Month: April 2022

April 6, 2022

Cebo — Madrid (9/2021)

I selected Cebo from a list of top restaurants after doing several searches.  I wanted a fine-dining tasting menu that was in Central Madrid that I could make a reservation fairly easily. Cebo seemed to fit the bill.  It has one Michelin star and is located at the edge of the Jeronimos neighborhood just off the lobby of The Urban Hotel.  They offer an a la carte menu, as well as three different levels of tasting menus.  When making the reservation, they ask for a menu selection.  I do not know if you have the option of changing upon arrival, but I picked the full (longest) version of their tasting menu.

The space is elegantly decorated.  They do not have many tables.  Their list of Spanish wines on offer was nicely long.  I opted for a glass of an Albariño and was surprised at how inexpensive (but good) it was.  [Sorry for the bad menu photos — I had not had time to adjust my camera to the lighting.]

The evening started off with a presentation of three Spanish olive oils and a selection of breads.  The oils offered a range of flavor intensity, from light and herbaceous, to full-bodied bitter, to smoky.

Soon after the bread and olive oil service, we were provided with an array of small bites that ranged from fish and seafood flavors, creamy to crunchy textures, and room temperature to frozen sensations.  These included:  garlic-seasoned plankton with baby shrimp; Russian salad with dashi broth and anchovy; Yolk pudding with red caviar; Spanish polvoron flavored with marinated anchovies, and accompanied by manzanilla wine sorbet; pâté of monkfish and duck livers; a Lyo (freeze-dried) Roquefort “stone”; and a cream of fermented leeks and black truffle.

Seeded, whole-grain, baguette (with melted butter), and sourdough were the bread choices offered.  We also were given some fresh towelettes for cleaning up the hands afterwards.

 

The first starter dish was a vegetable “Sunomono” (Japanese soup) with Mediterranean shrimp with its roe in the center.  This was followed by a slightly-poached oyster in free-range chicken broth with black sturgeon caviar and citrus mayo-filled black pearl.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

DiverXO — Madrid (9/2021)


DiverXO is the only 3-star Michelin restaurant in Madrid.  It has been on my list for awhile.There are 15 tables at lunch and at dinner.  It is a very tough ticket to secure.  In my case, my trip to Madrid was not planned very far in advance, so I had already missed the initial release of reservations for the month during which my trip would occur.  Moreover, they don’t accept solo diners, so I would have to secure two tickets.  Nevertheless, I picked one day to add myself to the waitlist for openings at either lunch or dinner.  About 3 weeks later (a week before my trip to Madrid), I received notification that they had seats at lunch for me and gave me 48 hours to respond.  Fortunately, I have friends in Madrid, so I would not be “wasting” a ticket by dining solo.  The meal is a themed tasting menu that is set up for about a 3-hour experience. The restaurant is located in a building that includes the NH Eurobuilding Hotel.

They offer a beverage pairing with the menu.  They do not offer a non-alcoholic beverage pairing option.  However, they do offer a couple of “mocktails”, as well as wines by the bottle and glass.  I started off with one of their non-alcoholic beverages made with citrus, ginger, mango, and spices.  They don’t have a printed list of wines, but have everything on a tablet.  I wanted to have a white wine and selected this dry 2010 Pfälz Reisling from magnum.The restaurant space is divided up by light curtains that hang from the ceiling.  Our table was in a space with one other table that was at least 6 feet away. The décor is best described as whimsical.

Each course was preceded by a card with a title and description of the dish(es). The theme of the season’s meal experience is Southeast Asian-Spanish Fusion.   The meal opened with a set of small dishes, and we started with a Thai mini-menu.  The first presentation was a centerpiece with a large “test tube” filled with white Thai rum, ginger-lemongrass liqueur, lime, lychees, Muscovado sugar, and a topping of mint-basil-cucumber froth.  The flavors and alcohol cleared and opened up the palate nicely.

Next, we were brought slow-roasted baby aubergine (eggplant) served satay-style with toasted peanut butter, and ketjap mains (Indonesian sweetened soy sauce), along with stir-fried dehydrated mollusks and chilies.

