Restaurants

Why haven’t you been to Jaan yet, when it so richly deserves your custom? Chef Simon Duff cooks modern French food, but, as you might guess, he isn’t from across the Channel. He isn’t even from this hemisphere, but from Australia. Hence he knows his gingko nuts as well as his onions. An intriguing larder-load of Asian ingredients crop up in Jaan’s menu, which is markedly subtle, sophisticated and well priced. A daily changing business lunch, ‘47’, promises to be light and delivered in 47 minutes to the frazzled worker. At less than £20 it is superb. From this menu, tuna carpaccio was faultlessly fresh, fine, tender and stunningly partnered by pistachios, spiced shredded duck, a few enlivening shreds of spring onion and coriander, a dash of wasabi foam and speckles of orange segment. It sounds overly involved, but the dish was beguilingly delicate and devilishly moreish. Main course assiette of kid goat was likewise an amazing feast of unexpected yet harmonious flavours. Dinky rib and sliced fillet were served hot, succulent and sweet on vivid terracotta-coloured harissa and fennel purée, while cold shredded kid came in a little heap topped with sweet cool yoghurt and tonka bean ice-cream: again a stunning combination of flavours carefully thought through. Tasting menus are more complex to absorb on initial reading – grilled lamb rack, sichuan-crusted braised mutton shoulder, roasted fig, asparagus, smoked aubergine and basil cress to mention one; and honey caramel-coated duck breast with ginger confit leg, caramelised butternut squash, green tea noodles, foie gras parfait, wasabi and pepper sauce to mention another – but a few minutes of concentration on your part will be well rewarded.

Time Out Eating & Drinking Guide 2008