Degustation Lunch at Jaan (Level 70, Equinox Complex - Swissôtel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882) Reservation: 6837 3322

Visited on 6 Dec 2014 (Sat). Jaan is an intimate, 40-seat restaurant dedicated to showcasing the finest in modern French cuisine in Singapore. Helmed by Chef de Cuisine Julien Royer, Jaan was ranked 17th at Asia's 50 Best restaurants 2014!   

I'm delighted to have my birthday celebration at the tallest and multi award-winning restaurant! Among the "high-rise" restaurants I've visited, I must say Jaan has the best breathtaking view of Singapore’s iconic cityscape! 

5 Course Degustation Set Lunch = $118++ per person = $277.77 for 2 pax.

Entrance to JAAN

The ornate interior features a stunning Murano crystal and silver free-form chandelier that spans the entire length of the ceiling.

The magnificent view... simply breathtaking...

Dining while overlooking the city... You'll be wishing that they serve everything slowly, just so you could stay a little longer... But they served a little too fast...

Amuse Bouche

I was very pleased to have so many starters before our degustation menu started. Little one-mouth items to get the palette warmed up. :)

This hummus is Chef Julien’s personal interpretation using lentils from Saint Flour in his home region of Auvergne and Chestnut Paste!

Cep Sabayon

Look, we're still at the amuse bouche - Initially we were served with just the ingredients presented in a wooden cup, then the staff will pour the mushroom tea with a french press into the cup in front of us. (Too engrossed to watch and forgot to take that photo of pouring the mushroom tea) Warm and Robust Wild Mushroom Tea with crunchy bits of walnuts and mushrooms - The most special mushroom soup/ tea I've ever had! Tastes heavenly!!!

The server will bring a bread basket with 4 different varieties to each table and we get to choose which ones we like. And not to worry if you don't choose all at one go, the server will come back to ask if you want another refill after some time or you can always ask for a refill.  Haha so far this is the only fine dining restaurant I've been to with so many choices of bread! 

Homemade bread with french butter...

Autumn Garden 

Interesting choice of arrangement, only one quarter of the side of the plate used?

As I don't take beetroot, the restaurant was kind enough to change the first dish to the Autumn Garden for me. It comes with a combination of Roots vegetables, mushroom ketchup, Burgundy truffle etc.

Beetroot Collection

An interesting dish, consists of Burratta artigiana, honeycomb, radish.. The beetroot was served frozen like a scoop of gelato. My partner says it's quite refreshing and had a very distinct taste (which I suppose is what beetroot tastes like)

55′ Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg with Ratte Potato, Chorizo Iberico and Buckwheat

This was one of the most memorable dishes! It was really mesmerizing when the egg was served in it's shell with an egg carton and dry ice flowing down across the table!

The staff will then pour the sous vide egg onto ratte potato espuma topped with chorizo iberico and crispy buckwheat. This was served in a little orb capped on top of some smoked rosemary. You could smell the waft of rosemary emanating through the gap... Wow, so much thought must have been put in just for the presentation alone!

The smoked organic egg was poached slowly for 55 minutes at 64 degrees celcius. The results were runny with silky texture...

Omg... This was really too delicious!!!

Confit Rainbow Trout with Parsley, Romanesco, Miso Caramel

The meat of the trout was extremely tender, melted in the mouth... served with fresh crunchy greens, you could taste the natural sweetness of the trout. 

Venison  Saddle

Two portions of tender venison, served with mulled wine pear, celeriac, sauce 'poivrade'. Although the venison was very tender, this dish didn't sit very well with me as I'm not a venison fan.... 

Wait.. It's not dessert time yet! Mango sorbet for palate cleansing, presented in a beautiful  glass bowl. This was really refreshing for a "pre-dessert"!

