August is a special month for Singapore as the Lion City celebrates its National Day, and restaurants in the MICHELIN Guide Singapore are not one to miss out on the festivities.
From special National Day dinners, collaborations, and new menus, here's what's cooking in Singapore's food scene.
From special National Day dinners, collaborations, and new menus, here's what's cooking in Singapore's food scene.
Kirk Westaway of 2-Star JAAN welcomes Adam Handling of 1-Star Frog in London for a special two-nights-only four-hands dinner at JAAN by Kirk Westaway. (Photo: Swissôtel The Stamford)
Four Hands and Two Days Only with Kirk Westaway of JAAN and Adam Handling of Frog
For two days only — on 09 and 10 August 2022, for both lunch and dinner service — Kirk Westaway of two-MICHELIN-Starred JAAN joins hands with Adam Handling of one-MICHELIN-Starred Frog in London at the helm of JAAN by Kirk Westaway, which is perched on the highest floor of MICHELIN hotel Swissôtel The Stamford.
This very special two-days-only dinner spans seven courses created by both chefs, with the menu's theme leaning towards their shared ambition to elevate British cuisine.
Known for his flagship one-MICHELIN-Starred London restaurant Frog, Handling started cooking when he was very young, and he describes his set menus as founded on classical techniques, blended with playfulness and originality to produce colourful, well-crafted dishes. Much like Westaway, Handling also draws on life experiences to shape his cooking. One of his signature dishes, bread served with chicken skin butter and liver pâté, has a backstory linked to his sister, who would only eat roast chicken for Sunday lunch. Both Handling and Westaway also share the same culinary backbone of celebrating produce by utilising techniques to really make the ingredients shine.
“I’m so excited to welcome Adam to Singapore. The idea of working together came to us when we were on a trip together in the middle of the Scottish Highlands. To make it a reality will be such an awesome experience for not only our guests but also for the JAAN team. We close a few days after this to embark on a two-month transformation programme — what a way to mark the start of a new chapter!” says Westaway.
The menu will start with four snacks featuring two from each chef. Handling will present Beef and Herbs as well as a Pea and Caviar Tart, while Westaway will plate up a Beetroot Meringue and Cheddar and Black Truffle Pie.
To start, guests will be served a Tomato Salad with Basil Sorbet, comprising red and yellow baby tomatoes served on almond custard with pesto, fresh almonds, and basil sorbet. The main menu will officially begin with a dish by Handling called "All About the Sturgeon", which showcases the other elements of the fish where caviar is from, rather than just the prized egg itself. A savoury heart-shaped waffle is topped with a slice of sturgeon and finished with surgeon emulsion, English caviar, and birch syrup.
The first course will be followed closely by Westaway's Scottish Scallops with Burnt Cabbage, served with an herb sauce, tomato, and smoked eel. Next is Handling's signature dish at Frog: Lobster Wagyu, featuring Scottish lobster tail from West Scotland aged overnight in Highland Wagyu fat and fermented lobster brains before finishing on the barbecue, as well as JAAN’s Roasted Lamb, Onion, and Aubergine Pie. The meal ends on a sweet note with the Strawberry White Chocolate from Handling and signature final sweets from JAAN.
Availability is limited, so book your seats now by calling +65 6874 1488 or by email at jaan.bookings@swissotel.com.
L-R: Haricot Verts, Hysope, Seabass & Summer Tomato, Sariette, Languostine (Photo: JAG)
JAG Celebrates Summer by Unveiling a New Menu
Known for its precise focus on vegetables and herbs, one-MICHELIN-Starred JAG helmed by Jeremy Gillon has refreshed its menu, unveiling the bright and vibrant flavours of summer. “As we speak of this season, all our senses are alert. Summer fascinates us with its colours, its scents, and this feeling of well-being,” says Gillon.
Dubbed La Balade du Végétal or "The Vegetable Journey", JAG's summer menu encompasses the season's harvest from France, Italy, Australia, and Asia. The repertoire includes beetroot, corn (white and yellow), cannellini, cucumber, Romanesco, zucchini, tomato, bell pepper, potato, eggplant, haricot verts, cabbage, cherry, peach, and strawberry, which are showcased in an eight-course discovery menu, including three canapés, freshly baked bread, amuse bouche, vegetable-herb tea, a palate refresher, cheese trolley, pre-dessert, and seasonal mignardise offerings.
The vegetable journey commences with a beetroot and raspberry elixir infused with agastache herb and dehydrated beetroot dusted with beetroot and raspberry powder. This is followed by two canapés — sweet yellow and white corn tartlet infused with sage, and an intricate cannellini biscuit with aubépine and fermented soybean gel. Leading the appetiser experience is the Romanesco, with its green florets articulated in various iterations — torched, blanched, braised, raw, and puréed. The dish's flavours are enhanced by herb, sapin, and caviar.
Menu highlights include a perfectly ripe tomato, which Gillion views as the culmination of summer produce. The French chef quips that the best way to enjoy this ripened fruit is fresh from the soil. His analogy is demonstrated in the third appetiser — heirloom tomatoes in sorbet, tartare and consommé, rested on a bed of dark sourdough crumble. The dish is complemented with sea produce such as langoustine, anchovies, smoked mackerel, or sardines.
In the first main course of haricot verts, hysope, and sea bass, yellow and green beans are blanched, sautéed, and creamed to complement pan-seared sea bass. Other courses include one that features cabbage paired with pork, veal, or chicken, while dessert presents itself with peaches and strawberries.
