Guess who got a last-minute lunch reservation at the world’s newest 3* restaurant!
Photo 1: Signature vegetables in limestone — What exactly was the point of the limestone is beyond me, but this was a very sharp serving of snacks. The fried vegetable and parmesan cheese balls went perfectly with their rich earthy mushroom sauce. The small mushroom tartlets were also delightful.
Photo 2: Signature vegetables 1 — Carrot prepared 3 ways. First, as a poached then roasted carrot. Second, as a pickled condiment. And third, as a sauce. This was a wonderful dish, and I was shocked at how many different flavors and textures a chef could get out of a simple carrot.
Photo 3: Signature vegetables part 2 — Mushroom torte with a mushroom and sunchoke sauce. This dish was not bad, but certainly not superb. I thought the chef already used mushrooms quite a lot in the amuse-bouche, but this dish still managed to have its own unique texture and flavor. The sauce was lovely!
Photo 4: Abalone, Kristal caviar, lentil salad — This was the only time I’ve had abalone outside of Asia, and Chef Banctel nailed it! The abalone paired wonderfully with the split smoked cream and vegetable sauce, while the caviar and lentils added a nice other component to the dish.
Photo 5: Binchotan grilled lobster, butternut squash, seed praline — This was another great dish. The lobster was perfectly cooked, and its smokiness went amazingly with the slightly sweet squash. They could have removed the pesto-like sauce and added more seed praline, but otherwise, this was very good.
Photo 6: Mackerel on galet, confit amandine, bourride sauce — This was the only dish I didn’t really love. The mackerel was a bit tough and didn’t have enough of the rich orange sauce. The amandine was superb, and I wish they had given a bit more.
Photo 7: Hen farm chicken, buttermilk, «Kig Ha Farz», white asparagus — A simple, but phenomenal. Perfectly cooked chicken with a buttermilk and white asparagus foam and a charred bone stock sauce. The somewhat deconstructed Kig Ha Farz on the side was very interesting! The stock sauce could have been a bit thicker though.
Photo 8: Meringue, pink grapefruit, sea asparagus — A top-notch palate cleanser. The meringue and grapefruit went perfectly together, and surprisingly, the different textures all worked. This dish looks quite strange, but was very tasty indeed.
Photo 9: Williams pear, honey ice cream, Chouchen — One of the best desserts I’ve had in a very long time! Everything was so perfect! A perfectly poached and coated mini pear with delicious sides and condiments. Everything from the ice cream to the chantilly and jelly was utter perfection!
I haven’t had a starred meal I was this happy with in a long time, and €278 was a very reasonable price for me. I think they could have plated some of the dishes better, but overall, this place is absolutely at the 3* level, and I’m very happy for them! Not pictured is the free celebration champagne pairing (which might have cost me €500+ based on what they served) I got on the house, in celebration of their third star!
by PopeBonyface