Ode to the Egg by the House of Krug

“An egg is always an adventure; the next one may be different.” ~ Oscar Wilde

Ah, the humble egg. It is simple and yet probably one of the most versatile ingredients ever, having a place in almost any type of cuisine in the world. We might have taken the unostentatious egg for granted. And, perhaps that might be why Champagne house Krug has decided to pay tribute to it with its newly launched publication Poached, Scrambled or Fried?. The book – Krug’s second – features a series of food pairings and Krug has worked with 17 of the world’s revered Krug Ambassade Chefs who are showcasing in the book their unique egg-centred creations, paired with Krug Grande Cuvée.

The chefs will be celebrating this marriage of Krug and the humble egg throughout the year with specific menus and experiences. They hail from different parts of the world, such the UK, Italy, France and Japan. Part of the featured 17, the Krug Ambassade Chefs from Singapore are Ryan Clift of Tippling Club, Christopher Millar of Stellar at 1-Altitude and Krik Westaway of JAAN.

In an intimate dinner affair at JAAN last week, Krug and the three Ambassade Chefs presented some of the “Krug x Egg” creations, which will be made available to diners at their respective restaurants.

The evening kicked off with Chef Ryan Clift’s Liquified Omelette. Paired with smoked eel and crispy shallots, the dish, of course, shone the spotlight on the egg, which in this case was the liquid omelette. When presented with the beautifully plated dish, one would mistakenly think the omelette would be firm. However, upon slicing through it with the fork, the outer skin broke to reveal a smooth custard-like egg. The omelette itself did not have a strong taste, but understandably so; it was meant to be that way as the champagne cannot be paired with food with overpowering flavours. All the components came together in harmony.

Chef Christopher Millar’s rendition came as Carabinero Prawn ‘Carbonara’, a deconstructed version of the common pasta dish. The highly prized Carabinero prawn was robust in flavour and add a sublime seafood essence to the dish; however, it did not steal the limelight away from the egg yolk placed at the centre of the plate.

The taste of the egg yolk intrigued me; for one, it did not taste like an egg at all. Those who usually dislike the ‘eggy’ taste of eggs will like this for sure. Poaching the yolk in smoked oil has changed its taste, as I learned from the Krug executive seated next to me at the dinner.

Chef Kirk Westaway’s Purple Artichoke, Soft Hen’s Egg probably made the most dramatic entrance of the evening. A basketful of open shells filled with soft-boiled eggs arrived on our table, and liquid nitrogen smoke overflowed from the basket. Theatrical perhaps, but that certainly caught everyone’s attention. The servers then proceeded to pour a soft egg into a bowl of purple artichoke and Joselito ham.

There’s something gratifying about breaking soft egg yolks and watching it flow. The dish was equally gratifying. The Singaporean in me immediately thought of the soft-boiled eggs locals commonly eat for breakfast. It may be sacrilegious to compare Chef Kirk’s luxurious dish to the modest breakfast dish. But, the former felt like pure comfort food to me, as much as the latter has always been to me. Both have made my heart sing, and made me want to toast to them and the delightful evening with my glass of Krug champagne.

Each of the Krug Ambassade Restaurants in Singapore will offer a Krug Champagne pairing with their existing menus. The egg dishes by the respective Krug Ambassade chefs will also be available on the menu in their respective restaurants.