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.
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L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon
5 rue de Montalembert
Paris 7e
+33 (0) 1 42 22 56 56
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Tartare d’Huitres de Marennes, Saumon, relevé au Gingembre; Pied de Porc Pané, Pomme Purée maison
As one of the best chefs in Paris (he won 2 Michelin stars at Les Ambassadeurs at Hotel de Crillon), it’s our good fortune that back in the late 1990s, Christian Constant decided to lead a bistro movement with several young chefs, serving classic yet affordable French cuisine in neighbourhood bistros. [PS this is a different Christian Constant from Christian Constant, the chocolate genius]
I have yet to try neither the other bistros by his protégés (which have also had great reviews) nor his main restaurant, Le Violon d’Ingrès but I was looking for great bistro food and given excellent reviews around many foodie websites, I dragged my 3 accommodating (thank you dears) travelling companions to rue St Dominique (without even checking if they were open – many other places I’d called were closed that May weekend) on Friday night, keeping my fingers crossed even as they looked so pitifully hungry and were asking me if I had any backup plans. I lied and said yes – partially true since we could always just go to my regular eats near Sorbonne even if it would mean taking the metro again and walking some more and I wasn’t sure they would have survived that.
Thankfully it was open. The place was packed and there was a queue in front of us – the place does not take reservations (though I have read somewhere that they might do for 5 or more people), but the chef’s Scottish wife, Catherine Constant, gave us a warm welcome and chatted with us and the other customers at the bar as she helped us to choose a light aperitif while we waited for a table (this took about 20 minutes).
As we were at the bar, I kept looking round at what one man was eating – since he appeared to be enjoying himself greatly – I asked what it was and he was full of praises for it – from his conversation with the staff it was clear that he was one of the regulars. But he was not the only one; there were loads of local residents in the place.
The menu is written up on blackboards and placed on your table before you order, with about 6 or 7 selections for each course, and selections for each course priced the same (except for one or two things needing modest supplements).
Food was good and in sizeable portions though some of it was rather forgettable – in particular one of the plats Escalope de Veau, Cordon Blue, Tagliatelle au Beurre was really a bit too normal and while the desserts were standard bistro choices and provided a really sweet way to end of a filling meal (eg the Millefeuille au Vanille, while a million miles away from the fine pastry and supposed 2000 layers in Pierre Herme’s millefeuille, tasted so richly of vanilla pods it was good even if not fine), they too were uninspired.
Of course though, that is sort of the point – you go to your local bistro for good comforting food rather than anything fancy. In other words, this is the perfect kind of place to bring one’s parents to (or anyone else with conservative taste buds and scorn for paying for haute cuisine).
Really good stuff were my entrée, Tartare d’Huitres de Marennes, Saumon, relevé au Gingembre, which was chopped raw salmon and oyster with ginger and spring onion served in the oyster shells; and my friend Lips’ plat, Pied de Porc Pané, Pomme Purée maison, done alla Milanese but was incredibly tender (just like confit de canard).
When I passed by the kitchen I saw Christian Constant at work, explaining something very seriously to another chef – I guess that’s the point of having all your restaurants on the same street, you can always keep on top of things!
Around 10 pm, people were still wandering in but last orders had been taken so they had to be turned away looking very disappointed but promising they’d be back.
All in all, the bill came up to €150 for four (including service and our aperitif plus my extra glass of white wine) – an absolute bargain for a good hearty meal, friendly service and a lively local atmosphere. Haute cuisine this isn’t and even if not all the food was as brilliant as I hoped for, I still wish Café Constant was my local!
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Café Constant
139 rue St. Dominique
Paris 7e
+33 (0)1 47 53 73 34
http://www.leviolondingres.com/eng_menu.htm
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(clockwise from top left: œuf cocotte aux morilles et écrevisses; gigot d'agneau de lait rôti, pommes boulangères à notre façon; soufflé Williamine, sorbet poire; and Quenelle et écrevisses)
I made a reservation here at noon to attempt to fit in as many meals I could in a day (including tea at Ladureé) and then thought to myself: the restaurant's going to KNOW I'm a tourist - who on earth in Paris eats lunch that early?!
