusing on expanding its food and beverage empire with self-owned brands such as cocktail bar Here Kitty Kitty and social gaming bar RedTail, both in Clarke Quay. It also owns the franchise for American burger joint Five Guys at Plaza Singapura and Ion Orchard.
Zouk Group's London-born chief executive Andrew Li, 42, says The Plump Frenchman's central location was initially meant to be another Five Guys outlet. Along the way, plans changed to create a concept with Hoja, and the Bugis unit was split to house a second outlet of popular sandwich brand Korio, which is slated to open in July.
Korio's other outlet is at IOI Central Boulevard Towers in the Central Business District. Korio, of which the group is a majority shareholder, will open in Malaysia by the end of 2025.
More concepts are in the pipeline, with another small sandwich shop in the works.
Hoja does not rule out moving back to fine dining in the future, but says: 'For me now, fine dining is about the quality of the ingredients and the preparation. The looks don't matter to me. If we go back to fine dining, there will be no tablecloth and silverware. It isn't necessary. It is on us to redefine what fine dining means now.'
The Plump Frenchman at 01-20 Guoco Midtown ll, 20 Tan Quee Lan Street launches on June 16. It opens from 11.30am to 2.30pm and 5.30 to 10pm (Mondays to Saturdays), and 11.30am to 3pm (Sundays). For more information, go to @tpf_sg on Instagram.
Eunice Quek is STFood online editor at The Straits Times. She covers all things trending in the food and beverage scene.
Check out ST's Food Guide for the latest foodie recommendations in Singapore.
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