Restaurant JAG
76 Duxton Rd, 089535
restaurantjag.com
Michelin-starred Restaurant JAG takes its guests on a culinary expedition through the French Alps, unveiling a wave of intriguing scents emanating from Savoie dry herbs, flower petals, and the best of seasonal vegetables.
Chef Jeremy Gillon explains, “We are privileged to have the opportunity to showcase to our diners that an opulent degustation dining experience can have vegetables as the star of the show – and they are always surprised. Since our launch two and half years ago, we feel more confident than ever about empowering our diners with our latest series of seasonal, and at times forgotten vegetables and wild-foraged herbs driving the dining journey.”
Royal Yellow Corn, sage, 8GemsCaviar, Chitose White Corn
We were at Restaurant JAG to experience their bold and exciting degustation menu: La Balade du Végétal ($298++) – The Vegetable Road – a 16-dish expedition through the Savoie mountainous region. These creations of seasonal vegetables and wild-foraged herbs ranged from raw to cooked, textured, and/or concocted into elixirs and teas. There’s a wine pairing (248++) option to accompany the meal, and an extensive wine list.
The menu is true omakase, unique, and created around the diners’ dietary preferences – no two menus are the same – and the offerings are a repertoire of different course stages: amuse-bouche, canapes, starters, mains, desserts, and cheese. Chef Jeremy’s philosophy puts vegetables as the main protagonist in each of his creations and a protein element joins some of his dishes. However, one dish component that is never absent is wild Savoie-foraged herbs.
Reine De Pres, trumpet zucchini, turbot
Our menu starts with a combination of celtuce (a Chinese version of lettuce), mint and apple tea. The tea was served in a small vial to be downed in one; the elixir left a wonderful aftertaste that matched the celtuce. Despite the simplicity of the ingredients, the fusion of flavours and techniques created a complex and sophisticated starter; it set the tone for what was to come.
Tarragon, octopus, heirloom tomato
Next up was a dish of shallots, serpolet and Bayonne ham followed by fennel, berce, and scallop – an outstanding weave of flavours. A mix of cannellini beans and basil closed the first part of the menu. We then started our next series of courses with tomato, vin rouge, and octopus – the sweetness of the octopus blended exquisitely with the dry wine and wild herbs. We moved on to bell peppers, verveine, and crab; the punch of the peppers was softened by the verveine and the delicate crab. To change pace, we were served mixed carrot tea with Thyme Citron – an uncomplicated list of ingredients which created a wide variety of flavours.
Parsley, aubergine, quail
The following courses started with bok choy, acchilee, and eel – the soft smokiness of the eel had a nice lift from the bok choy and acchilee. This preceded chicken paired with romanesco broccoli and aubergine and an intriguing fish dish of zucchini and Reine de Pres – the delicate mix of the zucchini and the fish was accentuated by the perfumed scent of the dry herb. Breaking away from proteins, we had a subtle creation of sorrel, apple and frene – the sorrel and apple combo was a nice contrast to the prior two dishes. Our last dish was the aubergine, pigeon and carvis. The roasted pigeon packed a meaty and rich flavour without being gamey; the acidity of aubergine and delicate accent of the carvis was a true masterpiece.
Of course, no meal is complete without dessert. The first was a simple combination of strawberries presented in three different ways with the sweet-sour flavours heightened by the melisse (a minty balm). Our second dessert was a vegetable-based blend of beetroot, sariette (a cousin of Rosemary) and chocolate – the understated sweetness of the roasted beetroot was a nice touch mixed with the richness of the chocolate.
After a rest, we finished our meal with a cheese plate; an impressive menagerie of a worldwide range of textures and tastes and the perfect end to our culinary adventure.
VERDICT: Restaurant JAG’s degustation menu pays homage to the diversity
and traditions of French cuisine. Chef Jeremy’s mastery is found in his tribute to basic natural ingredients, to seasonal vegetables, and to the earthiness of wild foraged herbs. Dinner at Restaurant JAG is a memorable experience deserving of a very special occasion.
There’s an abbreviated lunch version ($175++) available with wine pairing ($148++). Restaurant JAG lives up to its one Michelin star status and reputation as one of Singapore’s most high-end restaurants.