So I was much relieved when I arrived at noon and the restaurant was already half full, and they were turning away people without reservations.
It is perhaps unsurprising that Aux Lyonnais is such a successful venture. Lyon is widely considered to be the heart of gastronomy in France and Aux Lyonnais serves hearty bistro (or bouchon) food with the subtlety and excellent usage of seasonal produce representative of Lyonnais cuisine.
First of all, some advice - skip the menu du jour. My friend had this and spent the entire meal wishing she had ordered à la carte. The menu isn't bad at all and for 3 courses at 28 euros represents fairly good value. BUT there are extremely alluring options on the à la carte and if like me, you don't live in Paris and only get to go once in a long while, then eat at McDonald's for dinner if you have to, but order from the à la carte!!
To illustrate, my friend had for her starter, as part of the menu, salade de groin d'âne, œuf mollet in other words a caesar salad of sorts with bacon and poached egg, which was delicious (I'm a sucker for anything with poached eggs) but rather uninspiring. I had the œuf cocotte (also poached egg in a steamed custard like mix with morels (as you can see from my other writeups on this trip to Paris, morels were in season so they popped up absolutely everywhere) and crayfish tails - which was the best œuf cocotte I had this trip - smooth, oozing, full of the sweetness of crayfish. And when my friend tried some she swore she was going to have it the next time. Even the next table were impressed.
Mains too did not disappoint - lamb was tasty and moist complemented by little baked slices of potato and toppings, and the crayfish and quenelles (a sort of dumpling) from the menu was new to us.
As for dessert, the pear souffle I had was enormous. I know it doesn't quite show up in the picture but I've never had a souffle that huge. And while I'm not crazy about souffles, they are really magical things - kinda just one grade down from xiaolongbaos! I suppose it's the impermanence of the souffle... and anything with lots of air always seems like fun (like the current worldwide culinary obsession with froth). And the size! Things that are unusually big or tiny are always so endearing. As for my friend's rice pudding with red fruits - I'm incredibly biased towards "rice pudding" so I didn't try it but she did say it wasn't bad just a little too ordinary.
Anyway, I had lots of fun at Aux Lyonnais. Even after many other delicious meals, I remain convinced I'll be back the next time I go to Paris. And while this might be one of Alain Ducasse's restaurants, you won't have to pay through the nose for the privilege. We didn't have wine, but my share of the meal (including water and service) came up to just under 60 euros... well worth it considering how warm and fuzzy I was upon leaving the restaurant!
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Aux Lyonnais
32 rue Saint-Marc
Paris75002
Tel: +33 (0)1 42 96 65 04
Métro: Bourse
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Zucchini and Taleggio parmigiana with autumn leaves and salmoriglio sauce
Some friends and I were going to watch a movie at Leicester Square and wanted to try something new around the area. Al Duca popped up favourably as a "bib gourmand" in the Michelin guide so it seemed like a good choice, considering I had never heard of it despite it being fairly close to my office.
Problem was we had dillydallied about where to go for dinner so by the time I called to make a reservation at 3 pm, I was told that they only had one table available at 6.15 pm and that they would need it back by 7.30. Considering the movie was at 8.30 we figured we’d try and eat quickly.
Anyway, when we got there the restaurant was already almost full - surprising given the early hour and that the place was actually tucked in a side street between Piccadilly and Duke of York Square. There was a good mix of well-dressed families with little kids, couples and just groups of friends - in a relaxed and elegant dining room.
As we were already running late, we ordered almost immediately. The manager was very jovial and actually sat down next to my friend, recommending us various specials. When I asked to look at the set menu though, he was rather dismissive, saying “Are you going to finish eating by 7 pm?” which obviously we weren’t going to, before telling us that the pre-theatre dinner for £16.50 for 3 courses was only available between 6 to 7 pm. This I found rather odd, since most places actually state the time as when you must order by rather than when they’re going to kick you out, and since we were going to be kicked out anyway at 7.30pm I thought this was slightly ungracious of them.
