Jaan par André

A few days ago, this was my MSN nick: “My greatest desire now: going ala carte at JAAN hahaha”. At that point, dining in super atas swanky Jaan par André was a dream. Never would I imagine that it would come true so soon!

Located at the 70th level of the Equinox Complex, an awesome view of Singapore and lovely ambience are almost certainly a guarantee. It’s 1 of the little pleasures in life to dine on fine cuisine while enjoying a panoramic view of the city and beyond. Not surprisingly, dinner stretched to a long leisurely 4+hrs.

A tall, narrow vase glass of Grissini Sticks with an Eggplant Dip was served as soon as orders were taken. In parmesan and squid ink flavours, I call these “high class bread sticks”. Don’t underestimate their size, these thin twigs were highly addictive to nosh on!

A glass or two of Pinot Noir ($25++) seems appropriate for the beautiful setting.

Couldn’t resist taking another shot!

Smartly groomed waiters moved discreetly around with a bread basket in hand, offering a free flow of assorted bread. I tried the Onion Roll which was crispy but nothing exceptional. Bread is just bread to me.

Complimentary amuse bouche: Tomato Gazpacho with a scoop of Tomato Puree.

It kicks off the meal to a good start! Cold and refreshing, it whets the appetite for more.

Sea Urchin/King Crab ($58++): Symphony of Mediterranean sea urchin and Alaskan king crab. Served in 3 temperatures and kaffir lime consommé.

Out of the trio, this is my favourite part of the appetiser: a log of sweet and juicy meaty crab wrapped in a jelly-like casing and topped with sea urchin.

The clear kaffir lime consommé is very richly flavored, unlike any I’ve tried before.

Risotto is cleverly hidden under a sea of foam in a sea urchin bowl. I like that risotto is not creamy/mushy; rather, it leans towards the drier side with generous chunks of crabmeat.

Blue Fin Tuna ($56++): Grilled tuna belly “Otoro” on an aubergine ratte potato tartine. Smoked basil oil and aromatic charcoal powder.

For fish lovers, there is nothing quite like fresh grilled tuna. Definitely of a high quality, the fatty tuna belly wasn’t tough at all.

Filet De Goby ($78++): Marble goby baked in salt crust, “Étrille” crab bouillon and its crispy rissole. On Truffle Polenta “Crèmeux”.

I really love everything about this! Goby is not usually served in restaurants and the soft silky texture reminds me somewhat of cod. The fennel, squids and “wanton” ravioli filled with crabmeat were the perfect accompaniments to the fish.

Never will I see polenta in the same light again. Who would have thought that the humble cornmeal can be created into something so sinfully delectable? Of course, the truffle definitely helps! Anything with truffle will taste good to me.

Wild Barracuda ($68++): Wild baby barracuda char grilled, smoked poivrade artichoke, and roasted Brittany wheat.

I stole a sample of this and again, there were no complaints with the execution.

Vintage Chocolate ($22++): Vintage chocolate spice ganache, milk marmalade ice cream. And caramel pull-chocolate. Wow, this was dramatically presented with a flourish. Not only was it visually appealing, it tasted even better! Smooth and very bittersweet, chocolate lovers will love this.

Snickers 2009 ($22++): Snickers version 2009. I’m sure you’ve tried Snickers before. But a deluxe rendition? It’s a far cry from the simple chocolate ball. This version is a potent concoction of peanut butter, chocolate sponge cake and sticky caramel topped with peanut crumbs.

Complimentary Petite Fours: Only the white chocolate popsicle with liquid berry impresses. Nevertheless, it was a nice end to the longest and nicest meal I’ve ever had.

I’m really at a loss at expressing the whole dining experience in words. I mean, there are only so many ways I can say something’s delicious—Scrumptious! Luscious! Mouthwatering!—without sounding like a broken record. Everything was just so wonderful that you have to be there to experience it yourself to understand.

Delicious redefined.

 

Jaan par André
70F, Swissotel The Stamford
6837 3322

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