Tuesday, September 18, 2012

JAAN @ Swissotel The Stamford, Singapore

In late July, we went to see The Stone Roses play in Singapore. If you're thinking "who?", The Stone Roses are one of British's greatest bands, an inspiration to many including Oasis and they currently hold the world record for the fastest-selling rock concerts in UK history after the 220,0000 tickets for their comeback gigs at Heaton Park were bought in 68 minutes. And they happen to be Hubby's favorite band EVER! 

Since I was a good wife accompanied Hubby to the concert, he in turn took me for many fine meals in Singapore. Without a doubt, the best meal we had this trip, in fact this year, was lunch at JAAN.

Simply spectacular...



Jaan is located in Swissotel, The Stamford on the 70th floor. This intimate restaurant seats only 40-people and serves modern French cuisine. I had my eyes on this place since our visit in May but at that time we didn't get to dine here since it was closed due to the public holiday.

This time, I made sure we found time to visit this restaurant. The restaurant is helmed by Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer, a very talented young chef. Chef Julien has already received numerous accolades, including the World Gourmet Series “Rising Chef of the Year” 2012 and the “Best Dinner Experience (Western)” Award of Excellence at this year’s G Restaurant Awards.

From our lunch here, we gathered that he is very passionate about fresh produce and his food presentation is top notch. Just look at the food photos in this post and you will know what I mean! Thanks to the floor-to-ceiling windows, it was the perfect setup for photos too!

For me, the whole dining experience here was spectacular - from the service (no snobbish waiting staff here), food, personal touches, theatrics, ambiance and view. I really had an enjoyable lunch.



Stunning Murano crystal and silver free-form chandelier that spans the entire length of the ceiling

And the view..  we got a good view of the Marina Bay Sands as well as Singapore Flyer.  Gorgeous!

There is a 3-course set lunch for S$58, 5-course degustation lunch for S$88 or 7-course artisanal lunch for S$138. We went for the 5-course degustation lunch. Even before our first course arrived, we were served many delectable canapes and amuse bouche.


The canapes were exquisitely presented, I was so impressed! We started off with the croquette of cheese and potato, followed by crispy chicken skin and smoked Danish eel with pickled apple gelee and kombu seaweed. They all tasted really good too, with great play on texture and flavours. The croquette was crispy on the outside with fluffy filling within. Chicken skin never tasted so good before! ;P

Canapes





In the small jar is Chef Julien's interpretation of hummus - using fine lentils from Saint Flour, Auvergne and chestnut paste. It was served with these really delicious crispy rye crisps... we wished we could have more of this to finish up the whole jar of hummus.

Hummus

Rye crisps.. more please?


When we finished our canapes, this appeared before us... the amuse bouche, mushroom tea with cepes sabayon and walnuts. During our meal, many of the "finishing touches" to the dishes are done right in front of you, it was quite cool to watch and listen to their explanation of each dish.

Oh and the staff are really well-trained, I think by now they observed that I took a lot of photos - for instance, they placed the tray before me for me to take a before shot before they proceeded to pour the mushroom tea into each individual glass. I love how rich and creamy the soup tastes. They gave us a spoon to eat the soup but we just drank it straight from the cup. Wish there was more!



Love how they do everything in slow motion so you can capture them in photos!


Rich and creamy, indulgent!


Irresistible breads.. my favorites were the truffle brioche (which goes really very well with the mushroom tea) and the walnut and raisin bread. 


The Ballotine of French quail and foie gras was served with Medjool dates puree, maple reduction and toasted poilane. The rich ballotine was nicely complemented by the sweet dates puree and maple reduction...  the portion was really quite small, I guess that's why they're called tasting portions!


Toasted poilane


The next dish that arrived at our table has to be my favorite. We are told that this is one of Chef Julien's signature dishes. The organic eggs has been cooked at 64°C for 55 minutes, then smoked with rosemary.. it was served with smoke and all at the table, and made us go WOW! How's that for special effects.. the eggs are then carefully poured into the accompanying dish of carrot flower, Joselito bellota ham, garden peas, fairy rings and cepe nougatine. Smoked rosemary is also placed at the bottom part of the glass so you lift it up and you will get a whiff of rosemary too. This has to be one of the most perfect looking eggs I've laid my eyes upon. The texture was silky smooth and the slightest pierce created a beautiful pool of yellow... this egg dish really awakens the senses.

55' Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg


Pour it carefully


Delicate organic egg... so pretty!

Pierce it and watch the yolk run....beautiful!



This was followed by the 60 second saba fillet.. I am generally not a fan of saba, but since it was served as a fillet I quite enjoyed it. I especially liked the sauteed young squid which was nice and crispy. I felt that this tasted really healthy.



I was quite excited in trying the Kurobuta Pork - the Kurobuta pigs are prized for their juiciness, tenderness and flavour. The pork was served in 4 preparations, crispy belly, trotter, cheek and rib. My favorites are the crispy pork belly with melting layers of fat and the trotter. They are served with colorful wild Chantenay carrots and hipsy cabbage.

Kurobuta Pork in 4 Preparations



Crispy pork belly with melting fats


Palate cleanser - lemon panna cotta with thai basil sorbet, thyme espuma and lemon meringue 

Dessert was Choconuts version 3.0. I thought this was quite ordinary and the presentation a little messy compared to the other courses. However, it was still quite nice -  it was made up of sable breton, Tanariva chocolate, tonka bean ice cream, macadamia and pecan nut, and walnut snow.




Chef Julien came out to present the petit fours to us - and I quickly asked him if he would take a photo with me. ;)


Pretty petit fours

The petit fours consisted of lemon and peppermint lolly, lavender chocolate, passion fruit marshmallow served like a macaron, madeleine and rosemary lollipop. They were all so pretty and really, it made our meal end on a bright note. We were told to eat the rosemary lollipop last since it needed some time to warm up first so that we can enjoy it to its full potential.








Coffee/tea is included


And I also got a signed menu with a personalised message from Chef Julien :D


Verdict: Best meal of 2012 (so far).. love the ambiance, service and food! 

Full set of photos can be viewed on my Facebook page here. 


Opening times: Lunch: Monday to Saturday: 12.00 - 14.30; Sunday and public holidays: closed. Dinner:
Monday to Saturday: 19.00 - 22.00; Sunday: 18.30 - 21.30; Public holidays: closed
Service: Excellent.

Price: S$88 for 5-course degustation lunch (plus canapes, amuse bouche, petit fours and coffee/tea)

Location: JAAN, Swissotel The Stamford, Level 70, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882.

Tel: +65 9199 9008 or email reservations@equinoxcomplex.com

45 comments:

  1. I love the presentation of the food, they are so pretty! And the price is reasonable too. Wish I can visit at this place next time when I go down to Singapore. :)

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    1. Everything is so exquisite, you should try n visit next time in SG! And the restaurant is so bright, great for photos!

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  2. Dear Baby Sumo,

    Looks like an awesome meal and great value too for that price. I think international cuisine in Singapore hotels are miles ahead if compared to Malaysia.

    Malaysia needs to wake up and review it's halal laws imposed on international hotels. I agree halal meals at hotel restaurants can still be very good with a creative chef and there are lots of other choices but there are more than a few reasons why Singapore is attracting highly respected international chefs and hospitality businesses while Malaysia is not.

    Initiating a food fight with Singapore is also quite futile in my opinion.

    http://chopinandmysaucepan.com/the-debate-on-the-origins-of-food-a-futile-food-fight

    ReplyDelete
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    1. Yeah agree that Singapore has a much vibrant and better fine dining scene. I really enjoy going to all the fine dining restaurants there as the food is exciting.

      I guess in Malaysia, a lot of restaurants have and choose to cater to the Muslims hence they stay pork free.

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  3. that's gotta be one of the prettiest eggs i've seen!

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    1. You are right! And one of the most delicious ways to eat it too.

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  4. wow... what a magnificent lunch!! I dont even know what to say except this chef Julian is so creative and meticulous!!

    Everything single course downright to the canapes and amush bouche is just amazing.... this would definately be a hard restaurant to beat in terms of creativity and skills... lucky you Yen!! :D

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    1. Chef Julien is also very young, so hopefully diners will get to enjoy his food here for a very long time!

