Louis Pacquelin is an Alain Ducasse protege through and through, so you’ll be hard put not to find any of the master chef’s influence at the new Clos Pasoh, which is chef Pacquelin’s tribute to the cuisine he grew up with.
The restaurant opens on March 1 in the conservation Bukit Pasoh neighbourhood. ‘Clos’ refers to a ‘walled vineyard’ in French while Pasoh is a nod to its address.
Explaining the concept, Pacquelin says, “I return to the roots of my training in the French brasserie classics of Lyon, as well as the home cooking I grew up with. However, I reinterpret them to reflect what we think diners are looking for today – comfort and familiarity.”
“I started working under Alain Ducasse when I was 16 years old,” says the 30-something chef who was last at the helm of BBR by Alain Ducasse at Raffles Hotel. For his own venture, he is helming it with his partner Jean-Christophe Cadoret, who approached him last May with the idea of a brasserie in mind.
Chef Louis Pacquelin
“I would not be where I am right now if not for him – I’ve known him for more than half of my life. Ducasse will always be a mentor to me and his values are ingrained in my culinary DNA.”
Running his own restaurant is a whole different world from just running a kitchen, says Chef Pacquelin who also recruited three former colleagues from BBR to join him. “Now you have to factor in budget, manpower and supplies while working under time constraints.”
For sure, a lot of decision making is required, but choosing to open Clos Pasoh is likely to be the best one he’s made. Below, a few things you need to know about Clos Pasoh.
