Visited in August 2025 Lunch Rating: Three Michelin Macarons
With a late afternoon flight back to Europe, this time we tried a walk-in to the lounge at exactly noon. We were offered a place in the dining room, which had become available shortly before due to a cancellation, but we decided to stay with our original plan to go to the lounge. However, we were offered the dining room menu. After five lunches or dinners in New York, we wanted to take it a little easier. Since the city harvest menu had a selection that was attractive to us, we had this.
Bread and butter
From the fantastic bread basket, I had the brioche and the rosemary/olive bread.
A well-prepared tatar including capers, drops of the vinaigrette with a high content of red peppers, frisee lettuce and sweet potato chips on top.
Shrimp Sautéed Shrimp; Baby Greens White Balsamic Vinaigrette
Three sautéed shrimps on a bed of lamb’s lettuce, oyster mushrooms, and thinly shaved button mushrooms.
Skate Poached Skate; Endive Salad, Potato Foam Brown Butter Sauce
This is the second time that I have eaten skate at Le Bernadin. This time it was completely different. To the perfectly prepared wing with endive stripes and leaves, a brown butter sauce was added at the table. In a side bowl, potato foam that exhibited some acidity was served. This, I found a little strange. I had preferred a standard Joel Robuchon-style potato preparation.
Salmon Barely Cooked Salmon; English Pea-Wasabi Purée Yuzu Beurre Blanc
My dinner companion had the always fantastic salmon. Every time, the side and the liquid preparation are a little different. The beurre blanc was quite acidic.
Pistachio Pistachio Praliné, Grand Marnier Bavarois
The first time that I ate a dessert the second time at Le Bernadin. But it is so good that it is worthwhile.
Peruvian Dark Chocolate Warm Peruvian Chocolate Tarte Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream
This dessert was a choice from the separate dinner menu and not listed on the City Harvest menu. My dinner companion liked it very much.
Carrot
And we even got a third dessert that was not listed on any of the menus. This was a very nice treat from my favorite waiter and the kitchen.
Summary
This time I saw the very first time Eric Ripert in the restaurant, who had a chat in French with a friend in the corner of the lounge. Also, the head sommelier Aldo Sohm was present. If one is looking for high-quality fish and seafood in New York, Le Bernadin is always a first choice.
Visited in August 2025 Lunch Rating: Two Michelin Macarons
After a visit to the great Museum of Natural History on the Upper West Side, we had lunch at Jean-Georges, which is located in a side tract of the Hilton Hotel at Columbus Circle. You enter it through a separate entrance. They publish relatively strict attire rules on their website, but taking a look at the other guests, I had the impression that it is not taken so seriously. We had a nice table with an overlook of the dining room. Jean-George is one of the few highly rated New York restaurants that does not require that you pay in advance. The restaurant was not booked out this noon. At lunch, they offer a six-course or a four-course lunch with a choice of three savory dishes and cheese or dessert. We decided on four courses and selected our choices out of three starters, three intermediate course, main course, and dessert/cheese.
Bread and butter
Delicious bread and Bordier butter. Remarkably, the dark full-seed bread.
The sea trout of good quality was placed on a crispy rectangular piece of potato pancake. This was relatively dry. Additionally, the falafel-type second amuse was quite dry and not my favorite.
The akami tuna was of high quality. Itachi cucumber is a white Asian cucumber with an intense taste. Poblano is a mild chili pepper which made the escabeche spicy. This was reinforced by the ancho pepper which is the dried version of the poblano.
Heirloom Tomato summer fruit, myoga ginger and gazpacho consommé
My starter consisted of a potpourri of summer vegetables and fruits. To mention a few, I found watermelon, four different sorts of tomatoes, beans, nuts, onions, and chili. The different tomatoes were of best quality. Again, the use of chili and shoots of myoga ginger in the consomée made the serving slightly spicy. This was a very fresh seasonal course.
Hudson Valley Foie Gras tamarind, pineapple and black lime tajin
A nice piece of harissa-crusted, seared foie gras came with a pineapple chili purée and onion compote. The pineapple was slightly spicy. Warm Foie Gras is my favorite preparation and pleased also here.
Gulf Shrimp gold bar squash, kanzuri and 5 year soy sauce
Grilled squash slices below the perfectly seared shrimps and squash purée, creamy soy sauce. Kanzuri is a mix of togarashi chili peppers, salt, rice koji, and a hint of yuzu. It was used in the red liquid and responsible for the spiciness in this course.
