Friday, May 20, 2005
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
Perhaps important to note first of all is not to expect Robuchon to be in the kitchen – I have heard that he does appear once in a blue moon, but otherwise his completely capable disciples (who all have their own restaurants), Eric Bouchenoire, Eric Lecerf and Philippe Braun take turns to head the kitchen.
The extraordinary thing about the restaurant is its layout – diners are seated around what appears to be a huge sushi counter which has at its centre an immaculate kitchen – shiny black kitchen tops and lemons, garlic, peppers etc neatly arranged in metal racks. This means that you get to see your food as it is being prepared – which is more impressive than you might first think, since this isn’t just a teriyaki chef frying up bean sprouts and garlic in front of you.
The entrées work area was on one end, plats on the other – I couldn’t see the desserts being prepared as it was on the other side of the restaurant from where I was seated. This was all really quite inspiring. I was incredibly impressed with the pristine tidiness of the operation – entrées with a dozen different parts being assembled efficiently, ingredients being whisked out from invisible drawers and cupboards and prepared with minimal clutter, so that there was none of the mayhem you’d expect in any kitchen. Nor shouting, smokiness or anything of the sort. In essence, the antithesis of the mess I create when I cook. Not to mention it takes a lot of courage to put your whole kitchen on display – hygiene, staff behaviour not mention stress levels all have to be quite controlled.
No wonder then that when L’Atelier was opened it caused such a sensation. The food however while not terribly conservative, does not carry the shock factor of The Fat Duck. What is shocking is how this became one of the few meals I’ve had where there were a few hits, a few above-average dishes and NO misses. The worst dishes all had something to commend themselves, even if one might think, “This could be done better.” Mark Bittman of the NY Times is right – Robuchon has cut corners (by compromising his legendary perfectionism) to make the menu découverte relatively affordable. It’s a fine balance he’s playing with.
As evidenced by Robuchon’s plans to open them all over the world (he already has another in Tokyo), L’Atelier’s offerings may be slightly formulaic, but it is a good effort from his team of young chefs nonetheless and a chance to try some of his signature dishes (even if not prepared by the man himself – just as if you’ve ever tried to cook anything in Gordon Ramsay’s cookbooks, you’d truly appreciate someone else who is a better (and more organised) cook than yourself preparing his dishes).
The ingredients were fresh (I have no idea where the bad reviews on the staleness of the food comes from), and the menu découverte played this up by its focus on seafood – it had mussels, crab, cod and clams.
Utterly sublime was La Morue fraîche en imprimé d’herbes aux sucs de legumes, with meltingly smooth cod (think Japanese black cod with miso, but steamed instead of grilled/baked) in a sweet vegetable consommé and shrouded by a single square piece of thin white pasta (white and with the texture of Chinese kway teow but thinner and smoother) imprinted with a light green leaf pattern. I was bowled over and baffled by the subtle refreshing taste of that wondrous white sheet similar to mint, and then it struck me what it was (or at least I think) shiso leaf – which is the furry green leaf that comes with sashimi or sushi in proper Japanese restaurants.
Also quite good were L’Agneau de Lait des Pyrénées en côtelettes à la fleur de thym, baked milk-fed lamb cutlets which were herb crusted and a tad salty but very tender – my major complaint here would be that there were two pieces and they were so tiny they were each the size of a chicken wing. The lamb was served with a little dollop of Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes – it is ridiculously smooth (though it’s no secret that this is just down to the right sort of potatoes plus lots of cream and butter so that it’s really a potato-flavoured butter purée); Les Parloudes facie à l’ail violet et aux champignons, clams baked with garlic and mushrooms with herbs – just as wonderful as escargots but without any of the ammonia aftertaste that you get after eating loads of snails (this isn’t particularly difficult to make and I shall certainly be trying it this weekend – I have a weakness for clams); and Le Tourteau dans une allumette friande et sa vouelle d’avocat épicée, basically fresh white crab meat inside a matchstick pastry roll (really a long spring roll) with spiced avocado – a perfect candidate to become a hit in chi-chi eating places like Momo Café in London.
