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jaan

January 16, 2012
Fine Dining ($70 above), French, Raffles City | Marina Bay
1 Comment

atas much?

yay! back to food blogging!

ya know.. it’s a bit of a chore at times to be honest.. taking picture of food in dimly lit conditions, trying your best to get that perfect, non-shaky shot, then post-processing images, trying to salvage the blemishes introduced due to taking photos at iso-400 (yeah my cam kinda sucks.. sponsor me please, canon?) and then having to write much about food whatsoever.

yet, some restaurants are simply meant to be reviewed — to me the motivation comes from eating food so inspiring, whimsically creative, complete and every dish a literal work of art both visually and taste-wise. and yes, jaan is one of them. but don’t expect this to come cheap.

let’s talk ambience. jaan is situated at the 70th floor of swissotel hotel, meaning it commands a really spectacular view of the city-hall-marina bay area that is really magickal and the sky dims and night approaches and you get to see all the beautifully lit buildings twinkling and being reflected by the esplanade bay waters. to be honest, this one of the things that every singaporean ought to feel somewhat proud of.. we have such a beautiful skyline and harborfront nowadays..

ok the interior of jaan is somewhat disappointing to be honest, because it looks like some plain ole’ dining hall with non-descript, sparse furnishings and deco. the statement piece i suppose are the interesting glass ceiling lights but to me they look kinda ugly, almost like some twisted scrap metal that was being suspended from the ceiling. hmm.

but who cares about decor when we come here for the food? let’s start the show.. we ordered the 5 course degustation menu for $148 (without wine and without the cheese supplement of $35).. seriously this place doesn’t come cheap, but good food is what you are paying for. the chef has generously littered the degustation menu with many free servings of pre-appetizers and pre-desserts as you can see from the picture at the top. they are intricate, really yummy stuff that was described kinda quickly and in that foreign accent-style that most european waiters adopt.. so errm.. i couldn’t really catch it. but its nice la.

ossiblue prawn ceviche – lime marinade, oscietra cream, pear and radish (along with rice cracker)

first course out of the gate and i’m really genuinely impressed. the prawns are tantalizing, but what is truly impressive is the thought that has gone into determining the combination of ingredients that goes on the plate and creates this harmonious and expertly balanced dish – the limey sourness and sliminess of the prawns counterbalances perfectly both the creamy savoriness of the oscietra cream and the crunchy texture of the pear strips and rice cracker. the pear and radish also lent that vegetal note to the dish, really creating a smorgasbord of flavors that complemented each other perfectly. i craved for more.

55′ smoked organic egg – with Jerusalem artichoke, chanterelles, iberico de bellota and porcini crumb 

OMG. this was like taking a humble soft boiled egg and elevating it into taste heaven what with the perfect pairing of ingredients at the side and with perfect execution. our waiter kindly informed us that the egg had been smoked at 62 degrees for 55 minutes, hence the name. whatever the rationale, the egg was perfectly done and smelled and tasted amazing. i especially loved the crunchy savoriness of the dried chanterelles (a type of mushroom), the iberico ham strips and the procini crumbs. omg.. yet another perfect blend of ingredients. this was really the highlight of the meal.

trondheim bay hand dived scallop (rosemary smoked), with reinette apple cider, boudin noir and burnet

hmm.. the first dish i didn’t particular complete embrace. the scallop (which the waiter informed us came directly from trondheim bay, norway) smelled heavenly, having been infused with the smoky flavor from the rosemary and was once again divinely executed to be just the right amount of chewiness. what turned me slightly off was the use of boudin nour dollops (essentially sauce made from pig blood) because the blood taste was overwhelming and just not appealing to me. but i suppose i can appreciate the thought behind mixing these flavors – giving a meaty savoriness to a fresh seafood, and perhaps boudin noir fans would be ecstatic over the dish.

saddle of salt marsh welsh lamb – done three ways, with bitter caramel, violet artichokes, quinoa, preserved lemon and fresh anchovies

something i found kinda amusing was the fact that despite having the menu right next to us, we still couldn’t exactly decipher how each ingredient was incorporated into the dish. this is cheem stuff man. the waiter explained that the lamb was done 3 ways for 3 different portions (which i sadly cannot remember the names of). i absolutely loved the long strip of meat though, because it had the most delicious crispy layer of skin coupled with a juicy slab of meat below. very well executed once again. the other ingredients (quiona, artichoke sauce and preserved lemon droplets) formed the sauce to couple with the three different cuts, each presenting a delicious and different combination of flavors that was really appealing.