Since we were already there we weren’t about to quibble over this – and the set dinner of 3 courses for £24 (you can also have 2 courses for £20 or 4 for £28) seemed to be reasonable anyway so we went ahead and ordered. My crabmeat ravioli (special of the day – £4 supplement – was fresh but not particularly stunning), but my companion’s Parmigiana was apparently very good, as was the poached egg with crusty parmesan, bacon, potatoes and sautee mushrooms. Mains were equally satisfactory – my Veal Milanese was tender while my companions’ main-sized pastas too were tasty.
After we had finished out mains, our friendly Italian waitress cleared our plates and asked us if we wanted dessert, but since it was almost 7.30, we declined despite me being sorely tempted by a pistachio crème brulee.
Strangely enough, the standard of the food, I felt, was about the same as Refettorio, but at a slightly more reasonable price, with the bill coming to £26 pp including service, though admittedly w/o wine/cocktails and only 2 courses.
I’m starting to think that I’m becoming a little jaded (and spoilt), but Al Duca didn’t inspire any feelings either of “We simply have to come back soon!” Pre-theatre seems like good value, but given that many restaurants also do good pre-theatre menus, eg Criterion or Quo Vadis (both Marco Pierre White restaurants incidentally), Al Duca probably excels more as the sort of place to deliver reliably above-average food at a fairly reasonable price for its location (Green Park/Pall Mall) – even proper dinner will hardly break the bank. I can sort of see how it got its "bib gourmand" award, but I can think of a lot more that should be but aren't.
(aside)
Refettorio and Al Duca are not pizzerias, so one can’t really expect very cheap food and pizzas. It’s really more of a trattoria/ristorante. While this is sort of the distinction can be hazy, since it is possible for a trattoria to be more expensive that a ristorante, just as a meal at a brasserie can cost more than that at a bistro, it really just boils down to the complexity/(and ideally finesse) of the food. You tend to have more courses at a ristorante/restaurant (‘restaurant’ in France is usually reserved for haute cuisine) and fewer at a trattoria/bistro (which also have a more informal atmosphere). Pizzerias and brasseries are places that open at all hours and serve food that can be made quickly or prepared in advance – eg pizza, lasagna, raw oysters and steak frites or steak tartare etc.
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Al Duca
4-5 Duke of York Street
London SW1Y 6LA
+44 (0)20 7839 3090
http://www.alduca-restaurant.co.uk
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¶ 2:51 PM 2 comments
My flatmate tried to book Locanda Locatelli for her birthday dinner but being last-minute, could only get a table for 10 pm. Being a school night and all, she decided instead to have it at Refettorio, Giorgio Locatelli’s other venture in the City.
Since I have never been to LL, I can’t really compare the food but Refettorio was well... decent. Ravioli with smoked mozzarella and sundried tomatoes was yum, but all the other stuff was just average, or only slightly above average – eg the roast guinea fowl which looked nice enough on the plate (see picture) but was a tad too chewy and really quite normal. The pan-fried beef fillet with herb crust served with mushrooms was done just right but none of us felt that it was particularly special. The sorbet was quite refreshing, but again nothing particularly wow.
The place, relatively speaking (this is a hotel restaurant after all), was not ridiculously expensive – starters and pastas between £7-11.50 and mains between £16-21.50, desserts £5. The bill came to about £40 pp (including a nice cocktail and 2.5 courses each, water and service) and I suppose I wouldn’t mind going if I worked nearby and was on an expense account like the other suited diners. But since I don’t and I have so many more restaurants to try before I leave London, I doubt I’ll be back.
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Refettorio
Crowne Plaza London
19 New Bridge Street
London EC4V 6DB
Tel: +44 (0)20 7438 8055
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The western world has a bad habit of naming almost everything they can't understand in oriental cuisine a "dumpling". Siu mais are dumplings, Bak zang or rice dumplings are dumplings, har gow are dumplings, sooi jing bao are dumplings and even tang1 yuan2 are dumplings. And let's not forget English dumplings too. (which I can't understand)
Given xiao long bao's resemblance to sooi jing bao (shui jing bao) it is unsurprising then that it too has fallen into the GENERAL category of dumplings. But I personally think xiao long bao belongs to a league of its own. (the name incidentally, literally translated, just means small bamboo steamer bun - which I admit isn't very poetic... )
What makes this dish special is what happens when you bite into one of these cuties - a sweet consomme immediately oozes out, filling you with a warm fuzzy feeling. In the words of my flatmate, what they really are are exploding soup parcels!
