Pollen - Gardens by the Bay, Singapore

Lunch - Sunday, May 19, 2013

The Flower Dome in the Gardens by the Bay is an amazing feat of engineering - a climate-controlled eggshell structure that forms the world's largest columnless greenhouse. Within the dome, temperature and humidity are regulated to simulate a cool Mediterranean climate year-round, making for a welcome reprieve from the oppressive Singaporean heat.

Jason Atherton (of Pollen Street Social) has had plenty of success in Asia, with restaurants in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Singapore - he opened Pollen in the Flower Dome last year to a significant amount of fanfare. Pollen occupies two levels in the corner of the dome, allowing for a singular "al fresco" dining experience. I can't think of a more pleasant man-made environment that we've eaten in. Luckily, the food was more than a match for the setting.

JAAN - City Hall, Singapore

Dinner - Saturday, May 18, 2013

JAAN is the fine-dining restaurant at the luxury Swissôtel The Stamford hotel, in the heart of Singapore's central business district. Perched on the top floor of the 70-storey complex, the restaurant affords a dazzling vista, with huge windows wrapping around the cosy dining room.

The kitchen (formerly run by Andre Chiang) is helmed by the young Julien Royer, who apparently trained at Bras (I did not see the influence during our meal). Under his guidance, the restaurant has popped up on a number of radars, culminating in multiple recommendations for us to dine here. With very little time in Singapore, we decided to replace a reservation at Iggy's with this meal. Did it invoke a sense of time and place? Hell no - the cuisine at JAAN is unapologetically French, and should be interpreted through that lens.