This was followed by a “pad Thai” of scarlet prawn tartare marinated in its own head juice, slightly spiced with tamarind and fish sauce, along with rice noodles with sweet chilies, omelette skin, fried shrimp, Ito togarashi and dry scarlet prawn powder.  This was served in the head shell of the prawn set atop a pile of salt.

The rest of the dishes were (from the bottom left to right):  Matcha green tea and jalapeño pepper curry with tear peas (softly sautéed, along with fried curry rice leaves, finger lime, and emulsified butter whey with fine herbs; marinated beef tongue (very soft) and wild river trout roe, light broth from beef tendons, galangal (ginger variety), and fresh coconut milk.  Served with slow cooked pochas beans in coconut milk, kefir lime, and dried chili oil; and black pepper crab roasted on charcoal (Singapore street-food style), Saigon peppercorns and crunchy rice couscous. 

This opening prevention set the stage nicely as a prelude to the flavor profiles and styles of dishes to come.  Each dish highlighted a specific flavor or flavors, and then the complexity built as you proceeded though finishing up what was presented.  

The next course had two parts.  There was a salad composed underneath of tomato heart seeds, creamy bittersweet olive oil dressing, rocket, steamed edamame and quail egg.  This was topped with ice scales (mostly melted by the time photo taken) with a slightly spicy emulsion and Jerez vinegar (Spanish sherry vinegar), lettuce buds, oak leaf, oxalis and mosaic leaves.

To the side as a “garnish” was served:

Turbot with spine emulsion and Sichuan pepper; sea bream with spine emulsion and java pepper; red mullet with spine emulsion and sansho pepper.  All were grilled on the yakitori box just on the skin side, allowing for a toasted crunchy texture on one side and moist and meaty on the other side.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

Studio at The Standard 3rd Visit — Copenhagen (9/2021)

I had last visited Studio at the Standard in 2016.  Prior stays had been relatively short, and it was difficult to fit it into the dining agenda above the many other dining objectives on the list.  But I had time on this trip.  The chef had changed since my last visit, so I thought it would be interesting to see what the menu looked  like, given the tasting menu format and seating configuration (they have a chef’s counter option available) were still present.  They offer one menu for the evening with two wine pairing options.

The snacks start off pretty promptly after seating.  The first one was baby corn with herbs and Havgus cheese.  It was served still slightly warm after cooking.  The instructions are to eat only the baby corn a d filling and not the husk and silk.

The next bite was smoked fish and raw baby shrimp and crème fraiche, served on a small crispy potato basket (the rest of the straw was not to be eaten).

The next snack was raw langoustine with sorrel and herb mayonnaise.

The small bites continued with dried salted egg yolk on salted and pickled celeriac and seaweed mayonnaise.  There was a slight tartness from the pickling herbs. The buckwheat sprinkling added a crunchy texture.

Next was invasive oyster (fortunately they were found to be tasty) that was slightly smoked and served with coriander blossom, shiso, and a rice wine vinaigrette.

The final small bite was walnut foam, fresh walnuts, cauliflower purée, cauliflower, and caviar.  This was served warm in a ceramic eggshell.  Officially, it was the creamy, salty, buttery amuse-bouche.

I opted for the 2017 Albariño (Bodegas del Palacio de Fefiñanes) from Rías Baixas, Spain, as my glass of wine for the evening.

The next presentation was warm sourdough bread with made with honey and buttermilk.  The two spreads included butter with cooked leeks (added a pronounced flavor), and fresh cream cheese with herbs/flowers.  The bread refilled upon offer.

The first dish from the menu was mackerel, fermented tomato juice with fresh juice, basil, Danish tomatoes, and geraniums.  Fresh tomato juice was squeezed at the counter.  Most sauces for the night were added at the counter upon serving.

The next course featured fried Limfjord lobster with red currant, plum, Spanish chervil, tarragon, and sunflower seeds. It was served with two sauces:  lobster stock and butter (3:1 ratio of butter to stock), and a sauce of red currant, raspberries, yellow plums, sunflower seeds, tarragon.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

Geranium 3rd Visit — Copenhagen (9/2021)

As a 3-star Michelin restaurant, Geranium can be a difficult reservation to get.  So I don’t always manage to go when visiting Copenhagen.  My last visit was in May 2019, so I was eager to make a visit once travel was allowed.  I secured a lunch reservation fro a Friday afternoon.

