David Toutain - A sunday lunch

Sunday February 1st, 2015

When you receive an invitation for a private sunday meal at David Toutain's, when the restaurant is closed, you know that something special is going to happen. We had the pleasure to discover his new extension which is warmly decorated and which feels homey. (Note to self: add this spot to the list of options for group dining!).

David warned us: "Today, this is simple!". Well, I love simplicity! Being able to turn salsify roots which we all remember from the gooey canteen version into the roasted and yet tender aperitive nibbles we got is a trait of genius.

See pictures below, and you'll get the idea. Another mention for the delicate mosaic of scallops and truffles (a tribute to Passard?) and the fully boned suckling pig which are things I'd like to see more often.

On a totally unrelated matter, it happens that David got awarded his first Michelin star the day after. No, we had absolutely no idea it would happen ;) wink, wink.

Most sincere congratulations,  David!

The newly added private room which can accommodate about 16 guests.

Roasted salsifies  with a white chocolate dip (exquisite!)

Perfect egg in a mushroom cream ans peanuts

Scallops and truffles

Pâté-croûte (gamey and tasty)

The chef presenting his slowly roasted suckling pig.

Suckling pig slices lightly seasoned with fragrant spices (including caraway)

Winter roots (turnips, parsnips, ...)

Pies from next door's Jean-François Piège's pastry shop

David Toutain
29 Rue Surcouf, 75007 Paris, France
+33 1 45 50 11 10
http://www.davidtoutain.com

Atelier Drome A+D: Famous Museums Recreated in Candy

Atelier Drome A+D: Famous Museums Recreated in Candy

Jean-Yves Bournot - Le Lulli

October 20th 2014



The young chef Jean-Yves Bournot whose roots extend to Brittany has worked with Yannick Alleno for eight years before taking over the Lulli, the restaurant from the Grand Hotel du Palais Royal, a small luxury hotel. Chef Bournot presents a nice cuisine anchored in the french tradition but with a contemporary look. The dishes are clean and appealing. Although on that night we got unlucky with some cooking irregularities (overcooked and dried pigeon leg for example), the overall quality and the type of food that was served is well worth some Michelin star. I'd be surprised if it doesn't get one with the 2015 edition. Anyhow at the moment, seabass, foie-gras, pigeon, the menu is a steal.


At the end of the meal, the chef told us about his forthcoming Alba truffles. It might be an excuse to revisit the place soon.

Seabass knoedel in a fennel cream

Sole / Noilly Prat / Caviar

Foie Gras / Greengage / Eau-de-vie

Seabass / Caviar / Chlorophyll

Pigeon / Figs / Foie Gras

Savarin / Pineapple

Ganache / Ginger / Manjari

Restaurant Le Lulli
4, Rue de Valois, 75001 Paris
+33 1 42 96 72 20
lelulli@ghprparis.com

Siglo V

A bunch of fragrant leaves tied together...

Is Foie Gras a disease?

With the recent California ban on Foie Gras (like the city of Chicago a while ago), it might be worth correcting some misleading accusations which are erroneously spread by uninformed detractors.

Sometimes it is told that fattened ducks and geese suffer from a serious condition, that their liver is that of a sick animal and is akin to a cirrhosis.

Migrating birds which include ducks and geese have this ability to fatten themselves so as to store a lot energy before their migration. Egyptians in their time had already noticed that self-fattened bird livers were much tastier. From this knowledge, Romans had institutionalized the force-feeding of geese with figs to get fat livers outside of migration periods.

Now, one could argue that force-feeding is unkind to animals. But is that so much worse than slaughtering them? Is that so much meaner than to raise turkeys in small cages? or to lock pets in an apartment? That PETA fight against cruelty towards animals why not, but let consumers decide what they want to eat. It can be noticed that livers from animals which were fed too quickly are of bad quality as they do not hold the cooking too well; Those livers are difficult to sear or to cook in a terrine as the fat melts too quickly. So consumers can recognize the difference and select providers who take time to fatten their birds properly.

Cabbage and Pork Hotpot

Slowly entering winter mode...

Let's gently cook a cabbage, some carrots, a smoked pork shoulder, sausages...

... and let time performs its work:

Joan, Josep i Jordi Roca i Fontané - El Celer de Can Roca

October 17th 2013

Another renowned place which struggles to live up to expectations? Whose fault is it? Is it the work of those very objectionable journalists who decided to compile a random worldwide list of 50 restaurants they've heard about? Is it me who had unrealistic expectations? Anyway, while I acknowledge the admirable work of the Roca brothers in setting up such a restaurant and to maintain a certain level of service despite the curious crowd of loud tourists coming from all over the world, I can’t help from being puzzled that this one restaurant is particularly celebrated.

