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The Malaysian Insider :: Food

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Jaan: Romancing the palate Posted: 31 Jan 2013 08:48 PM PST The spectacular view from the window. SINGAPORE, Feb 1 — We wanted to have one amazing lunch in Singapore while we were here for the Miele Guide food awards and asked the advice of a friend. "Jaan!" he said without hesitation. He also suggested Gunther's for hearty and fuss-free French food, and the Tippling Club for molecular gastronomy. But we had our hearts set on Jaan, right at the top of the Stamford Swissotel. We had a table by the window and a sweeping, panoramic view of the Singapore Eye, Marina Bay Sands, and the Esplanade — Theatres on the Bay. The first thing that strikes you about Jaan is the Murano crystal "chandelier" that resembles flames right across the ceiling. It must look absolutely spectacular lit up at night. That and the lights of the city have earned Jaan the title as one of the top five romantic restaurants in Singapore. Cep Sabayon with Wild Mushroom Tea – the amuse bouche. The food was of course amazing and the service impeccable. Our five-course lunch became nine courses. It reminded me of a lunch I once had in Burgundy, France, where one starter became three starters, and one dessert became three too, and it lasted four hours! We didn't have wine with our lunch at this French restaurant that showcases an artisanal menu by chef de cuisine Julien Royer, featuring seasonal gourmet ingredients from all over the world. We were dining off a winter menu. First, a welcoming course of Cantal Cheese Cromesquis, Tarragon Crispy Chicken Skin Tandoori, Cereal Crackers, Saint-Flour Lentil Humus, Smoked Unagi, Pickled Apple and Kombu Jelly. We were wowed by the art on the plate, the fine twists and turns, showcasing the chef's playing with textures and flavours. The chicken skin had a rich aroma and crackled at the bite. The lentil humus came in a jar, to be spread on the thinnest cereal cracker. The smoked unagi was balanced perfectly with the pickled apple and kombu jelly. The amuse bouche was Ceps Sabayon, with a wild mushroom tea poured over it. All those lovely aromas floating up preceded the intense essence of the mushrooms. Oh, I must mention the breads too. Tucked in the folds of the brioche I had was black truffle; it was superb. All this and the first course was yet to be served! This was Scottish Salmon Tartar with horseradish, pickled kohlrabi and Aquitaine caviar. There were all these wonderful textures, from pearls of cucumber to the tiny cubes of salmon tinged with wasabi and the pickled, julienned kohlrabi that tasted like radish. 55' Smoked Organic Egg brought to the table in clouds of smoke. 55' Smoked Organic Egg is the chef's signature dish. The four eggs for us, cooked at 64 degrees C for 55 minutes, were brought out on its original cardboard tray, with billowing smoke from dry ice. Each egg was poured into a glass bowl over wild mushrooms, diced bits of chorizo Iberico and smoked buttery potato mash. Underneath, in a separate compartment of the bowl, rosemary sprigs set alight kept a fragrant smoke going. The crispy chorizo and slivers of wild mushrooms were each bursting with flavour, and blended smoothly with the almost-liquid egg. It was sublime. Line Caught John Dory with Romanesco Textures, Crustacean Bisque. Each dish had a show element about it, as in the Line Caught John Dory with Romanesco Textures and Crustacean Bisque. A panfried fish fillet had a crayfish bisque poured over it. There was the Romanesco cauliflower, couscous, baby mussels and a prawn that was just cooked to retain its sweetness. A lemony and creamy finish struck a perfect balance with the complex bisque. I liked everything about the Venison Saddle with mulled wine pear, celeriac and Grand Veneur sauce, from the medium rare game meat to the potato wrapped mashed potato with black truffle, the sweet winey pear and the blood orange. It had great harmony. Great harmony in the Venison Saddle. Mulled Wine Pear, Celeriac, Grand Veneur. Even the sorbet had a twist. The smooth passion fruit sorbet with the coconut espuma, sprinkled with dried banana and kaffir lime zest was fabulous. At the base were tiny sago pearls, and some basil which gelled marvellously with the whole concoction. The dessert was Choconuts 4th, with sable Breton and textures of white, milk and dark chocolate. Sable Breton is a classic French butter cookie but at Jaan, this was really thin and came slathered with peanut butter. Then there was a small piece of chocolate brownie. Choconuts 4th – sable breton, textures of white, milk and dark chocolate. The textures of chocolate? These were the fine mousse, a thin cracker, a chocolate leaf and chocolate sauce. The pleasure of tasting each defied description. The sweet was always tempered with a welcoming tinge of bitterness. Peanut butter and chocolate never tasted so good. And just when we thought lunch was over, out came Jaan's petit fours on a long platter. The grapefruit sorbet had rosemary smoke curling round it. Tasting it, we crunched on what seemed like sugar crystals which popped continuously in the mouth. A chocolate marshmallow, chocolate almonds, chocolate ice-cream, some lush cherries and we left utterly happy. Still exquisite at the last – the petit fours. Our degustation lunch was S$118, which worked out to RM350 each plus taxes. I have paid RM450 for a degustation dinner at a restaurant in PJ, and its food was only one-tenth of this quality. So save your money for one gorgeous treat at Jaan. Jaan is located on Level 70 Equinox Complex, Swissotel The Stamford In Singapore. It is closed on public holidays, and for lunch on Sunday. Call +65 6837 3322, email: reservations@equinoxcomplex.com.

