It had been almost been 2 years since i last ate here, so I was excited to try it again and this time for dinner.
beef tendon puff with juniper cream. this was a great idea however we thought the juniper flavor was a bit too overpowering.
To start off the meal were a few little bites
With FINGERTIPS…
tomato with hibiscus and hogweed. the PRESENTATION was beautiful, we thought we could also eat the green leaf but UNFORTUNATELY it was just for serving. the tomato was quite fresh and sweet and the hogweed added an interesting taste.
beef tartare with thai basil, chestnut and tomato. this was tasty but nothing that really stood out. But a good few bites to get a bit of a taste of what was coming next.
crispy oyster with shallot, light caramel, and raspberry. This was sweet and creamy and extremely DELICATE. Below is mine without the oyster which was good but obviously there was a missing element in mine. it was still interesting, the caramel and raspberry added a bit of sweetnesss to the cream, probably a good match to the oyster.
As Time Goes by…
sweet pea soup with douglas fir from Canada. THE PEAS WERE SUPER SWEET AND AS THERE WAS A CRUNCHY texture WITHIN THE SOUP THAT WE COULDN’T FIGURE OUT WHAT IT WAS. AS IT WAS SITTING ON A PILE OF DOUGLAS FIR YOU COULD THEN SMELL THE FOREST WHICH THEN YOU COULD TASTE IN THE SOUP.
brioche, which was super soft and buttery. it looked very similar to chinese mantou.
chanterelle mushrooms with two different kinds of cooked duck with crispy QUINOA and amaranth. this had a great balance of tastes and textures, gaminess from the duck and earthiness from the mushrooms.
caviar with white chocolate cream, crispy potatoes and hazelnut from Italy. THIS WAS AN ADD ON TO THE MENU AND IT DID NOT DISAPPOINT. THE WHITE CHOCOLATE CREAM WAS sweet, WHICH HELPED BALANCE THE SLIGHT SALTINESS OF THE CAVIAR. THE POTATOES ADDED THAT CRUNCH. I NEVER LIKED CAVIAR FROM THE VERY FEW TIMES I TRIED IT, BUT THIS WAS GOOD. I WOULD HAVE CAVIAR THIS WAY AGAIN.
monkfish, tapioca, grapefruit with celery and zucchini. The fish was cooked perfectly as monkfish, firm but not dry or too chewy. the citrus and light vegetables complemented the slightly sweet fish.
Our menu signed by the chef. we didn’t do the full menu, so we did not have the crab or lobster which i am allergic to anyways.
raw porcini shaved with fig oil, corn and dehydrated corn bits. THE RAW PORCINI WAS really good, sliced thinly but still had a bite and strong flavor. the dehydrated corn added a nice texture and the regular corn added a nice sweetness to the dish. i think it was one of my favorites of the night.
black sesame cream with smoked eel and granny smith apple. this is one of their signature dishes, and it doesn’t disappoint. the combination of black sesame, smoked eel and apples is so interesting but so tasty at the same time. it is a must try.
Instantaneously T…
Cauliflower, coconut and vanilla. another signature dish, i guess a palate cleanser before dessert. very tasty, the cauliflower adds an interesting savory flavor element, i would have never thought to add it to a dessert but it works with the coconut and vanilla.
pecan yuzu emulsion, fig and sugar crust. a very light and fresh dessert, which was good after quite a filling dinner.
Petit Fours of parsley and peanut butter, and olive and tomato. we were so full by this point but we still had to try them.
we then meet the chef, david toutain and his lovely wife, who works and assists in the main dining room. what a treat!
what another great and interesting meal at david toutain. a michelin rated restaurant that holds the high standard of food with quality, PRESENTATION, and innovation and the service is top notch. and all this without the PRETENTIOUS of fine dining. you can enjoy your meal without feeling like someone is watching your every move and feeling like you have to be so serious and formal. food is supposed to be enjoyed with good company, and here you do get to enjoy with many wonderful surprises with many intriguing and innovative dishes that changes depending on seasonality. also as the chef grew up in normandy you will see a lot of ingredients from that region in some dishes.
you do need to book in advance as they are closed on the weekend therefore weekday dinners tend to book up quite early for ideal time slots. we had the last seating of the night at 9pm, thankfully we were on vacation so it didn’t really matter to us that it was so late. otherwise another option is to go for lunch which i believe has a similar menu to dinner.