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Spiced Duck Breast shelling beans, umeboshi and lovage
The duck breast was the best of the three servings in different restaurants during our New York stay, perfect in texture, intense in taste, crispy skin and spices on the skin that provided additional umami. Umeboshi (fermented Japanese plum) was used in the red vinaigrette, and the green oil was aromatized with lovage. A mixture of red beans and greens was present as a side on this colorful plate.
Wagyu Strip Loin Calabrian chili, broccoli, mimolette jus and dill
The wagyu, which was perfectly pan-fried, came with broccoli purée and roses as a vegetable accompaniment. Dill was used for the broccoli preparations. The red-yellow garnish on the broccoli, which included Calabrian chili, added some spiciness to the course again. The jus incorporating the northern-France cheese mimolette paired well with the wagyu.
Black Forest almond, cherries, vanilla cream and devil’s food cake
This beautiful decorated bowl had a deconstructed black forest cake as topic. The eater was very pleased and refused to share. That says something…
I had this beautifully arranged berry garden, which consisted of a pastry ring on which the following components were placed: Strawberries, candied strawberry chips, strawberry sorbet, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, pistachio ganache and financier, meringue, cooled strawberry, elderflower and basil pearls. An elderflower strawberry was poured into the middle. What a fantastic summer dessert!
What followed for the finish surprised me because it is rather uncommon for a New York restaurant: The Petits Fours trolley. Five different parlinés, homemade marshmallows, soft caramel candies, and six other sweet treats were presented.
I took the cherry macaron, the sudachi blue- & raspberry tartelette, marshmallow, the raspberry jelly, two of the pralines, the taste of which I do not remember, and the gummy bear, which had the taste of a cocktail I do not remember.
Summary
Despite opinions in some reviews I read before, this lunch was pretty good. This restaurant is the flagship restaurant of Jean-Georges Vongerichten, the patron of the JG imperium, of origin from Alsace, France. The menu did not give a hint to this in difference, e.g., to Gabriel Kreuther, whom I visited in February. What stood out was the almost ubiquitous spiciness of the dishes. That’s certainly not for everyone. I would like to emphasize is the extremely friendly service. Since the price-performance ratio was also good, it is worth revisiting.
Visited in September 2024 Lunch Rating: Mentioned in Guide Michelin
The preponed lunch in Le Bernadin opened up a slot for lunch on the next day. Where to go? New York has excellent spots for sushi and that was what I was looking for. Of course, those with Michelin Macarons were fully booked but the booking platform resy showed a free place at the kitchen counter in Sushi Ikumi. Booked. Another two-and-a-half-kilometer walk brought me to this small restaurant on a side street parallel to 6th Avenue and three blocks south of 3rd Street. Guests were already waiting outside and at point 11:30 the door was opened for the first seating. Eight of eleven were occupied for this lunch. A counter in L-shape was around the preparing area where the chef prepared all the servings under the eyes of the eaters. At the place, one could find a dark sushi serving platform, chopsticks, a water drink glass and two menus, one for the Omakase, another for the drinks listing sake, beer, tea and cocktails. The Omakase menu announced a seasonal starter, 12 nigiri, Miso soup, soba noodles which could be selected as plain, with Ikura or Uni, the latter two with a price plus and a dessert. I decided to take Ikura with the soba and a glass of Sake, which was supposed to taste Umami.
Sake served in traditional glass
Ginger, pickles, and a useful folded tissue for intermediate finger cleaning
Starter Second season tuna from Chiba with ponzu and chives
Grey bream
Japanese spear squid with lime and wasabi
White stripe jack
Hairy crab
Aged Japanese Spanish mackerel
Ama Ebi – Sweet Hokkaido shrimp
Chu toro medium
Akami toro lean
Saba mackerel
Uni
Unago – sea eel from Nagasaki
Maki – Nori roll with rice, tomago, shrimp, tuna, spinach, hairy crab and mackerel
Miso soup
Soba (cold) with Ikura (=salmon roe)
Cherry ice cream and Okara tea Okara is a byproduct of tofu production.
Summary
My expectations for good sushi were fulfilled. I would go here again. Everything complied to high quality: rice temperature, grain size, bite, adhesion, seasoning, fish and seafood quality, cuts, application and proportion of condiments. It was far above what you usually get outside of Japan and big capitals with sushi offerings. I don’t know of any restaurant in Hamburg, for example, that offers such quality and experience.
