[Review] Montreux Jazz Cafe Singapore @ Pan Pacific Orchard

The food is surprisingly good for cafe standards and will surely give the likes of Timbre and Hard Rock Cafe a run for their money.  In fact, it surpasses that of most cafes and the food will not feel out of place if juxtaposed in the realm of fine dining standards.  It also feels more high class in comparison to the aforementioned cafes in terms of its ambience and overall feel.  The cafe does not solely play jazz music as we even heard the likes of internationally acclaimed acts such as Morcheeba in the background.  On occasions, some local artistes may perform, which is always a good thing.

We were told that Chef Derek Ang, who previously helmed Prive Grill, had gone for a couple of weeks of training at the main outlet in the small Swiss town of Montreux where they hold their annual music festival.  And the menu features a number of the signature items sold over there such as the famous Quincy Jones Marinated Spring Chicken, B. B. Burger and Ella's Cheesecake. Interestingly, the jazz cafe opens almost all day for brunch, lunch and dinner.


Starters
Upon placing your orders, complimentary freshly baked warm bread is served. Our salad, foie gras and scallops were a delectable opening act that simply teased out the natural flavours and their individualistic elements.

The signature Montreux Jazz Salad (S$22++) with avocado sorbet, felt refreshing alongside the fresh chewy prawns.


The Pan Seared Foie Gras (S$28++) with passion fruit salsa and brioche toast was a very generous serving. We loved how it was served warm with natural juices oozing character.
For the mains, you should not give the Quincy Jones Roast Chicken (S$32++) a miss as it is one of their signature items. From my first cut into the meat, I already knew how tender and juicy it was (unlike somewhere else - go figure where from the rest of the sentence - which served chicken as hard as rock). It was too bad that I had eagerly gobbled it down before I remembered to take another photo... but I think you get the idea. Btw, the potato wafers were painstakingly homemade over a few hours - not those potato chips tossed out of a bag. Feel free to ask the servers about these wafers if you would like to know more!


Desserts/ Drinks
For a jazz cafe,  we were not really expecting good desserts - but we were so totally wrong. There are 3 signature dessert items - the Mont Blanc, Ella's Cheescake and Coconut Pana Cotta - and we ordered the first 2.

The Mont Blanc (S$15+) with chestnut custard, caramelized chestnut and dark chocolate crumble was memorable. I loved how the soft smooth chestnut paste almost melted in my mouth. It is comparable to Angelina Cafe's signature dessert of the same name, yet slightly different. Go try it yourself to know what I mean :)

Ella's Cheesecake (S$18++), named after jazz great Ella Fitzgerald, was probably the highlight of the menu and does justice to that audacious association as this cheesecake is one of the best I've ever had. It is unique because it has a very milk chocolate-like, yoghurty, cheesy flavour accompanied by a very dense texture that is ostensibly made by premium ingredients.  I would say it's pretty special and different from the standard cheesecakes you get from any run of the mill cafes.

Ambience
Montreux Jazz Cafe Singapore has 4 sections - the bar, casual dining, al fresco and private dining area. Combined, it can accomodate up to 400 persons.
Overall
Overall, Montreux Jazz Cafe is an excellent place to chill and listen to the diverse talents of Miles Davis, John Coltrane, BB King and Wes Montgomery while at the same time savouring fine dining level food in a more casual cafe setting. Highly recommended for a date night, girls' night out (think: bachelorette's party!) or just a chill-out session with friends after work.