Julien Royer, the lauded chef of JAAN, has created a nearly flawless Autumn and Winter menu that’s filled with beautiful, unadulterated produce. The new dishes are artful assemblages of untainted ingredients – most of which are sourced from some of the best suppliers from around the globe.

 

 

A few of Royer’s previous creations continue to be served, such as the “snack” of lentil hummus, and the amuse bouches of Wild Mushroom Tea and the 55’ Rosemary Smoked Organic Egg. After all, these comforting dishes have become the French chef’s signature creations.

 

With each turn of the season, Royer proves to draw an increasing amount of inspiration from Asian cuisines. His handiwork this season is considerably influenced by Japanese cuisine.

 

There’s a delicate seafood arrangement of raw seafood: succulent scallop (with a Japanese-style touch of lime zest), sweet shrimp, and creamy oyster served with ikura, Oscietra caviar, pickled vegetables, seaweed and popped rice. This dish is a playful layering of fresh ocean textures. Like most of the chef’s creations, this dish is best enjoyed with the mindset of a careful explorer: curiously experimenting with the ingredients in different compositions on your palate.

 

 

 

We would have preferred the Dry-Aged Wagyu to be served lightly warmer and less complicated, but all was forgiven when we smothered the sweet Hokkaido corn puree on the thinly sliced rolls of hay-roasted Kagoshima beef. A luscious black sesame sauce paired rather well with the smoky beefy flavours, but the dish could have done without the overpowering Italian spring onion and pickled vegetable.

 

 

 

Royer is known for his knowledge of artisanal vegetables. He continues his exploration of produce with two new dishes: Winter Garden and Beetroot Collection. The latter is an inventive take on beetroot. Here, the humble vegetable has been crafted into something spectacular. There’s a beetroot sorbet, mini beetroot meringues, and beetroot coulis, as well as seasoned, blanched, and pickled beetroots served alongside raw honeycomb and burrata cream. The Autumn Garden, on the other hand, is a warm salad of “forgotten vegetables” such as sweet potato, artichoke, root vegetable crisps, spinach leaves, toasted onion, and Auvergne ham. There are a lot of elements in this creation, but all marry well in a decidedly earthy and buttery dish. 

 

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