Long awaited after it had been public that César Ramirez had signed a rental contract for a room at 333 Hudson Street his own restaurant finally opened in July 2024. Except for Yelp, Tripadvisor, and some online magazines, there were no professional reviews available until now. This can be changed. I booked immediately when the booking slot for my desired date was available. Since I did not want to start at 5 pm or 9 pm, which are the times for the kitchen counter, I booked a table at 7 pm. After a 2.5-kilometer walk from my hotel in flat iron district, I arrived at the restaurant in time.
I was received by a very attractive young female receptionist and guided to my table in the area right of the rectangular room. Viewed from the street there are an open kitchen to the left with a kitchen counter, a lounge-like waiting area towards the street, and tables to the right. In the kitchen, César Ramirez works fully with 7 other tock-headed cooks. The room is relatively big and almost not damped. This leads to a vivid atmosphere if not a loud soundscape. Gentle music is played in the background. Except for the wine menu, no other menu is presented. A wine pairing is available and at the beginning, one is asked if one would like to have additional caviar for the fish course and/or wagyu A5 as a replacement for the main course. Wine by the glass has typical New York price tags (high) and the selection of half bottles is limited. I decided for a 2022 Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Rudi Pichler, Wachau Austria which turned out to be a good choice and was also a very good pairing for most of the food servings. The wine was too warm after opened and a first sip for tasting was in the glass. The bottle was cooled and Ok then. A smaller wine glass was placed on the table without a comment. Short time later the server came with an opaque carafe and poured a slightly yellow liquid into the glass. When guided to the mouth I smelled an intense Umami aroma. The liquid itself had an intense tomato and sweet taste. It turned out to be tomato water made fresh every day. No sugar was added, the sweetness came from the tomato sort. Wow, what a start with this delicious elixir.
Tomato water
After the tomato water was served, César Ramirez came to my table shaked hand and expressed his appreciation for having me here this evening. A very kind gesture. I did not observe that he did this with many other guests. Next came a hollow roll baked of very thin filo dough. I had seen this already in photos on the internet. This time the roll was filled with salmon rilette. There was also a version with eel mousse in the past. The rilette was more intensely flavored than that served as amuse bouche in Le Bernadin in the lunch menu. The salmon taste was very pronounced and freshness from the chives and just the right acidity were present. Very good.
SalmonTuna
This little snack to be eaten at once turned out to be non less than sensational. It consisted of a crispy thin Nori cylinder filled with Koshihikari rice, a layer of shiso leafs, a little wasabi and tuna belly/back tatar from Japan. The snack was simply perfect from composition, proportions, temperature and textures. Like in a perfect Nigiri, the rice had the right temperature, grain size and bite.
Langoustine
The following bigger tarte pre-cut into two pieces was filled with meat of the Norway lobster, smoked trout roe, imperial caviar and shiso flowers. The subtle spiciness that I tasted was a little wasabi. Again, this exhibited a perfect balance of sweetness, acidity, smoke taste, salt and spiciness.
Kisho fish
The next bite took the minimalism of César Ramirez’s cuisine to the extreme. A qualitatively perfect piece of kisho fish (this is what I understood) partly wrapped in a thin potato chip. Crispy, salty and tender would be the adjectives to describe this serving.
Uni
A classic of the chef was served now – the famous uni brioche that consists of 3 ingredients: a crispy roasted brioche, truffle and best uni (sea urchin) from Hokkaido. Simply fantastic.
Spanish Mackerel
In a deep bowl were prepared different layers: smoked trout mousse, pickled cabbage, tomato water jelly, tatar of the Spanish mackerel from Japan, a generous scoop of imperial caviar, basil oil and tiny crispy potato cubes for the texture. As you would expect, this was a fantastic combination and it was best eaten altogether with the spoon deep diving into the bowl.
Madai
A ceviche-like preparation had Madai, one of the most precious fishes in serious sushi bars, also named Japanese sea bream, as the main product. The fantastic fish quality came with a bright cream, chives, ginger, lime and a straw, which reminded me of Shio Kombu.
Bread
Warm sourdough bread was served with the hint that it is absolutely wanted to take up remaining sauce of the now-following bigger courses with the bread.