The menu découverte:
Amuse bouche: breaded mussels with red pepper sauce
Le Tourteau
dans une allumette friande et sa vouelle d’avocat épicée
Les Parloudes
facie à l’ail violet et aux champignons
L’Oseille
en fin bouillon aux asperges vertes et foie gras de canard caramlisé
A sharp tangy apple-tasting sorrel soup with tender green asparagus and a cube of caramelised foie gras – the taste of green apples and foie gras is always a trusty combination but nowhere is this as good as the foie gras and green apple terrine I had at Tragabuches in Ronda and was rather average compared to the other dishes.
La Morue
fraîche en imprimé d’herbes aux sucs de legumes
L’Oeuf
Cocotte et sa crème légère de morilles
My 2nd poached egg cream with morels dish in the 3 days I was in Paris – this was perfectly soft-boiled egg with a few generous (but a bit too salty) morels on top and spinach at the base – also 2nd best among the 3 oeuvres cocotte I had.
L’Agneau de Lait
des Pyrénées en côtelettes à la fleur de thym
Les Fruits Exotiques
Dans une nage acidulée avec un sorbet au basilic
Fruit salad with light acidic soup and basil sorbet – served its purpose as a palate cleanser but nothing to write home about.
La Chartreuse
En soufflé chaud et sa crème glacée a la pistache
Ok, this is apparently another v. famous dish at L’Atelier where a scoop of pistachio ice cream is scooped into the soufflé – it didn’t taste cold like the pear bits in the soufflé I had at Aux Lyonnais but simply disappeared leaving only a very slight hint of pistachio in the soufflé which was lovely. Unfortunately this had a lot of chartreuse – which was a bit too strong for me.
Sounds good? It is – even if it’s far from perfect (since you know all of it could be done even better – maybe except for the cod) and the meal was fun. Great to go with a good friend or two to relax and have good food – but this is not one for lots of privacy (so not conducive to marriage proposals or REALLY scandalous gossip) or big groups.
As for the price – interestingly enough, many reviews have lambasted the place for being overpriced while others have cited it as one of the bargains in Paris. Oddly, both camps are right. Portions are very small (I could easily have eaten twice what I had – even though I felt the amount of most dishes was actually just right so that I didn’t get sick of them - the lamb cutlets though were extraordinarily tiny). Dishes on the grazing menu (Robuchon’s take on French food tapas-style) were also very expensive for their sizes (I kept looking at other diners who had ordered from the grazing menu).
My suggestion? Go for lunch and you’ll enjoy it. It’s a bit too light for dinner unless you’re a good boy/girl and go for the heavy breakfast-light dinner routine. As for whether €98 for the menu is too much to pay for lunch? Not if you’re crazy about the whole spectrum of food including fine dining. For haute cuisine, it’s actually decently priced (I’ve heard Le Cinq’s lunch set is a snip at €120 so we’re speaking relative to this). But don’t go if you feel you need to wowed off your socks by opulence and perfection – this is entry-level (but still good) haute cuisine.
To clarify the position on reservations: L’Atelier only takes reservations for 11.30 am and 6.30 pm – but I didn’t see a queue (as opposed to the ridiculous line I saw when I passed by 2 years ago).
Review by Analogy:
Like The Ivy (one of my favourite restaurants in London even if the chef isn’t particularly famous nor is the food really a out-of-body experience, but it’s consistently good food nonetheless and great ambiance), but definitely finer. [I’d class The Ivy’s nosh as good bistro food.] So if you like The Ivy or The Electric Brasserie and don’t feel like you’re being ripped off there then I’d expect to see you at L’Atelier soon. The relaxed (it doesn’t mean you’re not discerning, just less uptight about food) will be rewarded.
