The buzz: Haven’t you heard? The Jean Georges protégés Jason Casey and Eric Johnson are now in LKF with “no hopes, no dreams, just real cooking” New American style.

The décor: Oak tables and natural stained wood floors soak up the ample sunshine during lunchtime—it’s French minimalism with oh-so-trendy wall-paneling that conveys a modern, playful vibe. Chalkboard walls display drawings as well as an edifying list of ingredients of the dishes on offer.

The food: A concise menu of six starters, six mains, and six desserts. Savor Johnson’s exquisitely prepared New American cuisine in the form of marinated hamachi with cucumber and wasabi ice, a decadently de-carapaced crab salad wrapped in apple carpaccio, black cod with an aromatic coconut salad and wild rice, or a spicy braised lamb shoulder with pappardelle, mascarpone and mint. Jason the pastry maestro also crafts a kickass 70-percent chocolate cake with salted pistachio ice cream. And we like the ABC (i.e. “American-born Chinese”) ice-cream, a homemade cheesecake-berry blend served in a cute Chinese takeaway box.

The drinks: Housemade sodas (with flavors like pineapple sour or green apple and elderflower) served in cute glass bottles. For alcohol, try their chef-designed cocktails—we like the Rosey Palmer (Grey Goose, mint, Morello cherry and champagne) or Ms. Lin (Herradura silver tequila, grapefruit bitters and champagne).

The crowd: Continental foodies and Centralites.

Why you’ll be back: It’s fabulous fine dining, sans the dent in your current account.

Johannes Pong

1/F, California Tower, 30-32 D’Aguilar St., Central, 2537-2368.