I think I first had the idea of trying to make some when speaking to Joooone! about new cooking projects we had in mind and somehow I mentioned xiao long bao (I always mention it as one of my favourite foods - my mom who has no interest in shanghainese food thinks I'm mad) - it always seemed a bit too ambitious but I thought "what the heck" - the worst thing that could happen would be that my flatmates and other guinea pigs would throw me looks of disgust (and it's not like that I haven't had those before).
In the end what I found was that it wasn't that hard to make xiao long bao - and I'd like to think mine turned out fairly decent (see picture above). What was difficult though was getting the pastry consistency right and I think I'm going to practise a few more times and when I get it right I'll be sure to post the recipe here. ¶ 12:43 PM 1 comments
(clockwise from top left) Oyster, passionfruit jelly, horseradish cream, lavender; Pommery grain mustary ice cream, red cabbage gazpacho; Jelly of quail, langoustine cream, parfait of foie gras; Snail porridge, Poache breast of Anjou pigeon pancetta; Bavarois of basil, beetroot jelly; Parsnip cereal; Smoked bacon and egg ice cream
The best restaurant in the world?
So on a sunny Saturday in April I set out with 3 similarly gluttonous friends in a rented car to Bray. Getting to The Fat Duck was fairly easy thanks to the expert driver (OLY) who incidentally had just been to Waterside Inn (just down the road from TFD) the week before.
The restaurant is a rustic cottage of sorts - low ceilings, dark wood beams and (thankfully!) none of that minimalist modern sharp lines that seem to have taken over the restaurant world (more on that in another post save to say that it's quite nice but it does get SOOO boring). In fact the uneven walls and beams helped to create a rather intimate setting - not at all stuffy. It was comfortable and rather relaxing without anything too distracting, though I can't say I noticed too much once the food arrived (which is perhaps the point of simple décor). Our waiters were also very helpful - explaining each course in turn to us (they must do this a million times a day since everyone seemed to be there for the same menu!) service was generally attentive and unobtrusive.
Having cursorily considered the set lunch and the a la carte menu, we decided on the menu dégustation (having come this far, there really isn't any point having anything else - ok so it's not that far but when you've actually rented a car just to come for this meal!). I think we considered the other two options really as a brief courtesy to my wallet (my friends are flush financiers so money is really not a problem), but I'm sure the choice was obvious for all of us even before we got there.
After consultation (SJ for red and me for white) with the friendly sommelier we were recommended a Baron Heyl 2002 Estate Riesling and another red (which was alright but paled in comparison so much to the brilliant white that none of us can remember what it's called). The Riesling was very rounded, with just the right sweetness, dryness and fruity substance. The red was more mediocre but the two bottles were priced very reasonably, with the Riesling at £28 and the red at approx £35.
Anyway, down to the food (combining OLY and my thoughts - another of us has put up his own review while the fourth diner has approved both)... [ click here for more pictures and another magazine review]
We were first presented with 5 amuses bouche:
i) NITRO-GREEN TEA AND LIME MOUSSE
This was mousse prepared in liquid nitrogen in a metal container (making the whole process look like dry ice being used at weddings) in front of us looking a bit like a squirt of hair mousse so we were very intrigued even as the waiter explained how it was done (a concoction of vodka, lime and green tea foamed in a whipped cream canister and then "poached" in liquid nitrogen).
