Its former number two chef rises to the occasion at the modern French eatery in Robertson Quay
NEW CHEF
Restaurant JAG
41 Robertson Quay
#02-02 STPI Creative Workshop and Gallery
Singapore 238236
Tel: 6871-8973
Open for lunch and dinner Wed to Sat: 12 pm to 3 pm; 6 pm to 10:30 pm. Dinner only on Tues. Closed on Sun and Mon.
WE FEEL comfortable at Restaurant JAG. It looks a little old. We’re a little old. It’s familiar in a past-life kind of way – the retro furniture, the Bernardaud tea light holders, the soothing river view. It has the aura of a well-kept family home owned by staunch botanists – the kind who hang portraits of vegetables on the wall the way others might do for long-gone relatives.
It hasn’t been at its STPI Gallery spot for long, though. It moved into the Robertson Quay conserved warehouse in 2023, after relocating from Duxton Road. That was where French chef Jeremy Gillon and Anant Tyagi joined hands – and initials – to create JAG in 2018. Gillon has since left, leaving his number two, Laurence Tan, at the helm. Logically, it should be renamed LAG, except that this young Singaporean chef does nothing of the sort.
With Grandpa Celeriac mounted in the far corner and whimsical cabbages and carrots drawn on menu cards, Tan upholds the restaurant’s vegetable ethos like his own. Every meal begins with a showcase of bounty from France – perky specimens rolled in on a trolley, belying the distance they travelled or the carbon credits they burned.
The lingering question is how this one-Michelin-starred eatery is holding up now that the lead chef is gone – very well, thank you. It is not fireworks-a-minute – it is calm, languid and precise, in the way that fine dining restaurants of yore were. The proof is in the Limoges porcelain votive holder on the table – every fancy restaurant then had to have one, along with a French maitre d’.
Not any more. The team is now very local, led by Tan and unflappable general manager Maryjoy Lim – who rocks a smart suit and polished demeanour.
The staff are sweet and super-averse to crumbs – constantly sweeping them off our table, their ears tuned to every crackle of crust.
Canapes of apple-celery ball and pumpkin-argousier juice, with a Bernardaud tea light in the background. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
JAG has kept up with changing tastes – like the impatience with long tasting menus. It now offers a la carte options, if not exactly cheap ones.
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Starters range from S$42 to S$48, and you’re obliged to order a main course that goes from S$86 for Japanese sea bream to S$175 for a blue lobster. And if you need dessert, you might as well invest in the “light” tasting menu at S$175 – which gets you little tastes of a lot more things. There’s also a “grand” experience for S$298, and a vegetarian option for the shoots-and-leaves crowd.
The food is French, with the occasional liberties. Our “light” experience starts with the latter – a ball of minced apple and celery encased in a gelatine shell that tastes like a morning spent digging in the garden: earthy, vegetal and not quite our idea of fun.
A test tube of pumpkin and argousier – a sea buckthorn berry – juice laced with cinnamon oil lands in the “for what?” box.
But they do the trick – they’ve got our attention.
Homemade bread topped with black garlic paste. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
What follows is less left-field. Fluffy, pull-apart bread dotted with black garlic paste. A warm-cold contrast of intense leek consomme under smooth, veloute-like potato cream – a smart take on conventional leek and potato soup.
Leek and potato soup. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT 
Crunchy celeriac is paired with scallops and savoy cabbage. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
Tan’s vegetable inspirations have a Nordic slant. Think crunchy chopped celeriac mixed with smooth raw scallops and stacked between leaves of savoy cabbage, bathed in a light vinaigrette. It’s pretty but aloof – the rawness of the vegetables and the fresh but unassertive shellfish add up to a green-meets-marine romance that doesn’t win your heart.
Danish halibut. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
But things warm up with the temperature of the next few courses. Firm halibut swims happily with many variations of chestnut – a sweet nutty veloute with sauteed bits for texture and chestnut-shaped paste on the side. Black truffles on top seal the deal.
Roast Challans duck with creamy polenta. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT 
Palate cleanser of guava sorbet. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
After a spoonful of sweet guava sorbet to cleanse the palate, Tan shows his true talent – a mastery of roast birds. Challans duck has that perfect ratio of seared crisp skin and pink juicy meat, with strong support from sweet roasted banana shallots and creamy polenta.
Roast pigeon from the a la carte menu. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
We can’t resist an a la carte portion of roast pigeon (S$98) and highly recommend it. The bird’s exercise regime has paid off – it has just the right proportion of bouncy muscle and fat for optimum tenderness and bite. It’s served so simply – classic brown sauce and beetroot nuggets.
Assorted cheese plate. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
The rest of the meal brings you down to a cosy equilibrium. There’s a compact cheese course of four creamy to funky wedges served with crackers and homemade jam. And a proper dessert of sliced poached pears, sorbet and cookie crumbles. For a final flourish – petit fours that include mini choux puffs, chocolates, fruit jellies and ice cream bon bons.
Poached pear and sorbet. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT 
Petit fours include choux puffs, chocolates and fruit jellies. PHOTO: JAIME EE, BT
At JAG, Tan sticks firmly to the basics, with enough room to push some boundaries. That keeps the restaurant relevant, while leaning on its strength as a not-so-oldie, but a goodie.
Rating: 7
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Dining and Cooking