Foie gras
Sweet potato foam at the bottom, cooked Hudson Valley foie gras, parsley oil and a poultry broth formed the next serving. The potato “foam” had more the consistency of a flan or chawan mushi. Sweet potato and the goose liver paired very well.
Dover Sole
A nice piece of Dover sole was accompanied by Spanish sepia, chantarelle mushrooms, tarragon and preserved turnips. Also here, product qualities and craftsmanship regarding the sauces were at top level. I liked this fish course very much.
Quail
A Japanese breed of quail from a farm in Sacramento was used as the main ingredient for the meat course. It came with zucchini, maitake mushrooms and crème, elderberries, leek and a classical jus. The skin of the pieces of the bird was crispy the meat pan-fried to the point.
Elderflower
The sweet part of the dinner began. In a bowl, the team prepared elderflower jelly and berries, crème Chantilly and a yoghurt ice cream. Very good, not more, not less.
Horchata Soufflé
As a further classic of the chef if I understood it right a horchata-based ice cream and soufflé was served as main dessert. Horchata is a classical rice-based drink from Mexico, the native country of the chef. Ice cream and Soufflé were sitting on gingerbread crumble and topped by hazelnut crumble. The sensation of this dessert is the cold soufflé, which was produced by a freeze-drying technique. When pieces of it arrive on the tongue, it immediately collapses – a unique experience.
Mignardises
Opera Cake, peanut cherry praliné, espresso ganache. All three were perfectly finished and very clear in their taste.
Summary Since I like reduced cooking I was in culinary heaven here. Some servings were unreal good. Perfect product qualities meet combinations that fit very well and perfectly balanced aromas. These are plates and bowls for absolute taste and not so much for Instagram. The way, most of them are composed and served does not yield very spectacular photos. The light situation in the spot I was in did not contribute to good photos either. I am glad that I was allowed to take photos at all. I read that there were different rules in the past… Also the cooks brought some servings to the table and explained them. They have a really “cool” sommelier here and also the other people in service were very attentive. I went to the chef afterward to say thank you. From the contact I had with him, I found him to be a nice person. From his statements, he is still in the ramp-up phase of the restaurant and there is a lot to do. This hinders him from other activities. For that, the level is already astonishingly high.
At irregular intervals, three ladies offer a pop-up in Zurich’s Seefeld district, serving a five-course menu based on fish and seafood. I had already been here last year and quite liked it, so I was curious to see what they would serve this time. The menu is not announced in advance on the Internet. The selection of wines, which are offered by the glass or bottle, is limited and also relatively special. This time we started with a greenish aperitif in a low long-drink glass with aniseed, mint, sparkling mineral water, and ice. It was followed by the first snack, which was also listed on the menu written in English.
Shrimp – toast – ginger – lime
This was a very nice treat for the palate. A folded brown baked toast rich in oil was filled with shrimp, which brought out the sweetness that is often characteristic of crustaceans. I did not notice the ginger. I didn’t use the as well skewered lime. It was a delight anyway.
Mackerel – rhubarb – cucumber – labné – bottarga
Mackerel tartare, rhubarb slices, and small pieces of raw cucumber formed a kind of salad with a nicely balanced vinaigrette with not too much acidity. Good light bread with labné was served separately. Labné, which is Lebanese labneh, is a whipped cream made from hung yogurt. It can be used as a substitute for butter. Here, chives and bottarga di mugine, dried fish roe, were used as toppings.
Black tiger – fennel – pernod – feta – tarragon
A fried, half-shelled, large black tiger prawn was accompanied by pickled feta, whose chili pieces added an interesting spiciness. The plate also featured fennel cooked al dente and some tarragon. Pernod was used in the sauce.
Very nice mild smoked salmon with a pleasant texture came on Castel Franco, a special type of radicchio salad, in the style of Cesar’s salad with pieces of pomelo fillet, roasted almonds, and a very fine vinaigrette. I thought I could taste coffee aromas. But these probably came from the poppy seeds, which were also sprinkled on top.
Yellow fin tuna – avocado – coriander – leek
A wonton cracker was topped with thin slices of yellowfin tuna, marinated mango, avocado cream, chili, and leek straw. The fresh coriander had been left out for me.
The main course used monkfish, the “poor man’s lobster”, in two forms as the central ingredient. On a bed of sorrel were pieces of fillet and liver seasoned with a little fleur de sel of monkfish, purple potato, green asparagus, and currants.
