Lunch reservation. Arguably the greatest chef in history, Joël Robuchon is in the pantheon of history’s greatest chefs! His L’Atelier chain operates around the world in almost every continent and serves Franco-Japanese cuisine along with his most famous dishes with its signature red and black décor.
Caviar and Cauliflower Cream 8/10: Robuchon clearly loved pairing caviar with cauliflower, but it worked. A simple, yet incredibly flavorful and delightful start to the meal.
Caviar with Crustacean Gelée with Cauliflower and “Chlorophyll” Purée 10/10: Mr. Robuchon’s signature dish still doesn’t miss a beat! The dish’s concept is incredible, and perfectly combines many different subtle seafood flavors without making the dish too “fishy.”
Seared Scallop with Steamed Leeks and Ginger 7/10: Nothing too impressive or mind-blowing here. The scallop was cooked slightly more only on one side and the more Asian flavors didn’t go amazingly well with this dish, but overall it worked reasonably well.
Caramelized Quail with Foie Gras 9/10: Awesome! Some of the best quail I’ve ever had! Everything worked perfectly in this dish. While it isn’t a super common combination, foie gras absolutely goes with quail. A simple dish, done right, with incredible ingredients, and perfectly prepared. I won’t even go into the mashed potatoes, since they were obviously perfect!
Confit Strawberries with Rosé, Champagne Granite, and Mint Espuma 7/10: A reasonably good palette cleanser. I would have preferred only two flavor combinations instead of the three since it was a bit hard for the strawberries, champagne, and mint flavors to mesh completely.
Crème Caramel 8/10: It’s hard to mess up this dessert, and they certainly didn’t. Nothing innovative or revolutionary here, but once again, done perfectly.
Chocolate Sensation 9/10: Joël Robuchon’s most famous dessert truly is phenomenal. Just a step under the chocolate desserts at L’Ambroisie, Guy Savoy, and Central. This dessert had it all. Creaminess, crunch, and a perfect amount of richness. The chocolate flavor went quite perfectly with the cream, though I would have liked a bit less.
Things not pictured: The bread at this place is some of the best I’ve ever had, and the amuse-bouche/mignardises were simple, classy, and absolutely delicious.
I’ve been to Joël Robuchon’s 3* restaurants, and L’Atelier is definitely a step down from that, but not by much. Are all the JR International restaurants a bit of a catch-22, sure, but the restaurants truly are incredible and absolutely keep the spirit and excellence of Joël Robuchon alive. Every L’Atelier I’ve been to has had pretty incredible food for a reasonable price, and have always been at the 2* level, at the least, for me.
Food cost – €125; Value for money – 5/5; Overall rating – 4/5; My Michelin rating – 2*; Would I recommend – Yes
by Schwarzwaldstube
4 Comments
All of that for $125? That’s a great deal!
Love your posts! Can I ask you, what‘s your connection to Schwarzwaldstube?
I live in Macau and have had the Caviar with crustacean gelee dish many times , the fact that this signature dish can be so faithfully represented all over the world is a great achievement.
Holy shit pic 2 looks amazing