I started off my experence with a glass of a Danish sparkling tea beverage.  It’s non-alcoholic and made from Jasmine, white, and Darjeeling teas.

They present the full menu, along with the pairing options. They offer five different options for the alcoholic pairings, as well as a non-alcoholic option.  I chose the non-alcoholic option, but with a twist, which will be described later in the meal.

The first dish presented was Jerusalem artichoke leaves (crisped) and a pickled walnut leaves, pine, and parsley dip (in the bowl on the side).  This was a salty, crispy, and creamy way to start. Note that only the “leaves” of artichoke were edible and not the center portion of the bowl, which was only for decoration.

Next was razor clam tartare, crème fraîche, and herbs.  The crispy outside mimics the actual razor clam shell.

The next dish featured Norwegian scallops coated in beet root to resemble red stones. These were garnished with pea flowers and served with horseradish cream on the side, which just had the subtle flavor of horseradish, so as to not overwhelm the delicate scallop and beet flavors.

The final quick bite was crispy fried fjord shrimp heads tartlet (tails underneath) with a cherry vinegar dressing.  All these first bites seemed to focus on providing a crispy and/or creamy texture experience to get started.

The first beverage pairing was a tart green apple juice, lemon thyme oil, and egg whites blend.

The next course was yellow beets (lightly cooked and pickled), six kinds of pickled herb seeds and flowers(including mustard), söl (a type of seaweed), and dried mussels. The texture encourages chewing with the herbs and flowers, which made sure all the flavors were thoroughly experienced.

The next pairing was cold-brewed Japanese gyokuro green tea infused with fennel juice.

The accompanying dish was yakitori-grilled Danish squid with melted smoked lard.  The sauce was poured at table and made from potato and yeast flakes.  The smoky flavor was predominant, and the squid had an al dente texture.

The next course was their classic “marbled” hake presentation.  This was served with Belgian caviar, clarified buttermilk, and parsley oil.  Deep fried fish scales were added on top for texture contrast.

The next beverage pairing was gooseberry juice infused with toasted sunflowers and tarragon.

The Bread course was next:  Cep mushroom buns with brown butter and caramelized mushroom powder; sprouting grains sourdough bread with nuts and seeds, ramson butter; and crispy cheese sticks.  The breads were served nicely warmed.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

kadeau 3rd Visit — Copenhagen (9/2021)

I had last visited kadeau in the late summer of 2019.  I was anxious to return when I could, as my prior experiences at the restaurant had been very enjoyable.  Fortunately, once I had targeted dates for my trip to Copenhagen selected, it was pretty easy to get a booking for my chosen date (a prepaid reservation through DInnerBooking.com).  It is a relatively small restaurant that does not turn their tables, but they do stagger their booking times through their lunch and dinner services.

Upon arrival in the past, I was shown to a lounge/waiting area, where, after a few minutes, I would then be taken to my table.  With this visit, the protocol changed a little in that drinks could be ordered, and the first few bites would be served while seated in the lounge.

My intent was to have their non-alcoholic pairings with dinner.  However, they had a wine (2018 Meursault) that I wanted to try, so I ordered it to have while seated in the lounge for the first few courses of bites.

The first bites served were beetroot cooked in fire for 2 hours, then seasoned with kale and bee pollen mixed in a paste, and cured salted lardo, rowan (shrub from rose family) oil and dried blackcurrants brushed on, with a topping of pickles and bronze fennel.  Both palate awakeners had earthy, salty, and smooth flavors.

Next, I had Norway carpet clam with fermented pea juice and dehydrated sauerkraut. This was tart at first then proceeded to have a chewy umami finish.  Alongside was pickled herring (cured in kombu salt) with Danish cream cheese and Danish blueberries on a cracker.  This had a creamy fish flavor with a  nice cracker texture.

The final dish served while in the lounge was Iceland Queen scallops, blue mussel stock reduced to a paste, and braised kombu.  Served separately was fermented white asparagus juice, blue mussel stock, and horseradish blend.  This was a smooth and flavorful bite, with the accompanying juice providing a tart, light, and mild asparagus flavor that lingered. 

The first beverage pairing was Bornholm Elstar apple and blossoms, lavender, seaweed, and cornflower.