“victoria” pineapple – roasted spiced pineapple, coconut blanc-manger and exotic sorbet

took some points off the service because we asked what “exotic sorbet” meant but the waiter didn’t know, said he would check back and didn’t return with an answer. hmmz. but anyways we deduced it to be having a decent proportion of passionfruit. this dessert was really interesting, creative and satisfied the sweeth tooth on multiple levels – the blanc-manger at the base satisfied the sweet-vanilla creaminess, the caramelized spiced pineapple satisfied the sugary, chunky fruit craving and the sorbet satisfied the refreshing, cooling icy craving. its like the ultimate dessert! haha.

complimentary petit fours

hmm all in all, a really satisfying meal that was nothing short of creative, perfectly executed and magnificently balanced. this restaurant deserves its hype as no. 39th ranking in s.pellegrino world’s 50-best restaurants list 2010. chef julien royer is a great addition to the restaurant and is poised to take the restaurant to greater heights i say. good stuff, worth it for that once-in-a-lifetime experience, that date, that anniversary or something. watch the cost though [spent $200 per pax in the end, and that was with the 25% discount for Amex thats gonna expire after january] . =) 8.75/10

jaan |  2 Stamford Road, 70F Swissotel The Stamford | fine dining, french, expensive

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st pierre

September 3, 2011
Clarke Quay | Robertson Quay, Fine Dining ($70 above), French
1 Comment

unabashedly french.

last monday is what people would call a bridge workday — an unfortunate work day stuck between the weekend and a public holiday. so the common notion would be to take leave and enjoy a mega long weekend. so take the leave i did, and i used the off day to bring my parents for an executive lunch at st pierre, since dinner options would have been scarily exorbitant.

st pierre is tucked away along magazine road, in a quite little corner where you don’t just chance upon the place. you have to know the establishment exists and actually go hunt for it. but i guess with celebrity chef emmanuel stroobant at the helm, its worthwhile to hunt for the restaurant. mind you, i hunted for this restaurant because i had gone for the more pared down, cheaper version of chef stroobant’s creations at picotin and thoroughly enjoyed myself and hence i wanted more stroobant. lol.

so the interior exudes a sense of classy, understated luxuriance. there’s an air of sophistication and quiet atas-ness that can intimidate casual eaters initially, but you are put to ease immediately by the maitre d’. speaking of service, i must really commend the maitre d’ for a class act, being able to put everyone at ease and remove any sense of pretentiousness that one would assume would be attached to a classy restaurant like this. you see, my dad was kinda not familiar with the dishes and their names but the maitre d’ instantly saw my dad’s troubles and deftly handled the situation, warmly explaining what the lunch menu entailed and introducing us the best picks from the menu without a sense of haughtiness and without losing any bit of professionalism. that’s singapore service at its best imo. ok lets get to the food.

the first amuse bouche was a smoked salmon concoction (see picture above). this was a nice refreshing start, the salt grains blending well with the salmon and tomatoes. i couldn’t catch the full breakdown of the ingredients sadly, because after the maitre d’ left, the ensuing waitress wasn’t too good at explaining the dishes in detail. =(

we were next served our bread and i must say, one thing i absolutely adore about french food is how the weave in design and aesthetic within food, be it in the presentation, the colors involved with the food and even how food is described in french restaurants. every dish feels like a visual art experience both literally and metaphorically. i mean, where else would you see bread being presented in such an interesting manner? and it was delicious bread i must say — we had milk bread on the top panel along with sourdough and a yoghurt bread at the side paired with salted butter and hazlenut butter (which my dad loved). each piece was warm and smelt heavenly, and the dabs of butter lent a complementary savory touch to the bread. yummy.