I had no more room for a dessert, which was on the menu as an extra course. It was as far as I have seen chocolate mousse with raspberries.
Summary
Good quality ingredients especially for the fish and seafood, interesting combinations, and proper execution make this a valuable dinner option for people who like food from the seas. The menu is announced to be “French-inspired”, meaning rather Bistro than fine dining cuisine. And that is exactly what it is. Service was again flawless.
Visited in November 2023 Lunch Rating: Mentioned in Guide Michelin Shanghai, now one Michelin Macaron
Why should one go into an Italian restaurant when in Shanghai, China, Asia? There were quite some reasons to book here: an attractive location in a museum of contemporary art, the possibility to enjoy da Vittorio derived kitchen in a more relaxed style (“bistronomy”), an appealing website with the menu displayed, convenient payment methods, reviews that praise the selection of Italian wines you do not find elsewhere in China to name a few. The museum is directly located at the Qufu Road metro station. We arrived early, took the elevator to third floor and did not have to wait. Guided alongside an attractive looking bar and the wine cellar with bottles of iconic labels displayed we arrived at our table located in a bright room that we would describe as winter garden style. Immediately Camilla, the sommelière originally from Piedmont/Italy, took care of us. After studying the menu, we decided for the 6-course menu. I mentioned that I had a meat rich dinner the evening before (Taian Table). Our menu was then modified to a fish and seafood based one.
The wine menu was very interesting as it deviated from the usual presentation of wine in a restaurant. It is a book edited by Camilla listing the world’s major regions each with a map containing also the sub regions, a description of the terroirs and a list of available wine from that region with prices. After Camilla explained to us what she has in mind for it (presenting little known gems) we went for the wine pairing.
Pizza Margharita deconstructed
Some of the courses in the menu have a connection to past exhibitions in the museum. As a start, a Campbells tomato soup can was served which most of the people know from Andy Warhol’s pieces of art. It contained the appetizer which was explained to us as a deconstructed pizza Margherita. It contained a baked dough component, cheese and pizzaiola, the tomato sauce. Here, we had a well tasting cold tomato soup, a mozzarella foam and bread croutons.
Tomato focaccia and corn flour bread
As it is served in the main restaurant in Bergamo.
The oyster was of good quality, the olives, my first fear, did not overpower the mussel. The chamomile foam was a good fit; also, the lemon was a logic compound for this dish. However, the course could be improved in two ways: cutting the oyster in pieces before serving makes eating easier. And, there was a spiciness to it probably due to the pink pepper used that was a little too much for the delicate aromas of the other ingredients. Less would be more here.
Amberjack “aio, ojo e peperoncino” 半生琥珀鱼搭配传统意式酱汁 Wine pairing: les larmes du levant, La Vague, Sake, Loire, France
What followed now was a true instagramable course: colorful, mimicking the Italian flag green, red white and with the background of the copper like plate. In addition, the taste was good, mainly due to the fantastic quality of the fish, prepared in thick sashimi style. The other ingredients did not contribute too much to the taste being neither garlicy nor spicy. Nevertheless, for me a true one star plate.
Next course was one of the highlights of the menu. With the two main ingredients highest quality tuna and pumpkin, the latter of which declined as crème, pickled, sliced and roasted seeds this was an absolute feel-good dish. Three stars for this: simplicity is the highest level of perfection.
Another style of bread
Homemade fresh tagliolini pasta, snow crab, wild fennel and seaweed 手工意大利细面搭配雪蟹及野生茴香与海藻 2019 Vente d’Ange, Thomas Pico, Chablis, France
A good course, not more not less. The tagliolini were soft as they should be. For our taste, the snow crab leg in its shell was just a bit overcooked.
Binchotan Brittany blue lobster tail, foie gras, parsnip and celery roots 炉烧蓝龙尾搭配鹅肝, 防风根及芹根 Wine pairing: 2020 Movia Ribolla, Slovenia and 2020 Montecitorio, Vigneti Massa, Piedmont, Italy
The main course had a charcoal grilled lobster tail with nice smoke smells and just cooked right as the star on the plate. Sides were mainly a variation of celery root being crème and thinly shaved. A foie gras crème underneath, pickled parsnip root and roasted hazelnut crumbles added taste and texture.
Camilla was generous and spent a second alternative for the wine pairing. The Movia was a natural wine and we did not really like its acidity. And the Montecitorio was then a true find which I could imagine to buy also for at home.
