We had lunch at Jean Georges, the greatest bargain in the world of fine dining -- $28 for two courses with $12 for each additional course. It started off with an amuse-bouche: cucumber tomato jelly, cherry tomato mozzarella, and chicken tempura with tarragon puree. It was a unique mixture of textures, especially the refreshing cucumber juice and diced tomato wrapped by a fragile layer of jelly.
Our first course was Jean Georges’ signature dish – eggs on egg. In a scooped out egg shell with partially cooked yolk, the chef stuffed the cooked egg white back covered with cream, and finally topped the dish with luxurious caviar. The simple taste and the syrupy texture of the egg paired perfectly with the rich and salty flavour of the caviar. This dish utilized caviar at its best. The sparkling savoury caviar and the rich creamy egg syrup was an unbelievable combination! What a delicate appetizer!
 |
|
Cucumber tomato jelly / Cherry tomato mozarello |
Eggs on Egg |
For our second course, we selected different dishes. One dish was foie gras brulée sitting on top of a toasted brioche and garnished by drops of spiced fig jam. This generous portion of terrine was interestingly covered by a hard shell of caramel. It was the first time we had caramel with foie gras. The smooth foie gras together with the brittle caramel sweetness resulted in a wonderful and an inventive dish.
 |
|
Foie gras brulée |
Sea scallops |
The other dish was sea scallops with caramelised cauliflower and caper-raisin emulsion. Each scallop was carefully decorated with a floret of cauliflower on top. The perfectly cooked scallops accompanied by crunchy caramelised cauliflowers offered an interesting mixture of taste and texture. The slight acidity from the caper sauce brightened the dish even further. The sommelier suggested a glass of white Bordeaux “Chateau du Seuil Grand Seuil Blanc 2003” for this course. This crispy and refreshing wine with vanilla and apricot flavours enhances the delicacy of this scallop course.