________________________
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
5 rue de Montalembert
Paris 7e
+33 (0) 1 42 22 56 56
________________________ ¶ 3:16 PM
Perhaps important to note first of all is not to expect Robuchon to be in the kitchen – I have heard that he does appear once in a blue moon, but otherwise his completely capable disciples (who all have their own restaurants), Eric Bouchenoire, Eric Lecerf and Philippe Braun take turns to head the kitchen.
The extraordinary thing about the restaurant is its layout – diners are seated around what appears to be a huge sushi counter which has at its centre an immaculate kitchen – shiny black kitchen tops and lemons, garlic, peppers etc neatly arranged in metal racks. This means that you get to see your food as it is being prepared – which is more impressive than you might first think, since this isn’t just a teriyaki chef frying up bean sprouts and garlic in front of you.
The entrées work area was on one end, plats on the other – I couldn’t see the desserts being prepared as it was on the other side of the restaurant from where I was seated. This was all really quite inspiring. I was incredibly impressed with the pristine tidiness of the operation – entrées with a dozen different parts being assembled efficiently, ingredients being whisked out from invisible drawers and cupboards and prepared with minimal clutter, so that there was none of the mayhem you’d expect in any kitchen. Nor shouting, smokiness or anything of the sort. In essence, the antithesis of the mess I create when I cook. Not to mention it takes a lot of courage to put your whole kitchen on display – hygiene, staff behaviour not mention stress levels all have to be quite controlled.
No wonder then that when L’Atelier was opened it caused such a sensation. The food however while not terribly conservative, does not carry the shock factor of The Fat Duck. What is shocking is how this became one of the few meals I’ve had where there were a few hits, a few above-average dishes and NO misses. The worst dishes all had something to commend themselves, even if one might think, “This could be done better.” Mark Bittman of the NY Times is right – Robuchon has cut corners (by compromising his legendary perfectionism) to make the menu découverte relatively affordable. It’s a fine balance he’s playing with.
As evidenced by Robuchon’s plans to open them all over the world (he already has another in Tokyo), L’Atelier’s offerings may be slightly formulaic, but it is a good effort from his team of young chefs nonetheless and a chance to try some of his signature dishes (even if not prepared by the man himself – just as if you’ve ever tried to cook anything in Gordon Ramsay’s cookbooks, you’d truly appreciate someone else who is a better (and more organised) cook than yourself preparing his dishes).
The ingredients were fresh (I have no idea where the bad reviews on the staleness of the food comes from), and the menu découverte played this up by its focus on seafood – it had mussels, crab, cod and clams.
Utterly sublime was La Morue fraîche en imprimé d’herbes aux sucs de legumes, with meltingly smooth cod (think Japanese black cod with miso, but steamed instead of grilled/baked) in a sweet vegetable consommé and shrouded by a single square piece of thin white pasta (white and with the texture of Chinese kway teow but thinner and smoother) imprinted with a light green leaf pattern. I was bowled over and baffled by the subtle refreshing taste of that wondrous white sheet similar to mint, and then it struck me what it was (or at least I think) shiso leaf – which is the furry green leaf that comes with sashimi or sushi in proper Japanese restaurants.
Also quite good were L’Agneau de Lait des Pyrénées en côtelettes à la fleur de thym, baked milk-fed lamb cutlets which were herb crusted and a tad salty but very tender – my major complaint here would be that there were two pieces and they were so tiny they were each the size of a chicken wing. The lamb was served with a little dollop of Robuchon’s famous mashed potatoes – it is ridiculously smooth (though it’s no secret that this is just down to the right sort of potatoes plus lots of cream and butter so that it’s really a potato-flavoured butter purée); Les Parloudes facie à l’ail violet et aux champignons, clams baked with garlic and mushrooms with herbs – just as wonderful as escargots but without any of the ammonia aftertaste that you get after eating loads of snails (this isn’t particularly difficult to make and I shall certainly be trying it this weekend – I have a weakness for clams); and Le Tourteau dans une allumette friande et sa vouelle d’avocat épicée, basically fresh white crab meat inside a matchstick pastry roll (really a long spring roll) with spiced avocado – a perfect candidate to become a hit in chi-chi eating places like Momo Café in London.
