DESPITE the exponential growth of the fine-dining industry, fuelled in part by what feels like a never-ending procession of food festivals and guest appearances by high-profile foreign chefs, Singapore has yet to snag a brand-name restaurant linked to the likes of Nobu, Joel Robuchon or Gordon Ramsay.
The situation looks set to change in the coming years but until then, there is no shortage of Michelin-starred or otherwise prominent chefs who seem more than happy to supplement our considerable fine-dining appetites for a week or two.
This week, two Michelin-starred chef Olivier Samson is cooking at Jaan, the high-end, high-altitude restaurant at Swissotel The Stamford. He is Chef de Cuisine at the Restaurant de Parc des Eaux Vives, a classic restaurant situated in an 18th-century building in the centre of a park along the shores of Lake Geneva. The 10-table restaurant, which is managed by Swissotel, is a popular fixture in Geneva's gastronomy scene.
In Jaan's kitchen, the 35-year-old Samson is all business, straight-backed and serious, but with short, spiky hair and a hint of mischief in his eyes. The walls are lined with close-up photographs of each of the 20 or so dishes that will feature at Jaan - visual reminders to local staff of what the finished product should look like. Each item is wonderful to look at, a spectacular burst of colour on a white background, not unlike a beautifully composed work of contemporary art.
At a lunch session over the weekend, Chef Samson presented a culinary cross-section of the menu at Jaan. As with all chefs of a certain culinary stature, the emphasis was on keeping things clean, simple and letting the ingredients speak for themselves. Transporting diners to the shores of Lake Geneva may have been a bit of a stretch, but from our 70th-storey perch, the view of the city and Singapore Harbour beyond was a more than ample substitute.
First up were a couple of seafood appetisers, inspired no doubt by the chef's French roots: semi-salted Normandy scallop ($38) and Brittany lobster served atop a thin, translucent slice of watermelon ($50). Each was refreshing and uncomplicated in flavour, yielding a strong sense of the sea. Diners in search of a signature dish might also consider sampling the Gillardeau oysters ($42), wrapped in cucumber and topped with Avruga caviar.
The starters were followed by a fillet of grilled brill ($65) - a firm-fleshed flatfish native to the North Atlantic - served on a bed of white beans and accompanied by slices of cuttlefish and baby peppers that helped to give the dish a Mediterranean accent. Although the presentation was flawless, the meat was a little on the dry side.
The main course was a roasted slice of Angus beef sirloin ($62), refined, flavourful and served with a red onion confit. Dessert arrived in an architectural form - a concoction of mousse, dark chocolate and raspberry chantilly-filled chocolate spheres that tasted even better than it looked ($24).
Although the culinary conditions are obviously more restricted away from his own kitchen - with small compromises having to be made in terms of the produce - it is plain to see that Chef Samson has plenty of good stuff up his sleeve.
Rating: 7.5/10
Jaan, Swissotel Stamford Tel: 6837-3322
Olivier Samson will be cooking at Jaan until Nov 24. Set lunch is priced at $57 (three courses) and $75 (four courses) while a six-course dinner tasting menu is available at $220 (or $318 with wine pairings).