amuse bouche #2 – lobster carpaccio with zucchini. again, i’m kinda annoyed because i couldn’t fully understand what the ingredients were thanks to the mumbling of the waitress. the lobster carpaccio was fresh, refreshing and delicious, the salty seafood flavor blending well with the zucchini.

appetizer – classic foie gras – pan fried foie gras with caramelized green apples and old port sauce. HEAVENLY. the best foie gras i had tasted in a long long while that truly melted in your mouth thanks to the warm sauce poured atop of the foie gras (that i assume melted the foie gras slightly). really complex, intense flavors. between this rendition of the foie gras and kinki’s foie gras and salmon sushi, i’m seriously starting to become a fanboy of foie gras.

another classic from the restaurant, the cabillaud au miso, miso braised black cod with bacon pancakes, pan fried endives and parmesan emlusion. when i saw this in the menu i instantly gravitated toward the bacon pancakes which sounded so good. when this was served, i was awed by the size of the black cod – almost completely justifying the price of the entire meal instantly. the cod was perfectly done, flakes falling off cleanly and tasting fresh and wonderful. but what really sold the dish to me was the combination of the bacon and the cod – wow, i wouldn’t have thought of such a combination but this really worked. somehow the salty flavor of the bacon juxtaposed perfectly with the nuanced, more balanced flavor of the cod, and enhanced the flavor of the cod, giving additional complexity to the dish. amazing stuff.

ahh desserts – chocolate cake, grandma stroobant’s flourless belgian chocolate with raspberries and orange zest confit. ya’know, i get immensely jealous when i see grandman’s blah blah.. on menus because i wish my family had a long heritage of amazing chefs or something with many treasured recipes to pass down. lol.. wouldn’t it be amazing to head home and smell this baking in the oven? the chocolate was just the right amount of richness and complexity. yum.

petit fours (french translation of “small oven”, usually small confections served at the end of a meal) – for this we had passionfruit macaroon, some sort of meringue and.. sigh.. i can’t really remember because the passionfruit macaroon dominated my taste buds memory. haha.. the macaroon was delicious and light, not as creamy as Canele’s renditions or as intense a flavor as La Duree, but somehow it felt just right in terms of the lightness and how it tied the entire meal together.

all in all, a beautiful gastronomic experience. i think only in french food would you call a meal beautiful, and this is one such case. the damage to your wallet? well, for set lunches, dessert+main course goes at 32, appetizer+main course goes at 42, with a supplement of 8 if you order the foie gras (do it), and the entire trio goes at 52. methinks its really pretty value for money considering the food you eat. its not those stingy bite sized portions, but sumptuous and yet nuanced dishes that excite your palete and bring you on a gastronomical roller-coaster ride. come here once for the real deal. 8.75/10

 st pierre the restaurant | 3 Magazine Road Singapore 059570 | french, fine dining, desserts, contemporary

prive

August 31, 2011
Contemporary, Fine Dining ($70 above), Other Locations, Western
6 Comments

otherwise titled: the camera-envy post

so we went to prive for dinner to celebrate joshie’s birthday, and in fine style i must say. prive is perched on this off-shore island that’s accessible via a bridge connected to mainland near vivocity. now if that’s not creating a distinct and unique ambience, i don’t know what is. and to be honest, the surroundings do little to remind you of the bustle that is singapore — tranquil surroundings amidst tidy rows of gleaming white yachts bobbing silently up and down the harbor create a picturesque and calming ambience unlike no other. it’s the very definition of upper class luxury and decadence. in some sense, it reminds me of the one time i went to one degree 15 @ sentosa cove and stared mutely at the ‘singapore dream’ materializing in my eyes. its really another world out there.

anyways, the experience there was also one that caused immense envy to me, but for an entirely different reason – because i discovered how pathetic (sorry g1o) my camera stood in comparison to my dear friend ian’s canon dslr. there was no comparison. it was like me hauling out a pea shooter to fight a war only to be facing a bazooka point blank for lack of a less crude description. and yes, whilst i gamely tried to take my food pictures using my g10, it became painfully obvious how good the quality of the shots were from ian’s camera, so i gave in and used his camera for the remaining shots. so here goes.

