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2014-02-13
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For pictures and full review, pls visit:http://madamechewy.com/2014/02/13/jaan-degustation-lunch/Located on the 70th floor of Swissotel’s Equinox Complex, Jaan boasts spectacular views of Singapore’s skyline. Book EARLY to avoid disappointment, as this intimate artisanal French restaurant only has 40 seats. That doesn’t mean you have to cramp, no worries. There is lots of space between tables, giving adequate privacy. Excellent place for romantic meals!Décor is minimalist and neat, with muted c
http://madamechewy.com/2014/02/13/jaan-degustation-lunch/
Located on the 70th floor of Swissotel’s Equinox Complex, Jaan boasts spectacular views of Singapore’s skyline. Book EARLY to avoid disappointment, as this intimate artisanal French restaurant only has 40 seats. That doesn’t mean you have to cramp, no worries. There is lots of space between tables, giving adequate privacy. Excellent place for romantic meals!
Décor is minimalist and neat, with muted colors and crisp white table linens. Suspended from the ceiling, a free-form chandelier made from Murano crystal and silver spans the entire length of the restaurant.
Jaan’s kitchen is helmed by young (early 30s) and talented Julien Royer, who previously was chef de cuisine of Brassier les Saveurs at St Regis Singapore. He was born into a family of farmers and now displays his passion for seasonal ingredients in their pure and organic state on Jaan’s plates
Service staff are knowledgeable and courteous, yet keeping a distance to let Hubby and myself have personal space. I took some time to take pictures of the food and the manager kept encouraging me to eat some dishes quickly because they won’t taste as good when cold. Explanation of the food was rather quick; you have to listen very attentively.
The food was nothing short of amazing, indeed the epitome of French fine dining. Hubby and I were extremely pleased and look forward to our upcoming dinner in May. This blog post covers both the 3 course (amuse bouche, starter, mains, dessert, hot beverage and chocolates) and 5 course (amuse bouche, 2 starters, 2 mains, pre-dessert, dessert, Mignardises, hot beverage) set lunch, priced at $68++ and $118++ respectively. On both visits, we were lucky enough to get seats by the window.
I highly recommend going for the 5 course set lunch, as the former is not filling. Now, prepare yourself for a theatrical journey of mouth-watering food!
Amuse bouche at Jaan is very, very generous. I was very amused indeed. Most places serve only 1 item, but at Jaan, 5 items are dished out.
There’s Smoked Eel topped with Teriyaki Jelly, to-die-for Crispy Baked Chicken Skin baked to cracker-like crispiness, Fried Potato Cantal Cheese Ball (I forgot to take a close up of this)….
….Paper-thin Buckwheat chips with home-made Chef Julien’s Hummus…..
…and finally Wild Mushroom Tea poured from a presser, into a glass cup with walnuts and grilled Portobello mushrooms. Fragrant and full of earthy flavor, this warm cup of mushroom soup warms up the digestive system for more to come.
Scottish Salmon Tartar with Horseradish, Pickled kohlrabi (turnip cabbage), Aquitaine Caviar. Tartar is an acquired taste, Hubby loved it but it’s not my cup of tea, so I requested for something else.
The Aquitaine caviar is quite the star. It’s imported from France and originated from a Siberian sturgeon species; the salty aftertaste lasted for quite some time.
Because I dislike Tartar, the waiter offered to swap it for Foie gras, which I don’t like either. Finally I settled for Jaan’s Garden, which was beautifully plated with an artistic flair. Flavor-wise, it was mild and natural.
While the waiter was approaching our table with the bread basket, in my heart I was going “ah…decisions, decisions”. He told us we can have as many as we like. Wee! The truffle brioche was bursting with flavor while I can’t help myself from having multiple mini baguettes, simply because it went so well with the Bordier butter and salt. Bordier butter has a nutty aroma, fresh milky taste and is amazingly smooth.
I love dramatic entrances. Jaan’s signature 55’ Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg arrived with much finesse, and a strong scent of rosemary. Organic eggs are cooked for 55 minutes at 64 degrees; the result is runny, silky texture with creamy translucence. A single egg is gently tipped into a glass bowl with smoked rattes, autumn mushrooms, chorizo iberico and buckwheat. Awesome!
The mains were nice, but didn’t impress us as much compared to the amuse bouche and starters. Portions are rather small which is why I don’t recommend the 3 course set lunch, where you can only choose 1 main. For the 5 course set lunch, you get 2 main courses.
Line caught John Dory, Romaneso textures, Coquillages (lobster and mussels), crayfish bisque. John Dory is considered a delicacy, with delicate white flesh and a firm, flaky texture. However it was not the fish that caught my attention, but a peculiar vegetable- the Romanesco. It’s bright green, tastes somewhat like cauliflower, but more nutty and with fractured texture. Interesting!
Beautifully tender and aromatic Venison Saddle drizzled with Grand Veneur, blood orange, celeriac.
Pre-dessert sorbet cleanser (5 course set lunch only)
Choconuts 4th consists of Tonka bean ice cream, sticky chewy carambar, Tanariva chocolate shards and gianduja. Conservative (you can’t go wrong with chocolate and nuts) and not all that exciting, save for the crackly pops in the chocolate bits.
Hot beverages and chocolates which are included in the 3 course set lunch.
Spectacular Mignardises rounds off the 5 course degustation lunch. This is the most impressive Petit fours I’ve encountered! Marshmallow, chocolate-coated nuts, lime mint sorbet sticks and rosemary infused ice cream lollipop- good sweets are instant gratification!
Although pricy, Jaan is certainly worthy of a special occasion dining!
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