On our first visit to Joël Robuchon’s L’Atelier, we loved the food and vowed to return. As we came to the end of that first meal and saw the kitchen plate up for another customer a beautiful looking steak tartare, we vowed to return soon. That ‘soon’ was today and the restaurant served up another superlative meal. To add a new twist to the experience, we used the ‘small plates’ menu (Plats en Portions-Dégustation) to create our own tasting menu (and share each of the dishes we ordered so that we could order and try more), and here, the restaurant staff were fabulously obliging and where possible, split even these small plates into two so that we each had a beautifully prepared individual portion of our selection in front of us. We were totally impressed by today’s offering and are already looking forward to going back.
We’ve discussed the restaurant style in our previous blog so this time round we’ll concentrate solely on the food.
We’ve discussed the restaurant style in our previous blog so this time round we’ll concentrate solely on the food.
The first plate in front of us today was a complimentary amuse bouche taken from the real tasting menu, that is, the Parmesan cappuccino with port reduction and foie gras. We loved this dish first time round and we loved it all over again second time around. While the Parmesan taste came through a little stronger this time, slightly knocking off the balance of the dish as cheese flavours were allowed to dominate, this was still a lovely start.
The most expensive dish of the day followed but it was worth every penny. Billed as L’œuf, this was a crispy rice battered soft poached egg with oscietra caviar. First up, the presentation was absolutely spectacular, with the egg plated on top of a cream sauce that was bound by a perfect ring of green parsley oil drops lining the circumference of the dish. Inside of this mystical circle was an inner circle of salmon cubes, and on top of the egg was a simply enormous dollop of caviar allowing you to clearly see where the money went. Cutting into the dish and sadly spoiling this presentation, the oozing yellow yolk of a perfectly cooked egg replaced anguish with joy and by the end it was ‘dibs’ on who would lick the plate. Like eggs? Like caviar? You’ll simply love this, we did. Simply stunning.
Next up, a small mistake was discovered in the delivered order. There are two raviolis present on the menu and the langoustine ravioli arrived instead of the foie gras ravioli. Disappointment though moved to pleasure, not to worry they said, have this on the house and we’ll serve you the ordered dish as well in a course from now. Very kind. Here then we had a whole langoustine wrapped in pasta on a little cabbage with a foie gras sauce so we weren’t completely without foie gras even here. We both liked it but wondered if it lacked a little wow factor. That said, beautifully cooked and beautifully presented and if the idea of the dish tickled you (and was therefore what you ordered), we can see no reason why you’d be disappointed.
Pigs trotter next on parmesan toast. Dress this with additional Parmesan slices, the finest Iberico ham and a dash of rocket and you have one tasty dish. The pig trotter itself was like a course pate which packed a huge pork flavour. Newbies to trotter who might otherwise avoid the cut should try this dish and will likely convert to the unctuous porky goodness of this expression. The ham that’s placed on top is cut from the bone in the kitchen before your eyes and if eaten by itself as a starter would set you back £29. Here, the trotter plus ham is only £12 which in my books is an utter bargain. Verdict: love it.
Our original ravioli order is set in front of us next being foie gras ravioli in warm chicken broth with zesty whipped cream. Here, little ravioli parcels of foie gras hide beneath the chicken broth which is strewn with cut mint and parsley, the parcels waiting to ooze sweet foie gras into your mouth as you spoon them in. The mint provides an interesting freshness against the sweet of the foie gras and the ‘zest’ in the cream is provided by espelette pepper. What is in some sense a simple dish, there was a lot going on, but while we enjoyed it, it offers a less compelling visual and worked well in its totality but was less endearing when for example you had finished the ravioli and were merely mopping up chicken broth and mint. The simple verdict here would be liked it, not loved it.
We fancied this bit of bite size fun next, Le Burger. Beef and foie gras burger with slightly caramelised bell peppers. A big shout out to the chips here too as they were absolutely terrific. This burger is so naughty but very nice indeed and a lovely little size. The meat is succulent, the peppers nice but not overly intrusive and the bun possessed exactly the right degree of softness and toastiness. In time, the bun gets softer as the burger oozes juices and this can already start to be seen in the foreground of the picture above. It would be really good to try one of these burgers in a quarter pounder size though you might just drop dead of a coronary there and then were you to give it a go.
Our last ordered dish is the steak tartare, one of the reasons for coming today. A further side of those fabulous chips, two pieces of well dressed lettuce and this beautiful tartare with three shavings of summer truffle and a quails egg in the central well, it too bearing a little espelette pepper showing as a vibrant red on the vibrant yellow egg. Mrs CC instantly declared it the best tartare she’s ever had and as the saying goes, ‘she should know, she’s had a few’.
With our compliments to the chef he declared it ‘a simple dish’ but our second experience at L’Atelier confirms something we thought first time round, that is, the sheer exceptional quality of the ‘simpler dishes’ has given us considerably more joy than the ‘more complex’ dishes here have managed to achieve. Indeed, complexity can hide many sins and mask inadequacies on many levels but simple dishes have nowhere to hide and if it’s not great, is soon found out. Accordingly, there’s as much or even perhaps more genius in doing something so simple so well and to our mind and taste, the real pleasure at L’Atelier is in this purity.
With our compliments to the chef he declared it ‘a simple dish’ but our second experience at L’Atelier confirms something we thought first time round, that is, the sheer exceptional quality of the ‘simpler dishes’ has given us considerably more joy than the ‘more complex’ dishes here have managed to achieve. Indeed, complexity can hide many sins and mask inadequacies on many levels but simple dishes have nowhere to hide and if it’s not great, is soon found out. Accordingly, there’s as much or even perhaps more genius in doing something so simple so well and to our mind and taste, the real pleasure at L’Atelier is in this purity.
As we then watch the foie gras stuffed quails breast being prepared in the kitchen we comment to each other how full we are and we both have a moment of ‘how are we going to eat this’ as they bring it over to us compliments of the kitchen. That said, eight courses have never defeated us before and will not do so this time.
The quail breast is another dish from the real tasting menu and comes with the famous pomme purée and a shaving of summer truffle. The breast is accompanied by a confit leg. We both though found new delight as we cut through the quail breast and saw the foie gras peeking out, brilliantly done. Between us we finished the dish and almost inconceivably I found myself spooning a last mouthful from the side bowl of pomme purée onto my plate. This potato dish is so smooth and so full of butter that apparently, one customer knowingly and deliberately ordered the pomme purée for dessert.
The quail breast is another dish from the real tasting menu and comes with the famous pomme purée and a shaving of summer truffle. The breast is accompanied by a confit leg. We both though found new delight as we cut through the quail breast and saw the foie gras peeking out, brilliantly done. Between us we finished the dish and almost inconceivably I found myself spooning a last mouthful from the side bowl of pomme purée onto my plate. This potato dish is so smooth and so full of butter that apparently, one customer knowingly and deliberately ordered the pomme purée for dessert.
Alas, we had no room for a ninth course dessert and we left bursting out of our now tight fitting clothes. This was another beautiful meal with touches of genius throughout and nothing that let it down. Our return to L’Atelier is already booked.