This was interesting much more on the texture front than on taste - it appeared somewhat like a meringue but the mousse melted straightaway on the tongue leaving only a very light taste of green tea and lime. This would be what I'd imagine clouds to taste like in a magical foodie land! We were all like kids in a toy shop at this point: ooohs and aaahs. Anyway it was perfect for cleansing the palate to start on our food journey
(The ephemeral nature of this amuse bouche meant that it was impossible to take a picture of - sorry!)
ii) ORANGE AND BEETROOT JELLY
This was orange-coloured jelly (looking like rowntree's jelly cubes) tasting like beetroot and beetroot-coloured jelly tasting like orange - designed to confuse the brain. However, other than that it wasn't particularly memorable.
iii) OYSTER, PASSION FRUIT JELLY, HORSERADISH CREAM, LAVENDER
A raw oyster on the shell presented on a black stone slab. This combination was a dream - an absolutely fresh oyster accompanied by slightly tangy passion fruit jelly and smooth horseradish cream (for just that little bit of Tabasco-like kick) and fragrant lavender. I could so easily slurp a dozen of these. However, while the lavender adds a very distinctive taste I'm of the personal opinion that it would have tasted just as wonderful without it, though perhaps presentation-wise, the little bit of purple does look great against the yellow jelly!
iv) POMMERY GRAIN MUSTARD ICE CREAM, RED CABBAGE GAZPACHO
The first of non-conventional ice creams in the menu, the mustard ice cream was really yummy and not at all shocking especially when paired with gazpacho. [Once you're used to ice-cold soup (I used to think it terrible till I got hooked on it in Andalucía - it's the perfect summer soup!) then mustard ice cream isn't such a big leap.] I loved the presentation here too - striking colours - very Spanish in spirit! The gazpacho itself was brilliant, full of everything that is wonderful about red cabbage without being overpowering.
I wanted to ask for more of this but was afraid I'd be turned down like Oliver Twist.
v) JELLY OF QUAIL, LANGOUSTINE CREAM, PARFAIT OF FOIE GRAS
All three ingredients are particularly strong flavours but they complemented each other well - in fact it was quite sublime. However, this clearly wasn't that shocking a combination (relative to eg bacon and egg ice cream) and was simply an example of good execution.
Next up were various starters -
SNAIL PORRIDGE Jabugo Ham, shaved fennel
While this dish sounds like something out of a Roald Dahl book (and the porridge's bright green made it look like it too!), I'm sure being fans of escargots all of us were thinking "this should be good!" Unfortunately somehow this didn't quite do it for me (or my fellow diners). It wasn't bad, just rather bland and sludgy and at a weird temperature (seemed to have been left out too long). While the Jabugo ham felt a bit too dry. And the snails looked so unattractive out of their shells.
ROAST FOIE GRAS Almond fluid gel, cherry and chamomile
This was meltingly smooth - perfectly roasted with the slight caramelised edges - another example of good execution and a respite from his "nostalgic" creations. The Amaretto-flavoured jelly added a nice touch with the cherry, though the chamomile white foam tasted not much of anything. (OLY hates chamomile tea but was pleasantly surprised that it didn't taste like that - otherwise though it was just foam.
SARDINE ON TOAST SORBET Ballotine of mackerel "invertebrate", marinated daikon
The "sorbet" was actually quite creamy although it didn't have the consistency of ice cream - OLY felt that the mini toasted brioche/fish (can't remember) was very forgettable because it tasted very fishy and in fact smelt like slightly-off fish. I just felt it was too fishy (never been a sardine on toast fan - despite loving fish generally) and the salmon roe probably didn't help. The point here again was to confuse the senses which it did but unfortunately for me, not in a good way.
On to the entrées -
SALMON POACHED WITH LIQUORICE Asparagus, pink grapefruit, "Manni" olive oil
The thing about liquorice is you either hate or love it. Rather regrettably, the waiter had asked us before we embarked on the menu if there was anything we hated and we said "no" - of course we forgot that we hated liquorice, but we hardly expecting it in such a large quantity nor did we realise it was going to be on the menu! Anyway, this was salmon covered in a slightly shiny black liquorice jelly, with the salmon perfectly cooked with the middle being slightly rare. Since I hate liquorice it was worse because the flavour had permeated into the salmon but I can imagine that if you loved liquorice this would be a dream - I can't really comment on whether liquorice goes with salmon just 'cos my mind just went "eek!".