There were many good things, like this admirable olive-tree bonsai which bore some caramelized olives. Some marvelous prawns, sea anemone and langoustines. There were also some solid mistakes like the clumsy repetition of a the cocoa-butter bonbon technique which we had at least 3 times in various flavours. This interesting technique permits the encapsulation of some once-frozen liquid (a broth for example) in a thin coating which melts in the mouth. This is clever but cocoa-butter it is and cocoa-butter it remains; if it is not perfectly executed and especially if the coating is too thick, this brings a very oily texture which is not the most pleasant or refined. And while once is fun, three times is really too much.

The other objection I would have over the whole meal is the overwhelming presence of the sweet taste in a number of the dishes. Not being a sugar-person, I was somewhat bothered with that.

The world:
Mexico: burrito with mole poblano and guacamole
Peru: ceviche broth
China: pickled vegetables with plum cream
Morocco: almond, roe, honey, safron, ras el hanout, goat yogurt
Korea: panco fried bread, bacon with soy sauce, snow peas, kimchi and sesam oil

Caramelized Olives

Carpano bombon with grapefruit and black sesame

Truffled bombon

Crispy Shrimp

Zucchini omelette

Boletus edulis brioche

Vegetable stock with sprouts, flowers, leaves and fruits

Fig leaf
Fig leaf cheese, green almonds, physalis, fresh and charcoal-grilled fig, fig-leaf terrine with fig skin and rind, vinegar anfd fig ice--cream, cumin, fennel, tarragon and chervil.

White asparagus and truffle viennetta

Mackerel with pickles and mullet roe
Mackerel sauce with white wine, lemon, capers and chillies in vinegar, fried tomato, mullet roe, mackerel marinated in sugar and salt. Mackerel infusion.

Salad of sea anemone, razor-clam, royal cucumber and sea-weed in escabèche

A whole prawn:
Charcoal-grilled king prawn, head juice with seaweed, sea water and plancton sponge cake

Palo Cortado-steamd langoustine, bisque velouté and Jerez caramel

Grilled sole with black and white garlic, parsley juice and lemon

Sierra Mayor Iberian suckling pig, melon, orange and beetroot

Charcoal-grilled lamb breast fillet and sweetbreads with eggplant, coffee and liquorice

Pigeon parfait and onion
curry-caramelized walnuts, juniper, orange peel and herbs

Sourdough ice cream with cocoa pulp, fried lychee and sherry vinegar macaron

Viola
A sphere of cinnamon and viola with coconut and honey toffee

Hazelnut, lemon and ratafia

El Celler de Can Roca
Can Sunyer, 48
17007 Girona
Phone +34 972 22 21 57

http://www.cellercanroca.com

A simple raw vegetable salad

Nothing fancy in the fridge?
Radish, cauliflower, pickles, tomato, carrots, yogurt and a few slices of garlic sausage.
It is still possible to produce a tasty and crunchy salad with a few raw vegetables.

Uzbek plov

August 3rd 2014

The national dish of Uzbekistan is the plov (or pilaf), a rice dish probably originating from antique Persia. Many variations of this dish can be be found across Central Asia from Middle-East to India.

The Uzbek version usually contains carrots, chickpeas and mutton. The rice can be cooked either with mutton fat or with cotton oil (to lighten the dish?!).

A home-made plov in Bhukhara, Uzbekistan

Yves Camdeborde - L'Avant-comptoir

In the previous post, we talked about the incredible foie-gras macaron from Mugaritz in which the biscuit was made of pig's blood in lieu of egg white. I thought it would be interesting to dig out the following blood sausage macaron from the talented Yves Camdeborde, sometimes called the father of bistronomy (or was it Michel Picquart from le Villaret?...). This macaron although not as subtle or sophisticated as the previous one is nevertheless tasty and comforting especially with a glass of red.

L'avant-comptoir where you can get this macaron is a merry and crowded place (no sittings!). There you can get a glass of wine with a few mouth-watering nibbles while you wait for a seat (or not) at the Bearnese Chef's restaurant next door .

A go-to place at any time of the day or night!

Blood sausage and Espelette pepper macaron

L'Avant-Comptoir
3 Carrefour de l'Odéon
75006 Paris, France
+33 1 44 27 07 97