The menu découverte:
Amuse bouche: breaded mussels with red pepper sauce
Le Tourteau
dans une allumette friande et sa vouelle d’avocat épicée
Les Parloudes
facie à l’ail violet et aux champignons
L’Oseille
en fin bouillon aux asperges vertes et foie gras de canard caramlisé
A sharp tangy apple-tasting sorrel soup with tender green asparagus and a cube of caramelised foie gras – the taste of green apples and foie gras is always a trusty combination but nowhere is this as good as the foie gras and green apple terrine I had at Tragabuches in Ronda and was rather average compared to the other dishes.
La Morue
fraîche en imprimé d’herbes aux sucs de legumes
L’Oeuf
Cocotte et sa crème légère de morilles
My 2nd poached egg cream with morels dish in the 3 days I was in Paris – this was perfectly soft-boiled egg with a few generous (but a bit too salty) morels on top and spinach at the base – also 2nd best among the 3 oeuvres cocotte I had.
L’Agneau de Lait
des Pyrénées en côtelettes à la fleur de thym
Les Fruits Exotiques
Dans une nage acidulée avec un sorbet au basilic
Fruit salad with light acidic soup and basil sorbet – served its purpose as a palate cleanser but nothing to write home about.
La Chartreuse
En soufflé chaud et sa crème glacée a la pistache
Ok, this is apparently another v. famous dish at L’Atelier where a scoop of pistachio ice cream is scooped into the soufflé – it didn’t taste cold like the pear bits in the soufflé I had at Aux Lyonnais but simply disappeared leaving only a very slight hint of pistachio in the soufflé which was lovely. Unfortunately this had a lot of chartreuse – which was a bit too strong for me.
Sounds good? It is – even if it’s far from perfect (since you know all of it could be done even better – maybe except for the cod) and the meal was fun. Great to go with a good friend or two to relax and have good food – but this is not one for lots of privacy (so not conducive to marriage proposals or REALLY scandalous gossip) or big groups.
As for the price – interestingly enough, many reviews have lambasted the place for being overpriced while others have cited it as one of the bargains in Paris. Oddly, both camps are right. Portions are very small (I could easily have eaten twice what I had – even though I felt the amount of most dishes was actually just right so that I didn’t get sick of them - the lamb cutlets though were extraordinarily tiny). Dishes on the grazing menu (Robuchon’s take on French food tapas-style) were also very expensive for their sizes (I kept looking at other diners who had ordered from the grazing menu).
My suggestion? Go for lunch and you’ll enjoy it. It’s a bit too light for dinner unless you’re a good boy/girl and go for the heavy breakfast-light dinner routine. As for whether €98 for the menu is too much to pay for lunch? Not if you’re crazy about the whole spectrum of food including fine dining. For haute cuisine, it’s actually decently priced (I’ve heard Le Cinq’s lunch set is a snip at €120 so we’re speaking relative to this). But don’t go if you feel you need to wowed off your socks by opulence and perfection – this is entry-level (but still good) haute cuisine.
To clarify the position on reservations: L’Atelier only takes reservations for 11.30 am and 6.30 pm – but I didn’t see a queue (as opposed to the ridiculous line I saw when I passed by 2 years ago).
Review by Analogy:
Like The Ivy (one of my favourite restaurants in London even if the chef isn’t particularly famous nor is the food really a out-of-body experience, but it’s consistently good food nonetheless and great ambiance), but definitely finer. [I’d class The Ivy’s nosh as good bistro food.] So if you like The Ivy or The Electric Brasserie and don’t feel like you’re being ripped off there then I’d expect to see you at L’Atelier soon. The relaxed (it doesn’t mean you’re not discerning, just less uptight about food) will be rewarded.
________________________
L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
5 rue de Montalembert
Paris 7e
+33 (0) 1 42 22 56 56
________________________ ¶ 3:16 PM
