Former Bistrot Etroit chef moves to bigger premises at Sage

NEW RESTAURANT

Sage by Yasunori Doi

#01-36 Orchard Plaza

150 Orchard Road

Singapore 238841

Open for dinner only on Tues to Sat: 5.45pm to 10.30pm (2 seatings). Lunch and dinner on Sun: 12.30pm to 2.30pm; 5.45pm to 10.30pm.

Reservations: reserve.toretaasia.com/sagebyyasunori

THE more things change, the more they stay the same. At least, it feels that way at the new Sage by Yasunori Doi - aka Bistrot Etroit in a bigger space with the same menu and cranky chef who now gets to terrorise more eager diners than he used to.

Quick recap: The cupboard-sized Bistrot - now helmed by another chef - was once the hottest ticket in town for those who could snare one of just 6 or 7 seats a night to eat in front of the mercurial (some say misunderstood) chef Doi. His pet peeve was diners he thought didn't appreciate how he cooked from scratch, served and washed up all by himself, and wasn't afraid to show it. He wasn't Mr Congeniality, but we liked the whole package - uncompromising and gritty, focused on feeding you French bistro fare with a Japanese accent, with retro surroundings and decent pricing.

Now with Sage, he tries to do the same, but the quirkiness of the original doesn't translate so well in a bigger place. Imagine your favourite dinky dive which suddenly spruces up to become a cookie cutter trendy eatery and raises its prices - Sage feels a little like that. In other words, it's become a proper restaurant just like any other.

Of course, the new place is much roomier, if still pint-sized. It's just a few doors away from Bistrot in Orchard Plaza, dressed in curiously whimsical pastel colours with uplifting sayings like 'Spring is a new beginning' written on a mirror. Whimsy isn't something we associate with Doi, so it looks like he kicked a little girl out of her rose-tinted bedroom and turned it into a kitchen/counter setup long enough for 6 to 8 people, plus one extra table that fits 2.

He used to want to feed as few people as possible. Now he packs as many as he can with 2 seatings at 5.45pm and 8.15pm, which are strictly enforced. If you're willing to wine and dine to the tune of S$400 a person, you can stay as long as you want. If not, you pick the S$148 or S$208 omakase - quite a big jump from the original S$110 before add-ons.

We don't begrudge him wanting to go commercial since the old place was more a labour of love - or rather a place to indulge his grumpiness and cooking passion - than a money making proposition. But charging this kind of money puts him in direct competition with other places that charge S$200 on average. The bar is raised, but the food is still pretty much the same. And he's still as dour as ever, making people wait right till the exact minute (actually a few minutes later) before you're allowed in, filing in like meek mice for an audience with the master.

But once you're in, the mood lifts. He now has another chef and a server. But old habits die hard as you overhear him lecturing one group about a perceived unreasonable request, upon which they obediently acquiesce.

Other than that, he does seem to make more effort to be friendly, as he serves up a menu that feels safer and less spontaneous than before, maybe because more customers means more bulk buying and less room to wiggle.

Our S$208 omakase kicks off with a spoonful of wagyu tartare on a blind date with a little cup of creamy taro mousse topped with uni. It's more polite conversation than heart-to-heart chat, so while both are agreeable, a second date is unlikely.

Sesame focaccia is hot, chewy and good with the miso butter, although we do miss the homemade brioche. But we're totally smitten with the deceptively simple gazpacho of Japanese tomatoes - cold and refreshingly tart, a bright red set against white streaks of stracciatella. But the magic is in the scoop of olive oil sorbet that fuses dreamily with the gazpacho, smoothing out the tartness with a silky, milky sweetness.

The rest of the meal settles into an even keel. There's an awkward confit of cherry trout in mouth-puckering grapefruit juice and botan ebi; enjoyable crisp-skinned fillet of sea bream in a green vegetable sauce with a wasabi-like kick, rounded off with a chardonnay-miso butter sauce.

We're seated at the only table, so we nearly jump out of our skins when Doi suddenly appears beside us to engage in cheerful banter. He's perfectly personable - we think he might have recognised us from before but no, he makes pleasant conversation with other diners too.

We suppose he's not discussing why he charges S$28 for sparkling water. The server does tell us the price in passing at first, but it simply doesn't register until we see the bill. What he doesn't say is that it's a high brow sparkling from St Emilion that's hard to get. If you're not a connoisseur, S$28 is going to hurt, so double check before you say 'yes'.

For the mains, wagyu tenderloin and foie gras is textbook-style, and his sticky chewy chocolate terrine fares better than dark, caramelly tarte tatin. Oh and for accompanying music, there's nothing like jazzy Christmas carols to remind you that it's not the season to be jolly.

In the end, it's a little hard to figure Sage out. It's same-same but different - or maybe we just want it to be more special than before.

Rating: 6.5

WHAT OUR RATINGS MEAN

10: The ultimate dining experience

9-9.5: Sublime

8-8.5: Excellent

7-7.5: Good to very good

6-6.5: Promising

5-5.5: Average

Our review policy: The Business Times pays for all meals at restaurants reviewed on this page. Unless specified, the writer does not accept hosted meals prior to the review's publication.