As pre-dessert a bubble tea (no photo) was served with the ingredients apple, mint, fennel, honey and ginger.
Our sweetness Wine pairing: 2017 Petit Manseng, Domaine Franco Chinois, China
The dessert came nicely presented on a deep plate and had cheesecake, caramel and white chocolate as topic. We liked it very much and it was one of the stronger courses in the menu. Unfortunately it was listed as our sweetness only on the menu so that I cannot write about further details.
Summary
We both agreed that we passed a very enjoyable afternoon. Good food, an interesting wine pairing and an impeccable service. We had quite some interesting conversations with Camilla and had the impression that she enjoyed it too. The chef du cuisine Francesco Bonvini served some courses and also he made a difference. Camilla gave us two tickets for the current Henri Matisse exhibition in UCCA Edge as a gift and when we picked up our personal belongings after the exhibition visit, Francesco once more came to the entrance counter and said personally goodbye to us. In the da Vittorio restaurants I always have a feeling as if I am part of the family.
P.S.: A couple of days after I returned to Europe I found out that meanwhile the Michelin has rated this restaurant with one Michelin macaron. Congratulations!
I became aware of this pop-up through an article in the Zurich daily newspaper Tagesanzeiger (see link at the end of the article). Here, three women with various culinary backgrounds offer raw and cooked seafood in a different way. The pop-up is located in a casual restaurant in Zurich’s Seefeld, the Mame, where during the day other operators mainly offer coffee, small dishes, and takeaways like buns and bowls. As written, it is rather casual here. This evening, the pop-up was booked out. The menu consists of five courses. Dessert has to be paid extra. A four-glasses wine pairing is offered. Besides this, the wine list consists of seven organic wines, two of them of the natural kind.
Bread – smoke – salt – butter
The bread was good and even better with the smoked salt butter. I started with a glass of Jz velue muskateller 2020, zillinger austria
The first course presented a kind of sashimi of kingfish and yellowfin tuna with pickled carrot and ginger, shiso leaves, fleur de sel, and a sauce in a separate small bowl. These accompanying ingredients did little to distract from the fish. The fish was of good quality, very tender, and had the right temperature.
salmon – stracciatella – fennel – zaatar – kiwi
The next was maybe my favorite on the menu. On the liquid core of burrata, melon juice marinated salmon tatar was placed and covered with thin-sliced fennel. Yellow kiwi added sweetness on the side, and the whole was spiced with zaatar, a culinary herb mixture from the Middle East with the main ingredient Origanum syriacum. I could imagine that I offer this at home one day.
I took a second glass of wine, La dame, chardonnay ariège France.
Cold Soba buckwheat noodles mixed with melon radish Julienne came with slices of cooked octopus, which were spiced with yuzu kosho, a Japanese citrus condiment consisting of fermented paste made from chili peppers, yuzu citrus peel, and salt. Some black sesame and chervil leaves were also on the plate. The Octopus had the right bite, and I liked the overall composition.
Very fresh razor clams served in their shells were marinated with lime. Thin slices of jalapeño added spiciness, walnut pieces some nutty taste. Besides this, grated lime zest and some green leaves completed the plate. The star of this course was, of no doubt, the razor clam, which one does not get often in Switzerland. Since I used chopsticks for the major part of the menu, cutting the mussel meat in half would have made it easier to eat. The cilantro was left away for me.
halibut – squash – baby kale – plum – mushroom
A tranche of halibut supposed to have been grilled came on a sweet potato squash puree with vinaigrette-treated baby kale leaves and pan-fried chanterelle mushrooms for Umami taste. A plum sauce with plum, salt and sour taste came with it that tasted for me like a liquefied Umeboshi. The halibut seemed rather poached because there were neither roasting aromas nor Maillard browning present. Nevertheless, it did not have any negative effect on the taste and this course exhibited a very pleasant composition.
Baba au rhum – apple – cream
Mirjam, who seems to be the main responsible for the kitchen, came to the table after the main course and asked how it was. Originally, I did not want to take dessert. As a courtesy, she offered a mini portion of the baba, which consisted of a mini baba au rhum gugelhupf, apple puree, whipped cream and a pink sour powder on it. This was a nice finish of the menu.
