Lobster, wagyu, caviar… All great. But any fool can impress with them.
I am always a happy boy when they bring out the bread. The different styles, techniques, textures, seasonings, flavours… And then we have the butters and oils too!
Some places really do knock it out the park, setting expectations high early in the meal.
So I’m wondering where did you have your best ever bread course at a fine dining restaurant?
A couple of images of my favourites to kick off. First is LAB by Sergi Arola in Sintra, Portugal. That leaf in the bottom left is somehow bread, served with a range of butters (I think they were chorizo, sheep milk, and regular), and a gluten free roll at the back.
Second up is the sourdough at Oak in Bath, UK. Slightly salted, a generous glug of olive oil, and baked fresh every morning. Possibly my favourite bit of bread I’ve ever had.
by AndyVale
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Epicure in Paris.
It wasn’t impressive in terms of variety, it was literally just one loaf, brought to your table and sliced on a bread board and served with un/salted butter and olive oil. But that loaf was the best bread I have ever had: firm, thick, crunchy crust, nutty, slightly chewy, resilient interior, and an amazing flavour and finish that persisted on your palate.
The bread serving on French Laundry’s evolution menu is probably my favorite. Whole wheat brioche with black truffle mousseline and shaved black truffles. Essentially a classy cheesy truffle bread.
Also a special shout-out to Addison in San Diego, delicious sourdough with a few amazing butters.
The bread cart at Joel Robuchon is fantastic. Over a dozen types of bread to choose from, all served with Normandy butter and very good olive oil.
Some favorites spring to mind.
Noma’s serving which was just more truffle sauce after their celeriac shawarma, with sourdough bread to dip.
Frantzén’s laminated brioche. Never had a bread this opulent before. Ate two of them <3
Steirereck’s bread cart is absolutely amazing even if the breads themselves aren’t individually as good as I could hope.
Edit: And for a really shitty one I’d have to say Osteria Francescana a couple of years ago. Everything else was mind blowing, but the “amazing” sourdough bread they kept talking up was an utter disappointment is