view from prive, shot from ian’s camera, using his flash apparatus. im seriously impressed. no touch up needed here.

amuse-bouche – essentially a single, bite-sized hors d’oeuvre that differs from an appetizer because amuse-bouches are done so based on a chef’s decision and not chosen by the diner (read: COMPLIMENTARY). it translates directly from french as “mouth amuser”. in this case, we had a curry samosa, with some drizzle of sauce that i couldn’t figure out. it was decent, but tbh not much to write about as it is almost a kop-out because curry being curry, is such a dominating flavor that it masks imperfections of any other thing.

just for comparison, this is my g10 shot, which i later touched-up slightly as well. *sad face*. i lack that amazing depth of field.

bread was really delicious, smelling and tasting as though they came directly from the oven. one type tasted overly salty at the sides though but the raisin baked bread with butter was a heavenly combination, mixing that sweet and savory tastes together for a light satisfying pre-meal food. hmm at this point it might be good to point out the service level here – i’m not too impressed, especially comparing with St Pierre (to be reviewed very soon) because the servers, while professional, were largely absent from our dining experience, neither assuming the position to explain to us the popular or better dishes, nor going out to explain what kinds of bread was presented and what sort of butter of was etc (compared to St Pierre of course). that being said, major points for actually supplying butter that was nicely melted such that one did not have to dig with their spoon furiously to carve out their butter.

oh hello, g10! we meet again! lol. i ordered the rack of kurobuta pork from their josper grill menu which was priced at a disgustingly high price of $52. like.. wow. the rationale? apparently this josper grill is some legendary culinary equipment that has revolutionized kitchens across Michelin starred restaurants. i kid you not. listen to their description of the grill -

“the josper grill is the latest professional tool that has taken the international culinary world by storm, with lauded chefs such as Heston Blumenthal, Gordon Ramsay and Jason Atherton creating Josper-centric menus in their current establishments. The Spanish hybrid indoor barbeque grill/oven powered by Bincho-tan ‘white’ hardwood oak charcoal is well known for being able to grill meat, fish and vegetables swiftly, and more importantly, perfectly.”

haha. guys, i dunno whether sometimes we lap up such hype so easily because we want to be impressed, or at least, to a certain extent, feel more privileged than others who lack the chance to try out the josper grill food. to be honest, i don’t understand how utilizing this one equipment justifies literally doubling the price of a main dish, but well, i decided to give it a shot since it is probably the only time i would venture out to this keppel island and try such food. hehe, and yes, i paid for bragging rights to say “i ate josper-grilled food“. lol. and just drifting off even more, marketing people need to learn from prive on how to phrase their menus in a way that can justify the insane prices of their meals. learn quick, my padawan:

“the (insert name of kitchen equipment) is the latest darling of chefs worldwide, having inspired notable celebrity chefs such as (insert either Daniel Boulud/Mario Batali/Gordon Ramsay/the naked chef.. you get my drift) to create customized menus in their fine establishments. This (insert European “cheem” sounding name) apparatus combines state-of-the-art technology developed in (insert US laboratory name) with the age-old natural properties of (insert Asian/Oriental exotic sounding herb name) to masterfully churn out perfect renditions of (insert your favorite dish that you intend to price exorbitantly).”

voila!

ok back to the food. ahh.. the rack of kurobuta (japanese translation: black pig) tasted AMAZING. for all my teasing, this josper grill really does work magic in infusing all the natural goodness, sweetness and juiciness of the meat within the meat such that every piece tastes equally good – a taste evolution of the sweetness from the glace and sauce to the savoriness of the meat and inherent flavor. amazing stuff that had me abandoning my manners and attacking the bone itself.

my friends tried other selections in the josper grill menu, like the premium black angus tenderloin ($58) which tasted good as well, but i felt mine was really unique, with a really elevated flavor profile compared to your typical pork dish. and yes, the picture is a beaut.