This made the nicest part of the dish (for me and OLY at least) the asparagus! (also cos I think the dishes up to then had not had any whole vegetables)
POACHED BREAST OF ANJOU PIGEON PANCETTA Pastilla of its leg, pistachio, cocoa and quatre épices
This was one of the best dishes on the menu on just taste and execution, though interestingly again, it was not one of the "nostalgic" dishes. I love game and the pigeon was gorgeously pink and tender, with a slight saltiness reminiscent of cured meat. (owing undoubtedly to the pancetta)
The "samosa" though wasn't special - this combination is often used with pigeon and does work well but I felt I've had better even at places like momo café. While at the time we were full of praise for this dish, looking back I almost feel instinctively that I've had or can have better pigeon somewhere else. Maybe cos the leg was served without skin - and I do so love crispy skins! Besides, if getting the right level of cooked-ness is just about controlling the temperature, then the other accompaniments should really have been what made the pigeon brilliant, but it didn't really - it was all perhaps a little too subtle for my unrefined palate. I did like the cured taste (sort of chicken plus bacon combination) but pigeon on its own already possesses a marvellous taste and I'm not sure if the pancetta actually took away some of that wonderful gaminess.
Very good then, but a tad short of brilliance.
We were now ready to move on to the introductions to the desserts although interestingly enough, at this stage, being ½-way through the menu, we actually thought that we might be hungry later and might just have to pop by for something else on the way home!
i) WHITE CHOCOLATE AND CAVIAR
Served on a metal stand, the contrast of the white chocolate discs and osetra looked lovely - the tastes interestingly blended too - with the sweetness of white chocolate offset by the saltiness of osetra.
ii) MRS MARSHALL'S MARGARET CORNET
This was rather gimmicky - we were given a small leaflet explaining who Mrs Marshall was (the inventor of the edible ice cream cone) and were presented with tiny ice cream cones together with a sugared rose petal to be eaten afterwards. It was all very cute but I can't remember now what flavour the ice cream was except that it was fruity (maybe peach?). In a way I almost feel as if we were so caught up with reading the little piece of paper that that was why we couldn't remember what flavour it was or perhaps it really was just not very memorable.
iii) PINE SHERBET FOUNTAIN
Hilarious - this was a little rolled up contained of very fine sugar that melted immediately on the tongue, giving a high dosage of saccharine. There was quite a lot of this but it was amusing and reminded me somewhat of the "nerds" sweets I had as a kid. Maybe this should be introduced to coke fiends but they might just develop diabetes instead.
As for the proper desserts -
MANGO AND DOUGLAS FIR PUREE Bavarois of lychee and mango, blackcurrant sorbet
Couldn't really taste the lychee in this (maybe we're all too used to the really strong taste of lychee in our martinis at zouk). Anyhow this didn't taste bad at all - but neither did it grab me nor have me gushing. By now I was starting to suspect that desserts might not be Blumenthal's strongest suit. (ie competent but not amazing)
CARROT AND ORANGE TUILE, BAVAROIS OF BASIL BEETROOT JELLY
I believe we had specific instructions to eat these in order - the first tasted exactly like carrot and orange (for some really good tuiles, I think Tom Aikens is a star), the second exactly like basil, and the third like beetroot. Introducing basil in dessert is rather extraordinary though and since none of these are really dessert-sort of ingredients perhaps they were designed to provide a buffer before we went on to the atypical savoury dessert.
Before we went on to the legendary bacon and egg ice cream though we were given a cereal box with a little packet of parsnip cereal and a little pitcher o parsnip milk. To me this was just TOO gimmicky. Taste-wise: it wasn't bad but I think Blumenthal could have done away with this entirely. It didn't add anything and if anything is what turns most of his greatest critics off - that he tries TOO hard.
