Contemporary British Cuisine At The Renamed JAAN By Kirk Westaway
The fine-dining restaurant on the 70th floor of Swissôtel The Stamford has evolved over the years under the stewardship of many an accomplished chef. Now, the restaurant is marking its departure from its French roots — beginning in 2008 when it was known as Jaan par Andre under Andre Chiang and then JAAN during Julian Royer’s tenure — with a new name: JAAN by Kirk Westaway. The past four years have seen the British chef leading the restaurant on an increasingly British-inspired journey, culminating in a MICHELIN star in 2016 and the launch of his Reinventing British menu philosophy in July 2018. The eponymous redirection is a fitting reflection of Westaway’s all-encompassing touch in the restaurant, from the playlist and personalised menus to the handmade ceramic tableware and bespoke flower arrangements.
Famed Taiwanese Bakery Wu Pao Chun Makes Its Singapore Debut
The eponymous Taiwanese bakery, which started in Kaohsiung in 2010, has opened in Capitol Piazza. The baker made his name by winning international bread-making awards with his Lychee Rose Royale and Red Wine Longan breads. The shop, which soft-opened last Friday, offers around 30 varieties of breads and buns. The bakery is brought in by the Breadtalk group.
The exclusive-to-Singapore buns such as Kaya Kebaya, which is a pandan-flavoured baguette slathered with kaya; Coconut, a brown sugar bun studded with desiccated coconut, and Coffee C, which is flavoured with dark rum and coffee beans. The caffeine-fuelled bun is a homage to Wu’s favourite beverage, Kopi C when he was studying for his Master’s degree in Singapore. His award-winning breads such as Lychee Rose Royale and Red Wine Longan are freshly baked only a few times a day. Only 150 loaves of each variety are available daily. Visitors can expect about 60 breads when the bakery officially opens on 14 June.
The historic Alkaff Mansion in Telok Blangah Hill Park is getting a Basque makeover with three concepts that are run by local food and beverage company 1-Group. Located on the ground level is TXA Pintxo Bar, the group’s latest concept that revolves around pintxos, or bite-sized Basque snacks served in bars to accompany cocktails and wine. Small plates include Jamon Iberico De Bellota and breaded squid. Also on the ground floor is the second outlet of Wildseed Cafe, which started out at The Summerhouse in 2017. The floral-themed cafe offers all-day dining, pastries and cakes by chef Jasmin Chew. On the second level is Spanish restaurant UNA, which has shifted out of its One Rochester location. The restaurant has a Basque focus, with signature dishes such as Char-grilled Octopus and Paella De Chorizo Y Habitas that is slow-cooked with chorizo and fava beans.
New Japanese Offerings At Bincho At Min Jiang
Yakitori restaurant Bincho, which started out in Tiong Bahru, has opened its second outlet in Dempsey Hill. It occupies a spot in a colonial building that also houses Cantonese restaurant Min Jiang. While its signature Yakitori Platter that is grilled over bincho-tan remains on the menu, more than half of the dishes in the 52-seat Bincho At Min Jiang are new. New additions by executive chef Asai Masashi include the Uni Shabu Shabu, which features a broth made from uni or sea urchin and a platter of seasonal seafood such as oysters, crabs, abalone and prawns. Fans of the grill should save space for the Yasai Maki, a skewered meat roll that is wrapped with thinly sliced pork or beef and seasonal vegetables such as Japanese long yam, young corn and mushrooms.
With overseas outlets in Hong Kong, Bangkok and San Francisco, Osaka’s famed Gram Cafe & Pancakes will finally open in Singapore at VivoCity on 14 June, serving up its Instagram-famous stack. The souffle pancakes at Gram are slow-cooked on low heat and whipped full of air, then served in a wobbly tower of three with butter, whipped cream and syrup.
While pancakes are usually made from flour, eggs, milk and butter, Japanese-style souffle pancakes are made from egg whites whipped into a meringue and cooked slowly in ring molds on a pan, giving them a cloud-like texture. At Antoinette, chef Pang Kok Keong has also just launched a new menu introducing his take on souffle pancakes, eschewing the ring mold for a rustic homemade look. Antoinette’s souffle pancakes are available as both savoury and sweet dishes: the savoury Forestiere is served with creamy mushroom sauce and an equally fluffy scramble, while the sweet options include creative flavours like Ondeh Ondeh and Creme Brulee, and the classic combination of berries, vanilla creme Chantilly, butter and syrup.
In line with the Les Amis Group’s mission to provide platforms for new talents, this month sees two brand new concepts opening at Shaw Centre — Peranakan restaurant Indigo Blue Kitchen and Kausmo, a restaurant that uses ingredients such as overstocked produce.
Located on Level 3, Indigo Blue Kitchen is a 78-seater restaurant helmed by young local chef Chong Jun Xiang, who serves up heritage dishes carefully fine-tuned in consultation with Peranakan matriarchs, presented with a modern update. Signature items on the full menu available from 7 June include IB’s Nonya Poh Piah, Bakwan Kepiting Soup and Satay Babi Lemak.
Its neighbour Kausmo will open its doors on 11 June. Co-founded by a local female duo, chef Lisa Tang and front-of-house manager Kuah Chew Shian, Kausmo aims to foster conversation about sustainability and thoughtful living through cooking with what others might consider food waste — fruit, vegetables and other produce that are overstocked or oddly shaped and sized. The space, which feels like the kitchen and dining room of a friend’s home, is centred around a 16-seat communal table that overlooks the open kitchen. The six-course modern European degustation dinner comes with Asian inflections and a side of great conversation from the bubbly duo who want to share stories about their produce, local farmers and ideas about sustainable living.
Swissotel The Stamford has revamped and renamed its all-day international buffet restaurant from Cafe Swiss to Clove. The restaurant’s menu is inspired by native spices from Asia, North-east Africa and Europe. Stand-out selections from the buffet include Chilean Black Mussels, Slipper Lobster, Coq Au Vin, Seared Seabass With Asian Style Sauce and Butter Chicken. The buffet also includes counters such as a DIY Poke bar that is inspired by the Hawaiian raw fish dish, Salads From Around The World and a Noodle Bar that dishes out Singapore Sliced Fish Noodle With Cognac, Singapore Seafood Laksa and Malaysia Ipoh Chicken Hor Fun With Mud Crab.
