In a country brimming with eclectic epicurean influences from across the globe, MICHELIN-starred French fine-diner JAG rises above the field with its unfettered deference to the humble vegetable.
The leek, the onion, the fennel, and the snow pea — so often undervalued by diners in the face of extravagant meats and seafood — are elevated from supporting characters to gastronomic stars worthy of top billing at Singapore’s highest temple for produce-driven cuisine, now tucked nicely into a beautifully restored warehouse overlooking the river.
Within, chef-owner Jeremy Gillon holds court with an approach to the classic French dégustation with successive courses highlighting the finest produce of the season. Proteins are duly represented, of course, but never allowed to overstep in the restaurant’s adulation of nature’s bounty.
“French cuisine is based on respect for produce, seasons, tradition, technicality, and the transmission of our mentors, allowing us to reinvent ourselves on a daily basis.”
"My way of conceiving my cuisine is to show what nature and our farmers have to offer in each season. Vegetables are an essential part of my cuisine. Even if meat, fish, and all proteins contribute a necessary accompaniment to my cuisine, vegetables bring me such a variety of textures and flavours, which allows me to express emotions through this cuisine of produce and tradition," he adds.
Gillon’s wholehearted commitment to time-honoured beliefs, terroir, and the purest expression of emotion through good food and drink is shared by Martell, a French cognac house, which for more than three proud centuries, has been carrying the flag for prestige eaux-de-vie — not the least for its most iconic pour, the Martell Cordon Bleu.
Martell Cordon Bleu is peerless in its identity as the house’s first named cognac. It was introduced in 1912 by Martell’s great-grandson Edouard, breaking new ground with an exceptional blend of more than 100 brandies — each representing distinct floral aromas and memories from a bygone age of the house’s grand heritage.
“Like many products in France, when we talk about cognac, we talk about traditions, heritage, and transmission.”
Now, values are not the only thing bringing Gillon and Martell together. Cognac is famously a cornerstone of French cuisine, whether you’re deglazing a pan after searing off a filet or putting together a chicken liver terrine. “It is a source of memories for my beginnings in the kitchen,” says the chef. “And also a source of moments of sharing, joy, and discovery in my learning."
A particularly treasured memory he had working with the spirit came when he was invited to the Gastronomades, a culinary event and festival in the city of Angoulême in southwestern France. “We were on a stage with another chef, and we had a mystery basket. In it, there was cognac, rabbit, and shrimp,” he says.
“I had to make the decision to make a rabbit and shrimp marinade to roll in this rabbit, then finished it with a cognac sauce. We only had 30 minutes to make this dish, but I found this marriage of shrimp, rabbit, and cognac very impressive for the little time we had.”
It is fitting, then, for Gillon and Martell’s most well-known to come together in the creation of a singular, elegant dish that truly reflects the richness, emotionality, and spirit of the presiding parties.
“We often pair cognac with red meats, fatty fish, or possibly dark chocolate,” says the Frenchman. “I decided that awith the Martell Cordon Bleu’s round and woody aroma with a beautiful touch of freshness at the end, this would pair perfectly with celeriac. I wanted a vegetable that had both a body and a flavour that would go well with cognac.”
Celeriac is presented in multiple forms — pickled, puréed, seared with butter, and marinated with a cognac sauce.
All this is rolled into a ball and baked into a roasted hay-infused dough — with an accompanying array of sauces, including a supreme sauce hewn from the caramelisation of the seared celeriac and a cognac syrup tempered with cacao and coffee.
In Gillon’s view, the recipe incorporates a good mix of both the traditional and the modern, balancing techniques and flavours in a way that “respects the characteristics of each element in the dish".
Or, in other words: “Don’t forget — we have to enjoy this.”