we shared a few sides including sauteed mushrooms and a potato gratin, but again, it wasn’t really much to write about. pleasant, good food but nothing out of the ordinary i’m afraid.

ahh.. desserts. this time round i chose the varlhona chocolate mille feuille, $16, essentially layers of hazelnut praline crisp & varlhona chocolate layers, served with morello cherry compote. DELICIOUS. i mean, wow.. i didn’t know mille feuille could taste so good. the exquisite combination of the nuttiness of the hazelnut praline crisp mixed with the semi-sweet varlhona chocolate made for an immensely satisfying and addictive dessert. serious. i couldn’t stop grinning whilst eating this dessert. it was that good.

fresh lychee granite and seasonal fruits, $12

lemon meringue tart, $12

my friends ordered other desserts, but to be honest, mine was so good i couldn’t keep my eyes (or hands) off the mille feuille. though i tasted the lychee granite and felt it was refreshing and well-suited for a hot summer’s day. ahh, whatevs, just. get. the. mille. feuille.

so all in all, a really enjoyable experience, except of course the paying part of the meal. superb chillout ambience coupled with fine foods (if wisely selected) at a premium price. come here for your once-in-a-decade celebration and be prepared to spend, then head home and have good memories of the nice food here.  8.0/10

prive | no.2 keppel bay vista, marina at keppel bay, s098382 | contemporary, western, fine dining, desserts

bistro du vin

June 16, 2011
French, Orchard Road, Pricey ($30 - $70)
1 Comment

le creuset style dining.

i’ve always liked the le creuset pots and pans, with their colorful hues and deep warm tones really elevating the visual impact of the food served. plus, it reallys brings about a french influence to the presentation, so its too bad it’s so darn expensive. lol.

anyways, tuesday this week was pig out night it seems, as the motley bunch of us headed down to bistro du vin, part of the les amis group, for a sumptuous dinner. semi-tucked away on the back end of the side of shaw center, bistro du vin almost seems like the poor cousin next to fine establishments like le strada and les amis, and that’s saying alot. bistro du vin feels authentically french, with fuss-free simple bistro decorations bathed in warm lighting. you see the typical french posters, flimsy-looking wooden chairs and the signature red and white checkered napkins and it does feel like you have been transported somewhere to another world. (of cos, without the cold, it just doesnt cut it as much. lol) let’s get to the food.

saucisson and iberico ham – $26

yummy! it’s not as overwhelmingly salty as italian parma ham, but every bit as savoury and tasty. iberico ham, of cos originates from spain and comes from pigs that are fed from only acorns during the last few periods of their lives. talk about being fattened up for the slaughter! …ok, kinda not a good imagery for dining, but boy, the taste of the ham is really something, and paired with freshly baked baguette pieces, this was pretty divine.

sauteed mushrooms – $4

sauteed butter mushrooms with chunks of bacon! feels like something a jolly french mom would serve to her famished kids after a day of hard work.

duck leg confit, served with puy lentils stewed with bacon – $26

delicious stuff. the duck leg is fantastic, crispy on the outside but juicy and imbued with all the duck flavors within. and mind you, i didn’t know what puy lentils where, they just looked and tasted like sauerkraut. i was so eager to eat the duck i forgot to pair the sauerkraut and bacon together with the duck to try the combination of flavors, but overall, i think even the french should approve of this rendition of their classic dish. (well, i saw french-looking people eating this)

strawberry mascarpone, meringue and vanilla ice cream ($14)

mind you, after such fantastic dishes, i was expecting the dessert to be out of this world, considering that the french are also known for their sweet stuff. but hmm, i wasn’t too impressed with this offering – somehow the flavors of the mascarpone and vanilla were too similar that they kind of clashed whereas the meringue bits and the strawberries were just kinda there. there wasn’t a harmony in flavors in my opinion.

all in all, a yummy, sufficiently authentic french restaurant that is worth a visit, or say, for the celebration of sorts. but yeah, it does take a toll on your wallet, so be warned. 7.5/10

Bistro Du Vin |   1 scotts road, #02-12 | french, fine dining