All Star Dining

ON AN AFTERNOON in late March, Odette's chef Julien Royer and his team temporarily forgot their worries about a drop in diners and the difficulties of getting in imported produce, amid the coronavirus outbreak.

That afternoon, the three-Michelin-starred restaurant at National Gallery Singapore was named for the second time in a row, No. 1 on the Asia's 50 Best Restaurants list.

A strong respect for seasonality, terroir and artisanal produce, has always guided chef Royer in his cooking. And this can be seen with his dish Oita Egg. An organic egg, from Oita, Japan is cooked at 63 degrees Celcius for 55 minutes, and then paired with Pertuis asparagus and morels mushrooms from France, which are now in season.

Served warm, the dish is given a gentle kick with the use of pancetta, and texture with some crispy buckwheat. Garlic flowers add visual elegance, while a dollop of vin jaune (yellow wine) sabayon completes the dish.

"The dish has a very comforting association. It's hearty with the fragrance of morels mushrooms and their natural sweetness and complexity. Eggs with green asparagus is a classic and efficient pairing," says chef de cuisine Adam Wan.

The Oita Egg is so pretty, you may not want to dig in, but you should, when dining out can resume.

Odette is at 1 St Andrew's Rd, #01-04 National Gallery.