A fresh cool start Posted: 31 Jan 2013 06:12 PM PST KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 1 — This dish goes by quite a few names; Vietnamese spring rolls, Vietnamese salad rolls, Vietnamese summer rolls. They're all the same, and they conjure up quite a similar mental picture for me; fresh, cold rolls wrapped in delicate transparent sheets, allowing you to get a sneaky peek into the ingredients encased inside them. Quite the perfect appetizer for a warm weather day, don't you think? Well, that's exactly what this is. Minced pieces of boiled pork, fresh green coriander or chives — have your pick, succulent prawns, long strands of beehoon (rice noodles), a handful of spearmint and deliciously crisp lettuce, all tightly rolled in translucent rice paper sheets, chilled to perfection and served with the most delicious dipping hoisin sauce. To roll them tightly without breaking the delicate skin of the paper sheets might be a challenge, and they can only be perfected with practice, practice, practice. The paper sheet has to be rehydrated with a touch of water before being used to assemble the rolls. These Vietnamese paper sheets have a water activity of below 0.80, way lower than the water activity for harmful mould and microorganisms to grow, which is 0.96. This ensures that they are shelf stable and there would be no harmful growth on the paper sheets that could harm you, even if they are not kept in the refrigerator. Bear in mind though that it is very important not to over soak the dry paper sheets; just a slight addition of moisture would suffice. The meat and vegetables for the filling contains moisture as well, and when you wrap them up with the paper rolls, the moisture content from the filling will migrate to the paper rolls, making them soggy and so not appetizing. All the ingredients used in the spring rolls have to be fresh, and they are minimally cooked, ensuring that they are packed with healthy goodness. This makes this amazing dish a robust and delicious one, and a mind blowing way to start your meal. Vietnamese spring rolls Prep Time: 20 minutes Serves 6 12 large round rice papers 100g thin rice noodles, soaked in hot water until soft and rinsed 1 cup fresh beansprouts, both ends removed 1 cup fresh spearmint, washed thoroughly few sprigs of fresh coriander, roughly torn 200g cooked pork belly, cut into small pieces 24 tiger prawns, shelled, deveined and cooked A few lettuce leaves, washed and broken to 3 inch pieces Dipping sauce: 1/2 cup hoisin sauce 1 teaspoon vegetable oil 2 tablespoon hot water 2 birds eye chillies, sliced thinly roasted peanuts, crushed 1. Using a bowl of lukewarm water, rehydrate rice paper in water by rolling its ends in the water for 3 seconds. 2. Place rehydrated paper sheet on a clean plate and fill it with lettuce, rice noodles, cooked pork, spearmint, beansprouts and coriander. Make sure you do not overcrowd the paper roll with ingredients. 3. Fold both sides of paper round inwards. Roll from bottom end (nearest to where you're standing) to the top. In the middle of rolling the paper roll, add two cooked prawns before finishing up your roll to the top. 4. Repeat process for the rest of the fresh spring rolls. 5. Meanwhile, prepare dipping sauce by combining hoisin sauce, hot water, vegetable oil, cut chillies and crushed peanuts in a bowl. Mix ingredients thoroughly together. 6. Dip fresh spring rolls into prepared sauce before eating. Remember not to double dip! For more recipes, go to www.chopstickdiner.com.

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