The new JAAN by Kirk Westaway restaurant made us think that new restaurants are like new cars. The current model looks perfectly fine until the new model comes along. Then it suddenly looks dated and bland.
Our last visit to the Jaan by Kirk Westaway restaurant was several years back when it was merely known as “Jaan”. A major renovation in 2022 has given it a fresh new look. The most noticeable change is the rearrangement of the glass ornaments. They used to hang in two rows from the ceiling. Now they are used as “leaves” on a sprawling tree. Looking back at the pictures of the old Jaan in our post, the former decor looks rather messy in comparison to sharpness of the present, although that did not occur to us at that time.
Modern British cuisine at JAAN
JAAN by Kirk Westaway is a two Michelin Star restaurant in the Singapore Michelin Guide 2023. Located on Level 70 of Swissôtel The Stamford hotel, this modern restaurant is where one can enjoy fine dining together with spectacular views of Marina Bay and beyond.
According to its website, “Executive Chef Kirk Westaway’s constantly evolving menu embodies a seasonal philosophy to showcase British dining in a modern light … Chef Kirk’s passion is reflected in every aspect of the dining experience; presenting a true and distinctive expression of Modern British cuisine at JAAN.”
One thing that has not changed is the large walls of glass at the restaurant. Diners can get good views of MBS and the Marina Bay area of Singapore.
Jaan by Kirk Westaway Menu : Simple Yet Complex
At the time of our visit in August 2023, the Jaan by Kirk Westaway Menu at lunch was titled: Simple Yet Complex. The lunch menu comes in two variants – four or five courses with prices of $198++ and $238++. The 5 course has an additional dish, listed as the “Hen’s Egg” and a extra $40 price tag. Is it worth it? There was only one way to found out. We chose the 5.
JAAN by Kirk Westaway Wine Menu
“Substantial” was the word that came to mind when we were handed the JAAN wine list. The one-inch thick hard cover book probably has more wine that we need to know for lunch.
Similar to what we experienced at Les Amis and Odette, JAAN by Kirk Westaway has a “one-for-one” free corkage policy. Buy a bottle from the restaurant and bring one from home without any corkage fee charged. We brought a red wine and looked for a white from the JAAN wine list. Here are some sample pages from the wine Book. They have wines starting from around $100+ a bottle to expensive ones from DRC Burgundy with five-figure prices.
Our choice of white wine for the day was a 2018 Pouilly-Fume ‘Clos Joanne d’Orion’, Gitton Pere et Fils ($138). A dry fresh white wine.
Our red wine of the day was a 2013 Mouton Rothschild. We had high expectations of this first growth from Bordeaux. It turned out to be a softer wine than we expected. Not very intense, but easy going.
But wine always tastes better when served in style in a fine dining restaurant. The wine service by the Jaan by Kirk Westaway sommelier was impeccable.
JAAN Menu: SIMPLE YET COMPLEX
Bread, Butter and Snacks
Three kinds of bread were served. The butter was very good.
Four kinds of snacks were served. In line with the title of the menu, they had simple descriptions but packed big flavours in their small sizes. Cucumber, potato chips, goose mousse and cheddar pancake.
Burnt Leek and Potato Soup
This simple looking cup of soup was one of the best dishes of the day. Drank from the cup, no spoon needed. Only one area for improvement – cup was too small.
Violin Courgette
Grilled courgette enhanced by a topping of seafood and tasty broth. Wonderfully light and flavourful.
Hen’s Egg
The $40 egg was presented in dramatic fashion with smoke billowing out of a large egg-shaped receptacle.
Soft runny egg enhanced by the flavours of caviar, smoke and other ingredients. Very nice. But is it worth the extra $40++? I would probably just have the 4-course on a future visit.
Wild Seabass
My Teochew friends who like their fish fresh, steamed and clean tasting will like this fish dish at JAAN. The broth adds more complexity and depth of flavours.
Welsh Lamb
A straight forward piece of lamb, cooked to perfection. Also very good but more predictable than the other dishes.
Clementine
We were wondering what “Clementine”, an item in the menu was. It turned out to be a palette cleanser, presented very beautifully. An internet search of the word revealed that it is a type of citrus fruit with a tangy taste. The slightly sweet / slightly sourish combination of fruits certainly worked as a palette cleanser before we headed to the dessert part of the menu.
Dessert
The dessert choices on the menu were simply listed as Lemon or Chocolate. Normally we would choose chocolate. But for the sake of research, we tried them both. The lemon turned out very well. Highly Exceeded Expectations was our score, partly because we have low expectations of the usual lemon desserts.
The beautifully presented dish also came with some madeleines.
Technically, the chocolate dessert was better. But since you can’t really go wrong with chocolate as a dessert, we had high expectations. In this case the score was “Met Expectations”.
Some petit fours brought our lunch at Jaan by Kirk Westaway to a sweet and delightful end. Service and the ambience at this 2 Michelin Star restaurant in Singapore was top notch.
View from Jaan by Kirk Westaway
This is the view from one of the glass panels at JAAN with a wide angle lens. On a clear day you can see forever.
Ratings:
Food: 4
Service: 5
Value: 4
Atmosphere: 5
Overall Rating: 5 TOPs 
JAAN By Kirk Westaway
Level 70, Swissotel The Stamford
2 Stamford Road, Singapore 178882
Opening Hours:
Lunch: 11:45am to 2:30pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
Dinner: 6:30pm to 10:30pm (Tuesday to Saturday)
Closed on Sun & Mon
The Ordinary Patrons | Real Dining Experience of Ordinary People
an independent Singapore food blog
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