Choconuts Tart

Finally THIS is the dessert! The staff will add the chocolate espuma at the table, so that the foam doesn't go flat by the time it reaches us. Using tempered chocolate with different textures, served at different temperature here! Some chocolate was warm while some was cold, very innovative! Not forgetting the crumbly and buttery chocolate tart as well - A very unique chocolate dessert experience at Jaan! 

Mignardises (Petit Fours Platter)

Liquid nitrogen was poured onto the rosemary lollipop!

This is the most impressive petit fours that I've seen! The platter consists of Rosemary scent of chocolate ice-cream lollipop, canelé and coconut marshmallow! A canelé is a small French pastry with a soft and tender custard center and a dark, thick caramelized crust. I personally love the chocolate lollipop and coconut marshmallow very much!!

Mushroom with chocolate macaroons! This was quite a rare macaroon combination and it's not bad....

Coffee and Cappucino to end the meal....

Complimentary birthday cake from Jaan! Thank you! A very premium quality chocolate cake that was not too sweet! :)

The five-course lunch here seems like a 9-course lunch with all the little additional treats. From the amuse bouche to the food and dessert, we were really impressed with the presentation, probably the BEST!!! Of course the food quality is high! You'll definitely be satisfied and feeling full leaving the restaurant. Service was prompt and good but we did not receive that kind of warm fine dining service from the lady who served us most of the time so we were a tad disappointed in this... Besides this, everything was very good... Best venue for any special occasions! 


*Highly Recommended*

Website: http://www.jaan.com.sg/about-us 

(Closed Down) All Day Brunch at Podi (252 North Bridge Road - Raffles City Shopping Centre, #B1-45, By The Main Fountain)

Visited on 23 Nov 2014 (Sun) and . Podi (Pure. Offbeat. Delicious. Infusions) brought to us by the same management from "The Bakery Depot - Cedele". Podi serves All Day Breakfast selections and delicious grills.

Podi is situated at the main fountain in the basement level of Raffles City Shopping Mall. To be able to dine in a relaxing ambience while watching the dancing water fountain, with the food at affordable prices... it doesn't get much better than this!

Daily: 10am to 10pm (last order: 9.30pm)

Please make reservation as this place is located just beside the water fountain, very popular place!

Latte ($5++)

The latte was quite thick with a nice aroma..

Duck Berry Waffle ($19++)

 Duck leg confit, waffle, runny egg, blueberry compote & honey mustard sauce.  Accompanied with a side salad!

It's not easy to cook a perfect duck leg confit, so far only Shutters can impress me. But I must say Podi has won my heart too! Crisp exterior with well-marinated tender flesh beneath, oh so yummy! A very bold creation indeed as this is the first time seeing a duck confit with egg and waffle combination. It's like having main course with dessert 2-in-1... Not everyone can accept savoury-sweet dish together, but to my surprise, it works well for me! The crisp belgium waffle has a very aromatic buttery taste, complementing well with the sweet-sour blueberry compote goodness! Not forgetting the well-cooked smooth runny egg atop... Overall a very delightful breakfast!!!

Stuffed Ham & Brie Brioche French Toast ($16++)

The french toast is made with eggs and spinach brioche, stuffed with smoked ham and cheese, served with grilled tomato and greens. If you like your french toast with a little more punch, this dish is for you! The savoury smoked ham gave a heavier feel to the french toast and the spinach must have been added to offset the guilt... Nonetheless, this is a dish for ham and french toast lovers and those who want a filling breakfast.

Savoury Waffle ($17++)

With scrambled eggs, smoked salmon, bacon and side salad. This is another satisfying and filling meal! The scrambled eggs were creamy except a little bland.. Complemented well with smoked salmon, bacon and the yummy waffle. The portion were generous..

Service was average as we need to try a few times before we could catch their attention. I did not put in much hope before I went to Podi as the food at Cedele did not impress me. So I was really glad that the food turned out to be better than expected. The food quality of the above three items met my expectations! This is the place that we will go back for brunch frequently!

*Recommended*

Website: http://podifood.com/