A taste of the high life

Flying into Singapore at night seems the perfect way to arrive when on a fact finding mission to discover a slice of the ‘high life’ – literally 70 floors above the Lion City.

Later, safely installed on the 60^th floor of the Swissotel The Stamford, the tallest hotel in town, I have an unobstructed view from the distinctive three-pronged structure of Marina Bay Sands, silent lights of traffic threading through historic Fort Canning district and, in the distance – Sentosa Island with its panoramic cable car and plethora of new attractions including Sky Helix – a rotating platform that rises to take in local views.

But it’s the 1252-room five-star Swissotel The Stamford that has the monopoly on the city’s stunning views – and level 70 is the place to be. Here you are spoilt for choice. You can sip cocktails, enjoy sky-dining – even take a superb High Tea in the SKAI bar, or dine right royally at the adjacent two Michelin starred restaurant.

One of the finest restaurants anywhere in Asia, JAAN by Kirk Westaway, showcases the immense talents of British-born chef Westaway, who recaptures flavours and stories drawn from his childhood growing up in Devon on England’s southwest coast.

The 35-seat JAAN was closed for three months at the end of 2022 and given a complete make-over to give the surrounds an even stronger connection to Westaway’s home county which is the overriding source of inspiration for his culinary creations. But it’s without doubt his interpretation of modern British food that appreciative diners come for.

From the minute you step into the light-filled space, surrounded by floor-to-ceiling windows with attentive staff at the ready, you know you are in for a special experience. Tables are set with Cristofle cutlery, fine-stemmed Kvetna glassware, Georg Jensen water tumblers – all on crisp white floor-length linen tablecloths.

Personalised menus entitled Simple but Complex are just an indication of the attention to detail that is to come. There are 11 degustation items listed, with just one choice – that of dessert. 

We are five around the table. Head sommelier Raj pours glasses of Krug Grand Cuvée 170^th edition from 2014 and explains that it’s a blend of 195 wines from 12 different years, the youngest being from 2014 and the oldest dating back to 1998.  

Soon three small ceramic stands arrive topped with our first mouth bursts of flavours. The suggested order sees the meringue-like White Beetroot Cloud sampled first, followed by the Celeriac Pie and lastly the Goose Mousse. Then comes a golf ball-size smoked cheddar pancake that’s best enjoyed in one bite! The final amuse bouche is a full flavoured burnt leek and potato soup with rich truffle undertones. Each is a total taste sensation in itself, with intensely concentrated flavours. And they are just the starters!

As the Krug flows, Head Waiter Terry serves two armadillo-shaped dark rye bread loaves trimmed with a bunch of lemon thyme and proceeds to quenelle rich ‘83.8 per cent’ Devon butter from Netheran Farm in southwest England into individual butter dishes sprinkled with lemon thyme leaves and Cornish sea salt. 

Perfectly proportioned small serves of elegant main dishes arrive with such innocent names but complex preparations – Sweet Onion Pie with Aubergine, Hen’s Egg Cornish Yarg, Wild Seabass with Herb Sauce and Guinea Fowl with Artichoke.

Caramelised onion sits on a small puff pastry case filled with aubergine puree on a base of onion skin powder. Next, the chef’s signature dish – the curiously named Hen’s Egg Cornish Yarg, is presented in a small football-size ceramic egg. 

Waiters lift the lids simultaneously around the table – emitting rosemary-imbued smoke that wafts ceremoniously over the contents: a perfectly runny hen’s yolk cooked in a 60-degree olive oil bath, with crystal caviar, stinging nettle crust and olive biscuit rings. It’s a true work of art and we don’t want to spoil the picture.

Westaway loves to rekindle diners’ childhood memories such as stories involving stinging nettle. “I didn’t realise it would have such a resonance,” he says.

Although brought up in a vegetarian family, the chef does appreciate good seafood and combines line-caught wild seabass, hand-dived scallops and razor clams for the next dish with a full-flavoured sauce of herb oil, fish trimmings and burnt lemon gel. 

The Guinea Fowl with Artichoke dish arrives as two components under a high-domed glass cloche – one comprising a slice of slow cooked confit breast on Irish sausage, the other an artichoke base topped with generous slices of black Périgord truffles.

The cheese board is something to behold and is presented in a large wooden fold-out glass-topped display box. They are all from Neal’s Yard Dairy in the UK and include two blues – Bass Stilton and Shropshire and two hard cheese a Cornish Yarg and Devon cheddar which disappears very quickly.

A clementine sorbet with yoghurt and a citrus salad is the perfect palate cleaner. Dessert is a choice of either an indulgent chocolate hazelnut creation or poached pear on a sponge cake with house-made dark-toasted sourdough bread and butter ice cream and English custard reminiscent of a traditional English bread and butter pudding.

“It’s my interpretation of what British food can be,” says Westaway. “Very light and elegant, with elevated flavours from using only the best ingredients,” he adds.

Guests can linger over lunch for up to three hours – as they might then sip coffee with petits fours – bite-size apple crumble, toffee pudding, lemon meringue pie and coffee chocolate. 

An unusual confluence of influences – the flavours of England’s southwest coast charged with a new energy courtesy of Asia’s power city – but it works. Enjoyed against the stunning backdrop of Singapore it is an irresistible combination that sees diners book two months in advance to secure a table. Having sampled Westaway’s unique culinary take on Devon from JAAN’s 70th floor eyrie, it’s not hard to see why.