Book a table here or call +65 3138 8477 and email reservations@restaurantjag.com.
Claudine's new à la carte dishes include Organic Egg Persillade and Basque Country “Duglere” Whiting. (Photos: Claudine)
Get to Know Claudine's New À La Carte Dishes and Lunch Hour
Newly welcomed into the MICHELIN Guide this 2022, Claudine by Julien Royer of three-MICHELIN-Starred Odette has added new à la carte dishes to its repertoire.
Available for both lunch and dinner, Claudine's new dishes aim to celebrate the light, bright, and exuberant flavours of the season. Diners can dive into the Organic Egg Persillade, a dish of soft poached egg in tomato concasse, escargot, and a parsley and garlic dressing. Another new dish is a pan-seared New Zealand John Dory in a sauce vierge of fresh tomatoes, basil, and spring onions with an accompaniment of stuffed zucchini flowers and grilled zucchini. A French classic, the Basque Country “Duglere” Whiting comprises a creamy Sauvignon wine and mushroom sauce alongside a ratatouille.
For the mains, Claudine introduces a whole-roasted Brittany pigeon, encrusted in puffed crispy quinoa, glazed in pigeon jus and paired with a carrot purée, cumin yoghurt, coriander, and mint. To finish, a new dessert item is the Strawberry Gariguette, which showcases French strawberries married with verbena ice cream, pearls of meringue, confit rhubarb, crème fraîche, and a drizzle of fruity olive oil.
Claudine also invites its guests to enjoy Lunch Hour, which is a curated selection of three starters, three mains, and three desserts that rotate monthly. Guests choose from two dishes at $62++ or three dishes at $78++ per person.
Book a table at Claudine online here or call +65 6265 2966.
Gaig celebrates Singapore's National Day with Quail Satay. (Photo: Gaig)
Gaig Celebrates Singapore's National Day — Catalan-style — with Quail Satay
This National Day, MICHELIN-listed Gaig presents a "Catalan Satay", inspired by executive chef Marti Carlos Martinez and his team’s favourite local Singaporean hawker food: satay.
The inspiration behind this special creation came when Martinez arrived in Singapore in 2017. Satay was one of the first local dishes he tried, and he enjoyed the smoky and charred spice-marinated meat. He was also quite intrigued by the unique pairing with the peanut dip. Satay has since then become his go-to supper treat with his colleagues and friends.
As Singapore is celebrating its National Day this month, Gaig pays tribute to the nation’s food-loving culture by incorporating Catalan flavours into this well-loved skewer. A whole French quail is deboned and marinated overnight with salt, pepper, herbs de Provence, and camomile. The meat is then skewered and grilled over
binchotan. The quail satay is paired with an almond-and-hazelnut-based Romesco sauce, a traditional condiment that hails from Catalonia.
Available for lunch and dinner exclusively from 08 to 14 August 2022 at Gaig, the Quail Satay is served à la carte at the restaurant for $16++.
Book a table at Gaig here.
Restaurant Gaig is also pleased to announced its very first four-hands collaboration dinner on 23 and 24 August 2022.
Gaig Introduces Its First Four-Hands Collaboration Dinner — Available for Two Days Only
Restaurant Gaig is also pleased to announced its very first four-hands collaboration dinner on 23 and 24 August 2022. Executive chef Martí Carlos Martinez and Iñaki Bolumburu, who has worked at MICHELIN-Starred restaurants around the world such as Mugaritz, Pure C, noma, and Nerua, join hands to present a contemporary showcase of Catalan and Basque cuisines. Narrating a culinary tale of two cultures, the tasting menu celebrates vibrant heritage flavours through four snacks and eight plates, expressed through innovative techniques and refined presentations.
Book your seat at this four-hands collaboration dinner here.
Mag’s Wine Kitchen will be celebrating its belated 25th anniversary with a “Forever 25” week-long festival at the restaurant along Keong Saik Street. (Photo: Mag's Wine Kitchen)
Mag’s Wine Kitchen Celebrates its 25th anniversary with a “Forever 25” Festival
From 15 August to 20 August 2022, MICHELIN-listed Mag’s Wine Kitchen will be celebrating its belated 25th anniversary with a “Forever 25” week-long festival at the restaurant along Keong Saik Street. The restaurant, which started in 1996 as one of Singapore’s pioneer wine bars at Circular Road, has evolved into a restaurant praised by the MICHELIN Guide inspectors for its delicious food and extensive wine selection, with a French and Italian-heavy menu where quality ingredients are shrewdly prepared into rich and flavourful courses, with clean and modern mise en place.
“Mag’s Wine Kitchen hit its 25th anniversary milestone in 2021 but due to COVID-19, we could not celebrate. This festival is based on all the things I love — people, wine, jazz, more. I chose to work with my friends as much as I can for all the events. I hope our regulars and new customers and friends will enjoy the Mag’s Wine Kitchen experience,” shares Magdalene Tan, founder of Mag's Wine Kitchen.
For this week-long festival, the Mag's Wine Kitchen team has brainstormed and created a series of dishes, expressing the restaurants culinary identity. Program highlights from the week of 15-20 August 2022 include a four hands with Paul Longworth of one-MICHELIN-Starred Rhubarb, along with other special wine pairing dinners. Check out the complete line-up of events at Mag's Wine Kitchen here.
Book a table at Mag's Wine Kitchen by messaging +65 9152 3367 on WhatsApp or by emailing info@magswinekitchen.com.
