This
Michelin 2-star restaurant is hidden in the Passage des Panoramas by Grands
Boulevards, in the 2éme Arrondissement. The arcade is lined by various
posh-looking restaurants, and the smell was mouth-watering.
It was
easy to walk by Passage 53 without registering its existence. With the white
curtains drawn, its exterior looked like a vacant shop space under
refurbishment. As we pushed through the door to a room of silence with 4
occupied tables, I have to admit it was awkward. Things warmed up as the diners
attended their reservations and conversations started flowing.
There was only the option of a blind tasting menu in the evening, so we were placed in the
safe hands of a team of Japanese chefs, meticulously showing off their modern
touch on French haute cuisine. I am going to refrain from too much commentary
on each course, as there should always be an element of surprise in blind
tasting menus of this calibre. Let me just say this outright, it was an
exquisite meal.
Amuse
Bouche
A daring
combination of a rich pumpkin veloute topped with cafe au lait foam; the trail
of coffee aroma was most intriguing with the ripe sweetness of pure pumpkin.
1st
Course (40Euro supplement)
We were
offered the option of an addition course of French Caviar. It was a generous
portion of shiny precious black pearls on a freshly baked skin of waffle. The
caviar was magnificent. Unlike the more extravagant (or extortionate)
variations, these were less forceful, just pleasantly savoury. It felt like a
smaller version of ikura with triple the umami and double the sweetness.
Stunner.
2nd
Course
A plump
oyster was hidden underneath his dollop of luscious smoked haddock cream and
apple cubes - unbelievable mix of flavours in perfect harmony.
3rd
Course
Langoustine
with cauliflower puree and raw cauliflower shavings. The tenderness of the
langoustine was beyond words, the texture was totally unfamiliar yet so
addictive. It was work of utmost precision and delicate balance.
Foie gras
in clam broth topped with asparagus and pea shoot shavings. The combination was
as unlikely as pig trotters and peanut butter, yet the cleanness of the broth
was super complimentary to the richness of the small piece of liver. The pea
shoot was incredibly sweet and brought every ingredient together.
Miss
Cynthia doesn’t eat foie gras (what?! Yea I heard you; I thought she was joking
too) She had to send it back. Unfortunately chef couldn’t offer an alternative,
but did promise to pump up another course to make sure she leaves with a full
stomach.
5th
Course
Caramelised
cod in fungi foam and ceps shavings – It was a stunning fish lost in a tsunami
of mushroom foam, the fragrance was supported by subtle walnut chippings. Miss
Cynthia did suggest using black cod instead, to make this super silky fish
fillet ultra silky. I thought it was already as good as it gets as-is.
6th
Course
To get our
palate ready for the meat courses: carrot veloute with chorizo cubes with soft
boiled egg. The egg was indescribable; imagine the softest, most fragile onsen
egg, but even softer and more fragile.
7th
Course
Roast
chicken breast with artichoke puree
8th
Course
Roast
pigeon, mini game pie, carrot and almond milk – The carrot & almond milk
mash was unique, and added a roundness to the rare pigeon. A clever twist to a
typical game dish.
9-13th
Courses
We were then
hit by 2 waves of mind-blowing desserts.
14th
to finish off
Typical
French canelé with a soft wobbly custard centre and a caramelised crust. By now
I was stuffed to the brim, and it could have been the most out-of-this-world
recipe I wouldn’t notice. Or perhaps it wasn’t so special.
Bill came
to 340 Euros for two, 120 for the menu, 3 glasses of wine at 18 each, caviar
for 40 and water. Given the sheer quality of the menu, it was of outstanding
value. The innovation in the recipes were evident, some daring pairings of
ingredients but nothing too whacky, just calculated and thoroughly
thought-through. Despite the full team of Japanese chefs in the kitchen, Asian
touches were limited; what shone through was the dedication and precision of Japanese chefs, and how they challenged the conventional methods of
cooking traditional French ingredients. The result, is astounding.
53 Passage
des Panoramas
75002
Paris, France
01 42 33 04 35
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I don't really mind if I pay excess luggage as long as I get to take these food with me when I fly back home. The bast part of traveling for me is the food trip.
ReplyDeleteThese dishes look so fine that I wanna take them home. I won't mind writing on a compliment slip on this one because I'm pretty sure I have some sweet and lovely words for them.
ReplyDeleteWhat I am always looking whenever I am traveling is the different kind of food that is being offered by the different places that I am going.
ReplyDelete