Restaurant JAG

Having to move because of rent increases is never a good thing – except when it is. One-Michelin-starred Restaurant JAG has traded up, leaving Duxton Road for a larger, sunlit space in Robertson Quay.

Now located on the second floor of art gallery STPI, the new space, which seats 40, is a much better canvas for chef Jeremy Gillon’s vegetable-forward cuisine.

Some tables overlook the Singapore River and, at lunchtime, with the sun coming through, a meal at one of these tables takes the diner away from the hustle and bustle of the city. At night, lights by the river beckon, inviting the diner to take a riverside walk after dinner.

Because winter is coming, the menu celebrates produce including rutabaga, salsify, parsnip, Jerusalem artichoke, kohlrabi, chestnut, celeriac and pumpkin, together with banana shallot, celtuce, fig and mandarins.

Lunches are priced at $175++ and dinners are $298++ a person. Vegetarian lunches are $148++ and dinners cost $248++.

Chef Gillon, 42, is from Deauville in north-west France, and he coaxes different textures out of vegetables.

One of the snacks showcases parsnip and its earthiness. The root vegetable is made into crisp biscuits. Pairs of them are sandwiched with hazelnut praline and parsnip puree. You will appreciate the hit of acidity he includes with each course, which lightens things up. In this case, it is white balsamic vinegar infused with chervil and birch.

Squashes – butternut and potimarron – take centre stage in another course. They are served raw, confit and in puree form. Lightness comes from seabuckthorn, mandarin oranges, mango and calamansi vinegar. The sea urchin is a nice touch, but truth be told, this course is perfect without it.

In the fish course – halibut on the night I dine there – chestnuts provide the turf counterpoint to the surf. It is pureed with milk and brown butter, cooked in a fricasee with mushrooms, made into a crumble and shaved on top of the dish. The sauce is delightful and unusual, made with hawthorn and green coffee.

The main course of Challan duck celebrates celeriac, an ugly and underappreciated root vegetable. A ribbon of it is wrapped around bread dough to make a torsade and it is also pureed and pickled. Chinese celery in the jus and mustard oil make me sit up and marvel at how the most unexpected ingredients can be deployed with aplomb.

A word about the bread – the little buns, studded with corn kernels, make me want to ask for more and forget all about low-carbing.

Restaurant JAG might have been under-the-radar at Duxton, so chock-a-block the area is with restaurants.

Its soulful fine food stands out in its new home, amid a clutch of casual restaurants. You could say that co-owners, chef Gillon and Anant Tyagi, have made the right move.

Where: 02-02 STPI, 41 Robertson Quay
MRT: Clarke Quay
Open: Lunch – noon to 2pm (Fridays and Saturdays), dinner – 6 to 10.30pm (Tuesdays to Saturdays); closed Sundays and Mondays
Tel: 6871-8973
Info: restaurantjag.com

Alice Boulangerie

What, I wonder, do little plastic Santa figurines, bells and sleighs decorating log cakes have to do with the forest? The forest, presumably, is the inspiration behind these Christmas cakes.

Alice Boulangerie is embracing the woodland vibe with Alice’s Christmas Log Cake ($96++).

This stunner should be the centrepiece of your Christmas dessert table, with that woodland creature, a squirrel, perched on top of a, presumably, tree stump. It is made with orange and dark chocolate mousse.

The rest of the cake is composed of pistachio mousseline, pistachio praline and a compote made with cranberries, strawberries and raspberries. Feuilletine studded dark chocolate forms a sturdy – but not hard – base.

I love that there is enough tang from the orange and berries to balance out the cream and nuts, and the cake is sized just right for six to eight people. I’m taking the squirrel.

Where: 01-05/11 Icon Village, 12 Gopeng Street
MRT: Tanjong Pagar
How to order: Order at least four days in advance from aliceboulangerie.com.sg/product-
category/christmas for collection from Nov 23 to Dec 28
Tel: 8874-3300

Goodwood Park Hotel

Lemon meringue, cherry, rhubarb-strawberry – these are the kinds of pies and tarts I gravitate towards. I like a bit of tang to offset the richness of the pastry. So really, there is no way I would eat an entire slice of pecan pie. The thought of richness overload makes me shudder.

And yet, there I am, hoovering up not one, but two slices of Goodwood Park Hotel’s Santa Reindeer Tart ($72 for a 1kg tart).

Yes, it is full of well-roasted pecans, but there is also a good amount of dried cranberries. That balance of rich and tart is what makes this a perfect dessert or teatime treat for the holidays. An added bonus is the buttery pastry – it is ever so thin, but does not disintegrate when you cut into it.

A slice, or two, with a hot cup of black coffee, is the perfect Christmas breakfast in my book.

Where: Goodwood Park Hotel, 22 Scotts Road
MRT: Orchard
How to order: Order at least five days in advance from goodwoodparkfestive.oddle.me for delivery and self-collection. Last date for orders is Dec 19
Tel: 6730-1867