BTO: Seasonal tastes and ingredients

Business Times - 23 Feb 2009

Seasonal tastes and ingredients

NEW MENU
Jaan Level 70, Equinox Complex,
Swissotel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road.
Tel: 6837 3322
www.equinoxcomplex.com

 

THESE days, a meal at Jaan routinely elevates the senses and raises expectations - and not because the restaurant is located 70 floors above street level either. In the period since Chef de Cuisine Andre Chiang arrived in July last year, his imaginative, well-balanced and beautifully precise style of modern French cooking has made serious inroads into the local fine dining scene and turned Jaan into a go-to restaurant among the culinary cognoscenti.

 

Mr Chiang's roots may be Taiwanese but his culinary sensibilities were cultivated in France, where he earned his stripes in some of the country's brand-name restaurants, working for the likes of chefs with names such as Ducasse, Troigros, Robuchon, Gagnaire and Pourcel. He has impressed both his peers and customers at every stop, and Singapore is now the beneficiary of his considerable talent.

 

At 32, Mr Chiang has yet to reach the peak of his profession, but his cuisine is characterised by a depth, elegance and purity of taste that is evident in many of the best restaurants in the world. At the core of his cooking philosophy is a light touch and a simple respect for ingredients - if you allow the produce to shine, chances are you will too.

 

Jaan's recently launched Winter Menu features seasonal ingredients that Mr Chiang has a personal affinity for. He has direct access to some small producers in France and so is able to offer items that may otherwise be difficult to procure.

 

Take the dish featuring Forgotten Vegetables, for instance. A plate of different tiny vegetables may not sound exciting but in Chef Chiang's hands, it becomes a work of edible art. A large white plate serves as a canvas, onto which he paints a dish comprising vegetables, such as Romanesco (Italian broccoli), purple carrot and black tomato that are rarely found on menus because they are produced in such tiny quantities.

 

Other items on the current menu include a foie gras and porcini dish where the mushroom appears in three different forms - puree, confit and chip. 'When done in different forms, it gives you different flavours,' says Mr Chiang, who has a penchant for reinterpreting classic French dishes, especially from the south.

 

'I've always been pretty product-driven, and I try to use very simple combinations,' he says. 'The concept behind the new menu is that I found myself missing France and so I wanted to feature some of the things I miss, in terms of ingredients and tastes - like the taste of barbecued seafood.'

 

A dish with a piece of fatty tuna is given the grilled treatment and has a flavour that instantly recalls an open grill and hot, lazy summers by the Mediterranean.

 

A more subtle approach is taken with a dish of slow-cooked marble goby scented with Pernod and a minced tomato patty. The meal's meat dish might be a slice of roasted wagyu beef accompanied by onions, peas and black truffle potato spheres, or slow-roasted lamb fillet with a pumpkin mash.

 

A meal at Jaan doesn't come cheap, but if you've still got some mileage left in the expense account or if you're simply in the mood to indulge, you're not likely to regret eating here. The three-course set lunch ($58) isn't the best showcase for Mr Chiang, but the same careful approach and attention to detail goes into every single plate that comes out of his kitchen, whether it's a bite-sized amuse bouche or a $98 Brittany blue lobster from the a la carte menu.

 

For dinner, plan on spending $200 per head or more - there's a six-course 'Discovery' menu ($200, or $300 with wine pairings) that includes some of Mr Chiang's signature dishes, and also a seven-course tasting menu ($240, or $390 with wine pairings). On request, Mr Chiang will also customise a menu to suit your requirements.

 

Mr Chiang's goal is to produce the kind of food that instantly causes people to sit up and take notice, such as the food critic in Ratatouille who has a Eureka Moment when he samples the simple dish that transports him back to his childhood. To a large extent he succeeds, and that's why a meal at Jaan is such an exhilarating culinary ride.

 

Rating: 8.5/10

By Geoffrey Eu