SMOKED BACON AND EGG ICE CREAM Pain perdu, tea jelly
This really messed our brains up, tasting perfectly of bacon and egg but in the form of ice cream. The pain perdu was good, and tasted like crunchy sweet French toast/waffle with maple syrup like crunchy sweet french toast/wafffle/maple syrup... However, I don't think I'd keep a regular tub of the stuff in my freezer if it became available at tesco's.
The tea jelly served in a little half egg-shell shaped cup was great though and was the perfect accompaniment to the salty ice cream - light and refreshing. Think this was the last memorable thing in the menu too... since already our minds were wandering. At this stage i think we were matching the little egg containers to see if we put two together they'd fit (obviously we knew they wouldn't but that didn't keep us from trying).
LEATHER, OAK AND TOBACCO CHOCOLATES PRALINE ROSE TARTLET
OLY felt the praline rose tartlet was just "bai sui" (to look pretty) only and really just for pple who want a sweet ending. I agree, since this just tasted like an inferior version of laduree's (in paris) rose macarons. The chocolates though were quite special (despite sounding extremely dubious). We were pleasantly surprised that the leather chocs tasted quite nice - chewy texture was particularly good since it was not at all sticky like caramel. The oak ones weren't too bad too, with a slightly solid musky taste. But the tobacco ones were just WRONG. They tasted like tar and according to OLY, road (although I have no idea how she knows what the road tastes like). This reminded me of the Harry Potter jelly beans that came out after the movie - I actually tried a grass one and it really tasted like grass. ___________________________________________________________________
In conclusion then, clearly there were both hits and misses. Although admittedly some of the "misses" came down to a cultural bias (eg the salmon poached with liquorice and the sardine on toast sorbet), I felt a nagging feeling that Blumenthal has spent so much time in his molecular gastronomy/food alchemy/culinary constructivism that his food lacks the spontaneity and the passion of chefs who work with whatever is freshest on the menu that day.
Arguably his goal is different - to present a whole different view of what food can be to his diners, by playing with textures and flavours and linking them to our memories, as evidenced by his "nostalgic" dishes. Also, judging from how we felt that his best dishes were in fact those that were simply well-executed and ungimmicky, there is no doubt that the man can really cook, and I suppose, having reached that stage, he feels a need to foray into something a little more special.
Yet spontaneity is something I admire a lot in chefs. Blumenthal's operation seems a bit *too* put-together, just as we'd imaging big food giants to research into what we'd like to eat or not and all this emphasis on psychology takes away from the food itself. A Willy Wonka he might be, but remember Willy's failed experiments!
All in all, I don't think this would be the best restaurant in the world. (I think we can only really judge TFD against El Bulli and French Laundry since they do sort of aim for the same effect and when I've tried the other two I'll let you know. Otherwise "the best restaurant in the world" is really an unrealistic award)
Nonetheless, I would recommend at least one trip to The Fat Duck for the menu dégustation. The meal was highly enjoyable (even with the misses), the service was very good, and at £135 per head (including 2 bottles of wine shared between 4 people), hardly extravagant compared to haute cuisine in Paris. And hype aside, Blumenthal has made eating fun. My fellow diners and I demonstrated excitement at a dining table befitting of 7 year olds)
Further, Blumenthal might not have invented the idea of food psychology but he is trying to innovate and run against what many critics have commented on: the stagnation of haute cuisine. His constant experimentation with new techniques is also commendable.
At the same time, I DO hope that he'll change his menu degustation soon (he hasn't seem to have changed it for YEARS! And when that time comes, I'll be sure to go try it again. Otherwise I'll be saving my money for my trips to Paris and finishing off my must-eats in London.
Despite thinking we'd might be hungry at the end we felt content - ready for a meal in another 3 hours or so! So thumbs up for "just right" tummies where others have failed. (usually I am bloated after having tasting menus!)
Side note: I've also heard that the a la carte is very good and may be worth visiting again for - it showed less adventurous dishes but since Blumenthal has showed his execution skills are rather good (though I feel, less polished than Gordon Ramsay), I might just pop in to check it out if I'm around the area.
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THE FAT DUCK
www.fatduck.co.uk
High Street
Bray, Berkshire SL6 2AQ
+44 (0) 1628 580 333
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