Women chefs: Louisa Lim strikes out on her own

[SINGAPORE] As she savoured the sweet taste of recognition as best pastry chef in the 2023 Asia’s 50 Best Restaurants guide, one thought stuck in Louisa Lim’s head: “Hard work does pay off.”

It’s what has guided her journey all this while, from her days as a sociology undergraduate who picked up fondant cake decoration as a hobby, to becoming the acclaimed head of dessert at the three-Michelin-starred Odette.

Now, she’s banking on that as she prepares to open Loulouca, her very own dessert atelier on Ann Siang Hill.

“I’m scared, not going to lie,” says the self-effacing 34-year-old about leaving her seven-year career at one of Singapore’s top restaurants to battle the headwinds of a volatile F&B industry. “But if you don’t try, you’ll never know.”

She’s currently putting the finishing touches to Loulouca, a cosy shophouse space with its white-washed exterior and softly lit, cream-hued minimalist interiors.

Scheduled to open at the end of July, the atelier functions as a cafe in the day, and transitions into an immersive dessert experience in the evenings, serving Lim’s original plated creations. 

There won’t be any savoury options on the menu, which is precisely the point.

“In all fine-dining restaurants, desserts (as in any meal) come at the end. So when you eat out, you just have to wait. But what if I turned it around, and made desserts the focus instead?”

All eyes will be drawn to the art gallery-like foyer, where the day’s cakes are displayed like jewels in a showcase for customers to admire as they make their choice. The visual impact is important because people “eat with their eyes, and food should taste as good as it looks”, Lim explains.

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Available by the slice or as whole cakes, and coffee and homemade ice cream are available on the side. Only takeaways are offered from Jul 26; dine-in service starts on Jul 29 in the 20-seater space.

In the evening, the vibe changes from casual cafe to intimate restaurant, serving only plated desserts from an a la carte menu. There’s no omakase option because “I get very overwhelmed when I eat a pastry tasting menu”, says Lim.

“People like to choose. So the aim is to allow our diners to enjoy quality plated desserts in a non-imposing setting.”

Creating her own identity

With Loulouca, Lim comes into her own after literally growing up in Odette. “I wouldn’t have been the chef I am today without him,” she says, referring to chef-owner Julien Royer.

It was difficult to leave, she concedes. Royer was supportive, but it was still “one of the hardest conversations I’ve ever had”. The two still maintain a close friendship, texting each other regularly. “I still see him as a mentor,” she says.

Although the style she developed at Odette remains with her, what will change is that “I’m able to draw on more of myself instead”, she says. “I’ll be able to tell my own story.”

She’s inspired by “nostalgia, experiences and seasonality, and respecting the ingredient, which always comes first”.

That’s why she won’t compromise on quality, even though she shudders at the cost of the Piedmont hazelnuts she uses. She presses her own oil from them, and makes everything from scratch including nut butters and pralines.

Her signature dessert at Loulouca is crafted from sobacha (Japanese buckwheat tea), maple syrup, pecans and coffee. There’s also an all-green composition featuring Shizuoka melon, which is “paired with mint, lime and matcha for brightness, freshness and depth”.

As for her cake collection, having a chocolate cake is non-negotiable. “Ours is unapologetically decadent, but folded with airy, creamy and crisp elements – including a layer of Piedmont hazelnut feuilletine.”

Prices will range from S$14 to S$16 for a slice of cake, and in the S$30 region for desserts.

Navigating a new journey

The past six months have been a whirlwind for Lim, especially since April, when renovations began in earnest. Her job description has expanded beyond pastry chef to include business owner, human resources manager, kitchen designer and maybe even all-round worrier.

But she takes everything in her stride, knowing that this is exactly what she wants.

For that reason, Loulouca – a portmanteau of her name and that of her business partner Candice Teo – is self-funded, so that decisions can be made without being accountable to anyone other than themselves.

Besides the core business of cakes and desserts, there are plans to open the space up for private events and making gift boxes for corporate giveaways or souvenirs. Also on the cards is a monthly music night led by Teo, who is a professional deejay.

“I don’t think anybody will ever be ready-ready”, when it comes to the right timing to start a new business, Lim says.

She recalls her time at Singapore Management University when, two years into her sociology major, she told her mother that she wanted to go to Paris and learn pastry making at Le Cordon Bleu.

“She was like, ‘are you sure?’, even though she was supportive,” says Lim. “But like any traditional parent, she told me to get my degree first.”

The rest, as they say, is history. And like her life-changing decision then, Lim is convinced that “if you fully believe in what you do, and put your 100 per cent into it, it will pay off at some point”.

She cringes at self-help platitudes, but “you have to keep believing in yourself”. And if even that 100 per cent isn’t enough and she fails, “I would be at peace because I did my best”.

But for now, she is pressing ahead, with the same determination that took her from kitchens in France and up the ranks at Odette. And if her track record is any indication, all that hard work will pay off yet again.

Loulouca is at 6 Ann Siang Hill. Reservations are open at loulouca.com