Frenchman With Master’s Degree In Engineering Now Serves $29.90 Steak With Unlimited Fries At Braseiro

Fell in love with Singapore during internship

Pini first came to Singapore for an internship in 2013.

“I’m an engineer and I did an internship in Singapore, so this is how I discovered Singapore,” he says.

The internship was with automotive air-conditioning manufacturer Sanden, and marked the first time he travelled overseas alone.

Though he eventually graduated with a Master's degree in engineering, he later found himself drawn back to Singapore for a very different reason.

“After the internship, I fell in love with Singapore,” he tells 8days.sg. “I realised Singapore offered an amazing quality of life and business opportunities. It had always been my dream to open my own restaurant,” he adds.

Instead of immediately entering the workforce after graduation, Pini spent a year travelling the world, meeting entrepreneurs and restaurant owners to better understand why some businesses succeeded while others failed.

After his travels, he settled down in Singapore and opened Braseiro in 2014. At the time, he was just 25 years old. To fund the restaurant, he relied on his personal savings, bought second-hand equipment and even painted parts of the restaurant himself. Pini is married to a fellow French national whom he met back home, though he declined to share further details about his wife, who is not involved in the business.

The original two-storey Joo Chiat outlet seats about 80 diners, while a second branch opened in Novena in 2024, offering another 46 seats across its indoor and outdoor dining areas.

Doesn’t feel his education has gone to waste

When asked what he makes of the growing number of engineers entering the F&B industry, Pini says the transition makes more sense than people might think.

“Engineering teaches you how to organise, plan and manage a business,” he says.

When asked if he ever felt that his Master’s degree had gone to waste, Pini was quick to disagree.

“My studies helped me think about business strategies in a more effective way,” he says. “In the end, my passion lay in opening my own restaurant,” he adds.

Wanted to make steak frites more affordable

The idea behind Braseiro stemmed from Pini's frustration with pricey steakhouses and formal French restaurants.
“I was tired of expensive steakhouses or fancy French fine-dining,” he says.

The restaurant's signature $29.90 steak frites features 200g of Australian rib-eye grilled over charcoal before being seasoned simply with salt and pepper. It comes with unlimited fries and butterhead lettuce salad dressed with a house-made vinaigrette made from ingredients such as Dijon mustard and sunflower oil.

“Steak frites is a very popular French dish,” he explains. “It's very simple but actually very complex because you can't hide anything.”

“You must have great meat, fresh salad and amazing French fries.”

The pricing is also notably lower than some other steak frites specialists in Singapore. At La Vache!, a 280g rib-eye steak costs $68, while L'Entrecôte charges $38.80 for its 300g signature steak. Both include unlimited fries too.

Freshly made frites every morning

At Braseiro, the fries are treated with almost as much importance as the steak.

Instead of relying on frozen spuds, the restaurant uses Russet potatoes that are freshly sliced every morning using a potato-cutting machine.

The resulting fries are slightly chunky and rustic looking.

“When our customers eat our fries, there is never any leftovers,” says Pini. “Their plates are always empty.”

Despite some industry peers warning him that his margins were too thin, Pini says the restaurant's high customer volume has made his strategy work. Twelve years on, he says the business remains profitable.

French fries origin debate

One surprisingly heated debate surrounding Braseiro has nothing to do with steak. Pini recalls a flood of comments after one of the restaurant's videos was posted online.

“In one of our videos, many people were fighting in the comments,” he laughs.

Some commenters insisted fries originated from Belgium rather than France.

“Belgian people said it's not from France, it's from Belgium,” he recalls. “[But it’s] French fries, frites is French!” the Frenchman says resolutely.

Cheesy raclette burger also a hit

While steak remains Braseiro's most popular dish, Pini admits he has a soft spot for another menu item.

“Our bestseller is the steak, but I personally love the burgers,” he says.

One of the restaurant's other signature dishes is the Raclette Burger ($29.90), Angus beef patty loaded with melted French raclette cheese and served with the same unlimited fries.

Another crowd-pleaser is the Camembert Roti ($29.90), which features a small wheel of Camembert baked over the barbecue until molten and served with slices of French baguette.

“We bake it on the barbecue to make it melt,” says Pini. “The dish is designed for sharing and can comfortably feed two people," he adds.

We say go for the better value steak or burger.

Braseiro is located at 333 Joo Chiat Rd, S427588, and #01-01, 275 Thomson Rd, S307645. Open daily 12pm to 3pm and 6pm to 11pm. More info via website and Instagram.

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