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  5. Wow...wat a Jaantastic place! Definitely a must-visit when in SG...hehe =)

    Loving the presentations of the interesting dishes lar...haha :D

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    1. Yes lah, you must go. You will love it more than Ichiro! Haha.

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  6. Love the rosemary smoked organic egg!! A place to keep in mind for a special occasion...

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    1. Mich, you are so lucky that you can come here anytime you want! In fact most of SG fine dining restaurants are really great!

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  7. this looks promising. might go there if i head to singapore on nov... that is if i can get tickets to the korean concert. kekeke

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  8. Love the egg!!! I thought you cooked that the other day?

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    1. Oh you mean the poached egg ah? Slightly different... wish I could make it like this!!

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  9. Ahh gorgeous meal! I can almost feel like I was there too, enjoying the atmosphere and the pretty dishes! hehe our flight back would transit in Singapore but too bad for only 1 hour. No chance to go out and explore.. but I'm looking forward to more stories from your blog! :)

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    1. Hehe next time plan a longer transit then u can go into town to enjoy some good food!

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  10. Wow - what a place and what a meal! It looks as spectacular as you say it tastes. I think that constitutes a fair 'thank you' for joining hubbie at the concert!

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    1. Haha yes indeed, I am very happy with his "thank you meal". Had a great time! Even the concert was pretty good.

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  11. Replies
    1. Hehe surprised noone else commented abt the chef. But agree with you on that! ;P

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  12. nice name and I like the runny yolk on the salad

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    Replies
    1. Hehehe the restaurant name kinda sounds like my name too! ;P

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  13. What a gastronomic experience! And very reasonably priced too. You can't get that combination in KL at all. :) I love slow cooked eggs! The whole theatrical way of serving the dishes reminds me of Vue De Monde in Melbourne too.....

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    1. Yeah I know, some places in KL got the view but the taste is crap. But I know a few places in KL which serves very good fine dining food also lah, but the theatrics at JAAN was definitely something uniquely different.

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  14. oooh, i have the stone roses greatest hits cd on my shelves. but i must admit i've never quite listened to them properly. i just bought it on a whim some years ago, heh :D anyways, jaan looks incredible. i love the presentation and execution of the dishes that you ordered. it makes the whole experience exciting, right, when you're not sure how the next dish will appear on the table! :D

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    1. Hubby has all their CDs, so I always have to listen to their songs! I have to say I enjoy their songs more now that I've been to their concert. It was quite electrifying watching them live, esp the guitarist which was very very good.

      Yeah JAAN was definitely the highlight of our trip. So happy I got a photo with Chef Julien too!

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  15. What a post! What a meal! What a lot of captivating pictures thats so mouth watering!

    I am so keen to try the organic egg and also mushroom tea!

    What puzzles me is how the egg is cooked for 55minutes and yet the yolk still flows!

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    1. The temp has to be kept constant at 64 degrees... love how easily the egg slips out when he tips it over to pour it into the glass too! I wonder if it ever gets stuck, probably NOT!

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  16. The food looks amazingly good and so creative too from the very beginning to the end! :D

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    1. Everything has been very well thought out! Really loved it.. still makes me smile when I think about our meal here!

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  17. Cant pronounce or even hewrdof half the ingredients mentioned LOL. But certainly a great meal, theatrics and all. Great value, even in RM terms i think. You wont find that he in KL.

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    1. Haha yeah it was! Well if earning SG dollars, fine dining in SG definitely great value for money lah.

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  18. Love the presentation and the variety of things on offer. The egg and the pork dishes are something I would love to try!

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  19. Hi Baby Sumo, wow....everything look so delectable and amazing. Very delicious meals,you must be smiling in your sleep too! :)

    Have a nice week ahead.

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    1. Hehe you are right, sometimes I still dream of the lovely food from JAAN.

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  20. This whole post is food porn! Awesome pics Yen!

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  21. Wa I had to read that mushroom tea part a few times to make sure I understood it right. So cool and interesting! Is it soup? Is it tea? Is it both? lol

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    1. OK I think it's supposed to be a soup but it's served like a tea (the colour, the cafetiere). I think! :P

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  22. Beautiful photos taken at JAAN ;-)

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  23. WAOHHHh!! Everything look so beautiful and delicious.... Why don't we have this in Malaysia?!??!?!

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