This time out at Rue Varenne, it was a full-on ALC affair, in the deep Autumn of 2018, during which arguably the best White Truffle season in memory was in full swing. The Celerisotto dish was probably my best memory of white truffles anywhere. Claude Bosi does a ‘nosotto’ with various vegetables through the seasons that I surmise is inspired by his time in L’Arpege’s kitchens decades before he opened in Ludlow.
A portrait of Passard’s mentor, the great Alain Senderens (RIP) and former occupant of the same premises before Passard bought it over and turned L’Archestrate into L’Arpege, temporarily hung in the wall space just outside the kitchen, usually reserved for Louise Passard, his grand mother.
I am a huge fan of French salt meadow lamb and its British parallel the salt marsh lamb. Passard with his Breton roots of course serves the pre-sale lamb from Mont St Michel. It is truly a privilege to taste the meat in its peak (contrary to marketing of lamb in Spring without having grazed on grass in the winter), salt marsh lamb season actually starts after July and continues into February.
I ordered everything as half portions (and therefore charged half the ALC price).
Total bill for one came to 422.50€.
Pictures and descriptions below, meal took place in late November 2018.
1. Fines raviolies
2. Onion gratin
3. Monarch celeriac ‘Celerisotto’, Comte Grande Garde 2015, white truffle (68€)
As with all things L’Arpège, the simplicity is striking but no less complex as the dish is prepared with the old fashioned adage of luxury – moelleux, yielding textures and delicate flavours. With no hard edges, all flavour and texture harmoniously blend to singularly create this sumptuous comfort effect with each spoonful.
The celeriac cooked to a touch of bite, its natural sweetness tempered by the soft, mild and creamy emulsion. The plate comes piping hot, with the shaved Bernard Antony Comte becoming a mixture of crumbly and soft edges just melting on to the sauce, all the while lending its saltiness to season the dish. This subtle dish basically keeps itself in check to accentuate and harness the precious aromas of white truffle; subtle but persistent, and of course intoxicating. Produce, technique and class – it’s one of those that produce the sort of magic headiness because of how balanced Passard’s cuisine is when it is expressing flavour in its purest form.
It’s been an exciting season for the vaunted white truffle, now in its prime in both quality and abundance, and surely the best season in recent memory.
4. Breton turbot from the Gulf of Morbihan, parsley emulsion, carrot purée, cabbage, potatoes, bay leaf and matcha. (87.50€)
Le Geste for the noble fish is slowly grilled whole over low heat, which sounds simple, but is far from it. And for me, it is where the romantic notion of Chef’s ‘feeling’ and timing comes into the picture. The FOH presents the turbot to the table on a silver platter prior to carving. Some gentle hands required to keep this in one piece during the cooking/flipping as is, especially a big boy this big, which must looks at least 6kg, eyeballing it.
I was served a quarter cut from the tail end of the white-side, with inner fins intact. While I prefer fillet top neck from the dark-side, the cuisson was naturally wonderful – juicy, flaky, a little sweet (since it’s the white-side) and gelatinous. As you’ve likely experienced elsewhere (i.e. Getaria) , the skin is chewy-crispy due to the slow grilling process, and itself adds flavour and dimension to the turbot.
It is difficult to articulate just how good Passard’s vegetables really are, and at times they are the very reason why the dishes taste so special, which I’m sure can be attributed to the way he manages the terroir at his various farms. Of course, Passard’s great gift in his composition of ingredients, guided by instinct in finessing the overall flavours so they knit together, but also ensuring that purity of natural flavour is always at the fore.
5. Chausey island blue lobster ‘aiguillettes’, vin jaune emulsion, lightly smoked potato, garden vegs (92.50€)
My second time with this dish, and it remains the greatest lobster I’ve ever had.
Poached with a string tied head to tail (thus the straight tail when cut length wise), and expectedly to a perfect mi-cuit. In true Passard flamboyance, the lobster cooked la minute is paraded whole (in an equally impressive large copper pan) at the table before disappearing back to the kitchen for final prep.
The entire animal is presented on a piping hot plate, that is to say claw, tail and also tomalley, which I love. As is the hallmark of Breton lobsters, the tail has bite and bounce in texture. And finally, you discover the true brilliance with a sip of that superlative vin jaune sauce. Its layers beautifully built up giving way to a kind of vitality as it hits the palate. The sweet, the gastrique, the silky mouthfeel, ridiculous perfection, of which there is (almost) no equal.
6. Buckwheat crusted roast rack of Mont St Michel salt meadow lamb, oyster sauce, celeriac, nips, carrots (82.50€)
Perfect cuisson as expected at this level, edge to edge pink, likely from a long, slow roast, as is Passard’s rotisserie heritage. The focus here is certainly on the produce, and at L’Arpège selection is almost always impeccable. Now is a good time of the year for pré-salé lamb (including the Welsh equivalent), given their grazing patterns/slaughter age/hangtime.
It’s so difficult get hold of these whole animals in London, So I certainly covet this experience whenever I get the chance. For me the minerality of the oyster sauce is a logical pairing for the lamb in the natural flavour of the meat has definitely taken on its salt marsh grazing diet.
