Photos and some descriptions from an ALC meal at L’Arpege in early April 2018, just as Spring crept up on us. This time round, I was interested in another of Passard’s classics, whole blue lobster with vin jaune sauce.
1. Amuse of Beetroot sushi, black olive tapenade
2. Domaine d’Uza white asparagus wrapped in rhubarb, with rhubarb and beetroot puree, limut pepper and broccoli flowers. ALC half portion
My second Spring with this absolutely stonking dish. A large caliber spear, juicy yet also retaining its texture, I hazard has been firstly steamed, then gently roasted in the mandolin sliced rhubarb wrap around, “enrhubarbees”. Like all dishes here, the aromas are intense, with this I really like how the tart of the rhubarb balances with the subtle bittersweet of the spear. So classy to look at as well.
3. Bouillabaisse Bretonne, saffron, golden roots, sand carrots, Ile de Yeu squid and scallops from Erquy. ALC, half portion
All about the soup, deeply layered, soothing, with a perfectly tuned oxidative-gastrique quality, likely due to the addition of vin jaune, giving it a “body” that is quite special. Eaten with the Parsley, like say a curry or a pho, it leaps into life.
The scallops cuisson is spot on, roasted to golden on one side, with residual heat allowed to gently cook the shellfish to a lovely nacre sheen, as it should be for this capable kitchen. Of course what separates this from the merely good is the sheer quality of the vegetables. The sweetness of those sand carrots, the crunch of the beets, both counterpoint and in harmony with the rest of the dish.
Perfect dish, colour, texture and as with all dishes here, the aromas are intensely effervescent. With top class presentation at the table (swipe to see IG video in link).
4. Aiguillettes of whole Chausey blue lobster, Jura vin jaune sauce, chives, baby leeks, nips and fried potato gnocchi. L’Arpege, April 2018. Full portion ALC
I’ve never seen such a massive plate appear in the context of a fine dining restaurant before (not just misplaced nostalgia for nouvelle era then), especially given the noble Bretonne homard bleu. An entire lobster with its claws on the plate, obviously cooked la minute.
The vin jaune sauce really is something special. Wonderfully balanced, the right level of gastrique and fattiness, with the vin jaune’s nutty oxidative quality contributing to the overall aroma of the dish and supplementing the natural sweetness of the lobster, as well as the vegetables.
As for the lobster, eyeballing, I reckon a 900g (boy) with big claws. As is the now classic Passard method, the crustacean is tied tail to head on a string, prior to boiling, resulting in a lobster cooked with straight tail. Then it is cut length-wise four times, guts removed and some tomalley remaining in the carapace, under a mound of chives, and presented as aiguillettes. Mi-cuit, pearlescent, the right balance of tenderness to bounce, of which Breton blues are famed for. Perfect cuisson imho, and simply the best lobster I’ve been fortunate enough to have ever tasted.
Other visits: Nov 2017, June 2016, April 2016
Photos and some descriptions from an ALC meal at L’Arpege in early April 2018, just as Spring crept up on us. This time round, I was interested in another of Passard’s classics, whole blue lobster with vin jaune sauce.
1. Amuse of Beetroot sushi, black olive tapenade
2. Domaine d’Uza white asparagus wrapped in rhubarb, with rhubarb and beetroot puree, limut pepper and broccoli flowers. ALC half portion
My second Spring with this absolutely stonking dish. A large caliber spear, juicy yet also retaining its texture, I hazard has been firstly steamed, then gently roasted in the mandolin sliced rhubarb wrap around, “enrhubarbees”. Like all dishes here, the aromas are intense, with this I really like how the tart of the rhubarb balances with the subtle bittersweet of the spear. So classy to look at as well.
3. Bouillabaisse Bretonne, saffron, golden roots, sand carrots, Ile de Yeu squid and scallops from Erquy. ALC, half portion
All about the soup, deeply layered, soothing, with a perfectly tuned oxidative-gastrique quality, likely due to the addition of vin jaune, giving it a “body” that is quite special. Eaten with the Parsley, like say a curry or a pho, it leaps into life.
The scallops cuisson is spot on, roasted to golden on one side, with residual heat allowed to gently cook the shellfish to a lovely nacre sheen, as it should be for this capable kitchen. Of course what separates this from the merely good is the sheer quality of the vegetables. The sweetness of those sand carrots, the crunch of the beets, both counterpoint and in harmony with the rest of the dish.
Perfect dish, colour, texture and as with all dishes here, the aromas are intensely effervescent. With top class presentation at the table (swipe to see IG video in link).
4. Aiguillettes of whole Chausey blue lobster, Jura vin jaune sauce, chives, baby leeks, nips and fried potato gnocchi. L’Arpege, April 2018. Full portion ALC
I’ve never seen such a massive plate appear in the context of a fine dining restaurant before (not just misplaced nostalgia for nouvelle era then), especially given the noble Bretonne homard bleu. An entire lobster with its claws on the plate, obviously cooked la minute.
The vin jaune sauce really is something special. Wonderfully balanced, the right level of gastrique and fattiness, with the vin jaune’s nutty oxidative quality contributing to the overall aroma of the dish and supplementing the natural sweetness of the lobster, as well as the vegetables.
As for the lobster, eyeballing, I reckon a 900g (boy) with big claws. As is the now classic Passard method, the crustacean is tied tail to head on a string, prior to boiling, resulting in a lobster cooked with straight tail. Then it is cut length-wise four times, guts removed and some tomalley remaining in the carapace, under a mound of chives, and presented as aiguillettes. Mi-cuit, pearlescent, the right balance of tenderness to bounce, of which Breton blues are famed for. Perfect cuisson imho, and simply the best lobster I’ve been fortunate enough to have ever tasted.
The true essence of Three Michelin Stars.
5. Praline souffle
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