The first dish on the menu was Mahogany clams with strawberry powder, pickled flower and seeds from Bornholm Island, gooseberry juice, and cherry blossom oil. This had a fruity flavor that transitioned to chewy umami.

The next dish was stewed tomatoes with apples, pickles, nasturtium, elderflower, capers, blackcurrant, and blackcurrant oil.  This began with a sweet taste that then became tart.

The next pairing was rhubarb and lemon thyme (no photo unfortunately).

The next course featured North Danish raw shrimp marinated in rose oil.  This was served with osetra black sturgeon caviar, raw walnuts in walnut leaf oil, and fresh cream infused with horseradish.  This had a nice combination of flavors, with a creamy smooth texture from the shrimp, soft crunch from sliced walnuts, and a touch of saltiness from caviar.  The creamy shrimp flavor had the initial impact before the walnut flavor lingered.  The paired beverage gave a nice tartness for contrast.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

Kitchen Table 28th Visit — London (8/2021)

This was my first visit to Kitchen Table since the pandemic began, although I had ordered their delivery kit twice in 2020 when I was in London and they were closed for service).  It’s also the first visit since they remodeled the restaurant and lounge.  Bubbledogs (the hot dog and champagne bar) is gone, and the lounge space is now part of the dining experience. At present, they were doing one seating an evening, with everyone generally have the same course at the same time (rather than the two-stage seatings they had been doing pre-pandemic).  Most of the time, everyone was served at the same time.  But there were a few courses where half the counter was served first and description given, which was followed a few moments later by the rest of the diners receiving service.

Prior to the pandemic and the latest remodeling, the meal experience began and ended in the back dining room, with diners seated at the counter.  They now use all of the space for the evening, with everyone starting out in the front lounge.  There is a small bar counter, as well as banquette seating where the guests are seated after arriving.  They have the opportunity to order a pre-dinner beverage, as a few of small bites are served to the diners in the lounge before proceeding later to the dining room.

They now offer a soft pairings option, as well as the wine pairings they have always made available.  Wines by the glass and cocktails are also still available.  I started out with some Champagne.

The first bite brought out to the lounge was Cornish Porthilly oyster, topped with salad of green strawberries, pickled jalapeños, oyster leaf, and capped with the frozen juice of green apples.

Next was the chicken skin with rosemary mascarpone and bacon jam, now shaped perfectly round, with pickled rosemary flowers around the edge.

The final bite served in the lounge was a quail egg, softly poached, lighlty smoked and pickled, and served on black garlic ketchup atop a crispy potato nest.  This was garnished with pickled shallots and truflled balsamic.  As a set, this was a nice trio to go with pre-dinner drinks and to awaken the palate with a range of flavors and textures.

The first non-alcoholic pairing was fennel soda with cold-brewed lemon verbena.

The first course was a trio  comprised  of compressed (with its jus) Charentais melon (a French cantaloupe sourced from Canada) garnished with garden flowers,  radish with chive emulsion and wild dill pollen,  and Thumbelina carrot, cooked gently, dehydrated during the day while being brushed with beach rose vinegar, and served with yoghurt and beach rose petal pickled in last year’s vinegar. The course was sweet and tart, with bright flavor profiles for the palate.

The next course was Parker House rolls, brushed with their own cultured butter and topped with Maldon sea salt. The serving was a cluster of smaller roll pieces, rather than what they had done before, where they served larger individual rolls and offered second servings. Cultured butter garnished with wild garlic accompanied the rolls. In the middle of the butter was an oil made from dried garlic leaves, powder from the bigger and more fibrous leaves, pickled flowers and stems, and fermented garlic oil.

The next dish presented eight varieties of cucumber from a Northern England farm called Field 28 (some were served natural, some marinated with salt, some with lime, some with pineapple weed, and in different shapes for texture variation). Underneath was some cream and dill oil. English caviar and corn flowers topped the cucumbers. I thought that perhaps more caviar or pickled ingredients were needed for a stronger flavor impact. However, the dish was meant to emphasize the cucumber flavors.

The next course consisted of tomatoes, with fresh ones dressed lightly with tomato water, and slightly dried ones dressed with oil from tomato leaves. Also in the bowl were red currants and white currants, fresh raspberries and blueberries, and tomato water with raspberry juice. This was garnished with wild coriander flowers. The different textures helped to enhance the flavor experience by keeping ingredients on the tongue a little longer than one might otherwise do before swallowing.