7. Petit fours for one
8. Mont Blanc, Alain Passard style (25€)
Concentrated sweet chestnut purée with meringue centre, praline base, horseradish.
other visits: May 2019 • April 2018 • Nov 2017 • June 2016 • April 2016
This time out at Rue Varenne, it was a full-on ALC affair, in the deep Autumn of 2018, during which arguably the best White Truffle season in memory was in full swing. The Celerisotto dish was probably my best memory of white truffles anywhere. Claude Bosi does a ‘nosotto’ with various vegetables through the seasons that I surmise is inspired by his time in L’Arpege’s kitchens decades before he opened in Ludlow.
A portrait of Passard’s mentor, the great Alain Senderens (RIP) and former occupant of the same premises before Passard bought it over and turned L’Archestrate into L’Arpege, temporarily hung in the wall space just outside the kitchen, usually reserved for Louise Passard, his grand mother.
I am a huge fan of French salt meadow lamb and its British parallel the salt marsh lamb. Passard with his Breton roots of course serves the pre-sale lamb from Mont St Michel. It is truly a privilege to taste the meat in its peak (contrary to marketing of lamb in Spring without having grazed on grass in the winter), salt marsh lamb season actually starts after July and continues into February.
I ordered everything as half portions (and therefore charged half the ALC price).
Total bill for one came to 422.50€.
Pictures and descriptions below, meal took place in late November 2018.
1. Fines raviolies
2. Onion gratin
3. Monarch celeriac ‘Celerisotto’, Comte Grande Garde 2015, white truffle (68€)
As with all things L’Arpège, the simplicity is striking but no less complex as the dish is prepared with the old fashioned adage of luxury – moelleux, yielding textures and delicate flavours. With no hard edges, all flavour and texture harmoniously blend to singularly create this sumptuous comfort effect with each spoonful.
The celeriac cooked to a touch of bite, its natural sweetness tempered by the soft, mild and creamy emulsion. The plate comes piping hot, with the shaved Bernard Antony Comte becoming a mixture of crumbly and soft edges just melting on to the sauce, all the while lending its saltiness to season the dish. This subtle dish basically keeps itself in check to accentuate and harness the precious aromas of white truffle; subtle but persistent, and of course intoxicating. Produce, technique and class – it’s one of those that produce the sort of magic headiness because of how balanced Passard’s cuisine is when it is expressing flavour in its purest form.
It’s been an exciting season for the vaunted white truffle, now in its prime in both quality and abundance, and surely the best season in recent memory.
4. Breton turbot from the Gulf of Morbihan, parsley emulsion, carrot purée, cabbage, potatoes, bay leaf and matcha. (87.50€)
Le Geste for the noble fish is slowly grilled whole over low heat, which sounds simple, but is far from it. And for me, it is where the romantic notion of Chef’s ‘feeling’ and timing comes into the picture. The FOH presents the turbot to the table on a silver platter prior to carving. Some gentle hands required to keep this in one piece during the cooking/flipping as is, especially a big boy this big, which must looks at least 6kg, eyeballing it.
I was served a quarter cut from the tail end of the white-side, with inner fins intact. While I prefer fillet top neck from the dark-side, the cuisson was naturally wonderful – juicy, flaky, a little sweet (since it’s the white-side) and gelatinous. As you’ve likely experienced elsewhere (i.e. Getaria) , the skin is chewy-crispy due to the slow grilling process, and itself adds flavour and dimension to the turbot.
It is difficult to articulate just how good Passard’s vegetables really are, and at times they are the very reason why the dishes taste so special, which I’m sure can be attributed to the way he manages the terroir at his various farms. Of course, Passard’s great gift in his composition of ingredients, guided by instinct in finessing the overall flavours so they knit together, but also ensuring that purity of natural flavour is always at the fore.
5. Chausey island blue lobster ‘aiguillettes’, vin jaune emulsion, lightly smoked potato, garden vegs (92.50€)
My second time with this dish, and it remains the greatest lobster I’ve ever had.
Poached with a string tied head to tail (thus the straight tail when cut length wise), and expectedly to a perfect mi-cuit. In true Passard flamboyance, the lobster cooked la minute is paraded whole (in an equally impressive large copper pan) at the table before disappearing back to the kitchen for final prep.
The entire animal is presented on a piping hot plate, that is to say claw, tail and also tomalley, which I love. As is the hallmark of Breton lobsters, the tail has bite and bounce in texture. And finally, you discover the true brilliance with a sip of that superlative vin jaune sauce. Its layers beautifully built up giving way to a kind of vitality as it hits the palate. The sweet, the gastrique, the silky mouthfeel, ridiculous perfection, of which there is (almost) no equal.
6. Buckwheat crusted roast rack of Mont St Michel salt meadow lamb, oyster sauce, celeriac, nips, carrots (82.50€)
Perfect cuisson as expected at this level, edge to edge pink, likely from a long, slow roast, as is Passard’s rotisserie heritage. The focus here is certainly on the produce, and at L’Arpège selection is almost always impeccable. Now is a good time of the year for pré-salé lamb (including the Welsh equivalent), given their grazing patterns/slaughter age/hangtime.
It’s so difficult get hold of these whole animals in London, So I certainly covet this experience whenever I get the chance. For me the minerality of the oyster sauce is a logical pairing for the lamb in the natural flavour of the meat has definitely taken on its salt marsh grazing diet.
7. Petit fours for one
8. Mont Blanc, Alain Passard style (25€)
Concentrated sweet chestnut purée with meringue centre, praline base, horseradish.
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