Summary
I enjoyed this very much. Good ideas, good quality ingredients, interesting combinations, and proper execution. Service was flawless, with Mai standing out, smiling all evening, showing real interest for the guests and exhibiting that she really likes what she does. A tip for the service: a rest for the chopsticks would be nice. I used the fork turned upside down for this. If you like seafood, you should go as long as it is possible.
Dinner Visited on January 21, 2020 Rating: Three Michelin Macarons
This report is in English because of the many German reports of past visits here, here, here and here. This time I introduced a friend to the gourmet universum.
I missed the reservation deadline and could only book an early 5:30 pm dinner. No problem because the airplane touched down already around noon and everything else went perfectly (e.g. 10 minutes for immigration).
The problem with early reservations could be that they rush you through the meal. You will read about it later…
The menu choice I left with my friend because I do not decide about other people’s taste and/or wallet. My friend decided for the eight course chefs tasting menu.
We did not go for the wine pairing and decided instead for a bottle of Sancerre Crochet Croix 2018, which was so nice that it almost did not last until the main course.
As a start two étagères with tasty amuses bouches were brought to the table.
Excellent Asian tuna tartar in filo dough. For me with a different herb decoration instead of cilantroMarinated yellow beet, cucumber, crème fraîcheFluke, seaweed, spring onionCelery soup with aromatic oilLobster on a piece of marinated (Daikon?)-radishTuna-Caviar: Layers of Thinly Pounded Yellowfin Tuna; Osetra Caviar, Black Pepper Crisp, Lemon Crème Fraîche
The first course of the menu: An absolute luxurious course, which in the prix fixe menu has a supplement. Fantastic quality of the tuna, great combination with the crispiness of the lemon crème fraîche filled black pepper roll underneath. The tuna had very good olive oil and lemon juice on it.
And the luxury continued. The superb quality of the langoustine was far away from the slimy consistency that you get at some other places. A very well prepared dashi broth and the salad with the Enoki mushrooms added umami taste to it.
Crunchy crab cake, tender crabmeat and again a very well balanced sauce made this a very tasty dish.
Baguette and my favorite from the bread basket: rosemary foccaciaDover Sole: Sautéed Dover Sole; Almonds, Chanterelles, potato purée, Soy-Lime Emulsion
This time the Dover sole was perfect not overdone as I experienced it with my first visit in Le Bernadin 2018. It goes very well together with the roasted almonds.
And there it is again, the Salmon: Barely Cooked Faroe Islands Salmon; Black Truffle Pot-au-Feu
My all time favorite in this restaurant because of taste, consistency and combination with all the other components. This time it came with broth and sauce. The sauce was a truffle sauce. The jar with more sauce remained at the table and no drop made it back to the kitchen.
Lobster: Glazed Maine Lobster; “Leek Cannelloni”, Red Wine-Rosemary Sauce Wine pairing: Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Habemus Papam, Domaine Santa Duc, Rhone, France 2015
My star on this plate? It was the red wine rosemary sauce. Same procedure as for the salmon: barely any sauce made it back to the kitchen. The lobster was of course of superb quality and perfectly cooked.
Until now the timing of serving the courses was absolutely OK.
And now started was left me leaving the restaurant a little bit displeased. Since we ordered the red wine from the wine pairing for this course our glasses were still half-full after finishing the course.
Now they served the pre-dessert very quickly and it did not fit at all with the remaining Châteauneuf- du-Pape. We could not wait with the dessert because part of it was a sorbet, which would melt away.
I explained my displeasure about this but the waiter had only excuses non-valid for us.
Since I am not so fan of Meringue I did not like this dessert so much.
Then the next disappointment: My question for the famous egg was answered with the statement that the policy has changed and we had to pay for it extra. No thank you. Last time in October, I got this for lunch and for dinner. Given the faux pas they did with the pre-dessert offering the egg for free would have been a professional treatment of the situation.
Mignardises from top clockwise: blood orange gummy jelly, mint-praliné, cookies and cream-macaron, cherry-pistachio financier, peanut cream-praliné
The mignardises were all very good.
This dinner had a duration of three hours.
Conclusion:
The quality of the food in Le Bernadin in my opinion absolutely justifies the rating in the Michelin guide. Taste, presentation and combination of the courses is impeccable. For me this time I did not like the desserts too much. Could also be that my mood at this phase of the dinner negatively influenced my perception.
There is no doubt that it is worth returning to Le Bernadin.
gourmettrips 