From the 70th floor of Swissôtel The Stamford, Kirk Westaway looks towards home with a deeply personal expression of modern British cuisine.
Kirk Westaway did not open JAAN. He inherited it, and then slowly made it his own. The Devon-born chef trained at Exeter College before working at acclaimed restaurants including D.O.M. in São Paulo and the two-MICHELIN-starred Greenhouse in London. It was there that he met Julien Royer, who later persuaded Westaway to move to Singapore and join him at JAAN as sous chef. When Royer departed to establish Odette, Westaway took control of the kitchen in 2015. What followed was a gradual move away from JAAN’s French foundations towards the chef’s “Reinventing British” philosophy. The restaurant added Westaway’s name in 2019 and gained its second MICHELIN star in 2021.
The name JAAN, meaning “life” in Hindi, has survived successive culinary eras, yet the restaurant today feels inseparable from Westaway. Much of that comes from the dining room, which was renovated in 2022 to evoke Devon rather than merely display it. The arrival corridor is lined with works by Australian artist Steven Cross, while a deep blue carpet changes tone like the ocean viewed from a clifftop. At the room’s centre, 20-year-old hand-blown Murano glass from JAAN’s original chandelier has been reconfigured into a sculpture inspired by wind-battered hawthorn trees.
It is an attractive room. Rose-toned metalwork, sculptural tableware and just 35 seats keep things intimate, but nothing can compete with the view. Marina Bay Sands, the Merlion and container ships scattered across the Singapore Strait form the backdrop. During our lunch, rain sweeps across the bay in grey sheets. Seventy floors above Singapore, with the sky darkening and water disappearing into mist, the scene suddenly feels rather more Devon than Southeast Asia.
The food reinforces that connection immediately through a succinct tasting menu available for lunch and dinner. A trio of snacks introduces Westaway’s vocabulary in miniature. The Cheddar Straw is concealed within a slender edible cigar, crisp and intensely savoury without being overburdened by cheese. Goose Mousse takes the familiarity of pub pâté and miniaturises it into a dainty pastry case, its combination of goose and chicken liver offering richness tempered by a gently jammy sweetness. The prettiest is the Crab Salad, tucked into intricately striped pastry shells with herbs and flowers. Then comes fish and chips, although not as Britain knows it. A wafer-like potato rosti crowned with caviar turns the takeaway staple into a single saline, playful mouthful.
The Charred Leek & Potato Soup is even better. Served in a small tactile cup and drunk directly from the vessel, it takes perhaps the most unassuming of British soups and concentrates its appeal. The texture is creamy rather than heavy, while pieces of potato retain enough bite to prevent everything becoming homogenous. Crushed macadamia and bacon bring crunch, and the charred leek introduces a subtle smokiness. Westaway has described the dish as one that regulars repeatedly ask him never to remove, and it is easy to understand why.
A bread service follows, accompanied by generously creamy Devonshire butter, before the tasting menu moves decisively into vegetables. Violin Courgette arrives beneath a large glass cloche, lifted tableside to reveal spirals of courgette arranged like petals. The presentation borders on theatrical, yet the cooking remains remarkably restrained. Sweetness and vegetal freshness lead, supported by creamy and acidic notes that give the courgette dimension without disguising it.
Hen’s Egg is more indulgent. Topped with caviar, it plays familiar breakfast richness against briny salinity, its soft textures interrupted by crisp elements around the plate. Westaway’s longstanding versions of the dish draw upon childhood associations with eggs and soldiers, and that sense of familiarity prevents the caviar from becoming an exercise in luxury for luxury’s sake.
The Wild Seabass demonstrates similar control. The fish is delicately cooked, surrounded by broad beans, herbs and a deeply flavoured sauce that supplies the weight the seafood deliberately lacks. There are gels, oils and painstaking garnishes, but they function as seasoning rather than decoration.
With the Milk-Fed Lamb, the menu gathers momentum. Three blushing medallions arrive beautifully pink, their exterior carrying enough caramelisation to contrast with the tender meat. Mint, greens, acidity and concentrated sauce provide recognisably British reference points without recreating a Sunday roast in miniature.
Before dessert, Cygnet Gin & Peach reimagines the gin and tonic as a palate cleanser. Diners can choose the alcoholic Cygnet version or an impressively convincing house-made non-alcoholic gin. Peach brings perfume and soft sweetness while tonic-like bitterness cuts through the lamb’s richness.
Chocolate Hazelnut brings the meal to a suitably uncomplicated conclusion. Rather than pursuing sugar, Westaway works through textures of chocolate and toasted hazelnut, moving between creaminess, crunch and deeper cocoa bitterness. It feels comforting rather than cerebral, which neatly encapsulates the entire menu.
Service throughout is smart, warm and remarkably well informed. Explanations and storytelling are detailed, while the beverage team handles pairings with particular confidence. JAAN has been a Krug Ambassade since 2013 and is recognised by the restaurant as Singapore’s first, so the depth of Champagne knowledge comes as little surprise.
Two MICHELIN stars and a spectacular view could easily make JAAN by Kirk Westaway feel ceremonial. Instead, Chef Westaway has spent more than a decade making it increasingly personal. It is British cooking stripped of its stodgy reputation and rebuilt around seasonality, excellent produce and considerable technical skill. High above Singapore, Westaway has created something surprisingly difficult to achieve in fine dining: a restaurant that knows exactly where it comes from.
Where: JAAN by Kirk Westaway, Swissôtel The Stamford, 2 Stamford Road, Singapore
When: Tuesday to Saturday from 11:45 am to 2:30 pm and 6:30pm to 10:30 pm
Contact: www.jaan.sg