Atout is located in a spacious old house, set among greenery with plenty of natural light. The menu has a strong listing towards French rural cooking, and the charcuterie element is also reflected in the main courses.

PROFILE
Patrick Heuberger is a native of Geneva who came to Singapore some eighteen years ago and worked at Au Petit Salut, which was initially in Holland Village and then moved to Tanglin. He left in 2009 but hearing in 2018 that the owner of Au Petit Salut was retiring, he and business partner Jean-Philippe Joye decided to take over the premises and open Atout, the name translating auspiciously as “asset”.

MUST TRY: Andouillette sausage and oyster blade cut of Angus char-grilled with sea salt.

AMBIENCE
The spacious old house is set among greenery, and its glass walls on two sides allows in plenty of natural green-tinged light. The ceiling is low and the atmosphere retains something of the domestic. A wine bar and private rooms are on the premises.

SERVICE
Service staff are generally young, friendly and informal, in keeping with the bistro style of the place.

FOOD
The dinner menu is a la carte, with lunchtimes seeing a set menu available. The charcuterie listing is substantial, and includes items such as a duck and foie gras degustation plate for two, cod liver pate, pig-head terrine, and a selection of rillettes including rabbit, duck and beef tongue. Artisan breads are listed, with Normandy butter. Mains include a pepper-crusted Angus beef rib eye, long one of Chef Patrick’s signature dishes, and an oyster blade cut of Angus char-grilled with sea salt. The menu has a strong listing towards French rural cooking, and the charcuterie element is also reflected in the main courses with dishes such as char-grilled Andouillette sausage, and Toulouse pork sausage.

PRICING
S$36 to S$148

SUMMARY
There is always room for good, honest French bistro food, and Chef Patrick has a keen following from his earlier years in Singapore, so it is perhaps no surprise that Atout has taken off very quickly. Prices are very reasonable, given the quality and the location. A thoroughly good venue for a date, or for a group night out, also for a long boozy lunch, as the place is open all afternoon.