For the full write-up, as well as all the photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

The Clove Club 12th Visit — London (8/2021)

It had been about 11 months since I last visited The Clove Club. It felt great to be back for a lunch experience again. During mid-week, they offer both a short and long tasting menu at lunch. Other times, they just have the long menu both for lunch and dinner. I took the long menu, along with the soft pairings (with one exception).

As a starter beverage, I ordered a non-alcoholic beverage that consisted of Victoria bitters, rosemary soda. I had this with the opening snacks, which started with a five herbs and miso paste broth, which had strong herbal flavors and a smooth taste.

This was soon followed by a Swiss chard and ricotta fritter and an ikura (salmon) fish bite with a spices creamy dip on the side.

The next bite was mackerel sashimi, horseradish greens, homemade kimchi. The tartlet that followed was not the Devon crab that I have almost always seen. Instead, it was a lobster tartlet filled with the meat and crème fraîche and topped with a slightly spicy foam.

The first course from the menu was smoked anchovy jelly, tomatoes, almond granita, and a few drops of almond oil.  This had lots of umami, and was smooth, cold, with the freshness of the tomatoes contrasting nicely with the richer elements.

The first beverage pairing was toasted buckwheat tea (sobacha), fresh chervil, with touches of salt and sugar.

The next presentation was hand-dived Orkney scallops in brown butter sauce. This was served on black truffle purée, and topped with mushrooms and hazelnuts. This was a nice overall combination, especially since I am a truffle fan.

The second beverage pairing was a blend of salted apple and miso soda, which resulted in a fizzy and smooth tasting drink.

The next course was Chinese superior custard (a Chinese, umami-laden seasoning of scallop roe, oysters, mussels that were dehydrated and added to chicken broth with pork belly and reduced), with peas, mussels, and a slightly warm broth. The textures and flavors blended with the pairing well.

The beverage for this course was Yamei Prefecture genmaicha tea with sencha and toasted rice.

They called the next dish sardine sashimi “flavors of the world”(from left to right): chrysanthemum-infused soy glazed, ginger and green pepper;  ancho chili and sesame, cherry plums, Worcestershire sauce emulsion. These were served with small bowl of dashi.

 

My next pairing was a mango and citron hops sour. They also brought out the homemade sourdough bread with butter at this time.

This course featured Cornish lobster tail and claws (slight sweetness tasted), served with a bisque sauce, potato and turnip cooked in the bisque, grapefruit segments, and a crispy sage leaf. The paired beverage echoed the flavors of the dish nicely.

For the full write-up, as well as all photos, click here.

April 6, 2022

Angler — London (8/2021)

A friend had recommended Angler to me, as I had an open evening during my week in London.  It was close to my hotel and the mostly seafood-based menu looked interesting.  Angler is a one-star Michelin restaurant located in The South Place Hotel, just down the street a bit from Liverpool Station.  It is located on the top (7th floor) of the hotel and had a weather-protected terrace for seating (in addition to indoor seating that was not in use at the time).  They use SevenRooms as their online booking service. They offer an à la carte menu, as well as a daily tasting menu of around 9 courses.

They offer several choices for wines by the glass, as well as a wine pairings option.  For my meal, I ordered a glass of the 2017 Meursault.

Every table started out with a small plate of gougères (cheese puffs) topped with Parmesan.  They also presented their stout bread served with a caramelized yeast malt butter.  This had an unusual flavor, adding a little bit of roasted bitterness to the the spread.

After the bread, three small bites were brought to the table.  These included: squid ink chip with prawn cream, smoked cod roe and Espelette pepper (slightly tart and nicely flavored); a pork brawn (head cheese) croquette served very warm with a slight sweetness from the garnish of bbq apple ketchup; and a small tart with caramelized onion, wild garlic and Beaufort cheese (slightly smoky and sweet flavor).

The first official course of the menu was the sea bass tartare.  This was topped with oyster leaves, shiso, and sliced green apples.  There was a crunchy crumble underneath for some added texture to the mostly creamy and slightly sweet serving.

For the full write-up, including all photos, click here.