The third one was tuna and almond mousse with orange and spice sauce. It was very refreshing with the fruity and lightly spiced sauce, perfect as an amuse-bouche. The fourth one was a filet of mackerel; hidden underneath are cucumber, green apple and tapioca; topped with mushroom foam. It was a complex dish with an innovative mixture of ingredients and an interesting combination of texture. However, the dish was too rich and too big to be served as an amuse-bouche. These hors d’oeuvres were accompanied by a glass of bubbly Rosé Billecart-Salmon Brut N.V.
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Tuna / almond mousse / orange and spice sauce |
Mackerel / cucumber / green apple / tapioca / olive oil |
We still have not started the first course yet, but the inventive cooking style was very obvious, foreshadowing a meal full excitement. The sommelier suggested a bottle of Weisser Burgunder, Im Sonnenschein 2004 , a very dry white wine with a nutty note from the German region Siebeldingen.
Our first course was carpaccio of scallops, placed on top of a cool geometrical shape of steamed hazelnut milk enclosed with olive oil. It also came with few “heart mussels” on the side. Heart mussels are similar to surf clams (Hokkigai), but smaller in size, with a yellowish instead of red tip. This was a very sophisticated dish in terms of its ingredients and presentation. The scallop was extremely fresh and moist. The nutty sweet sauce was light, complementing the scallop perfectly. The heart mussels were delicious and the steamed hazelnut milk was very original. This dish was definitely chef Wissler’s masterpiece!
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Scallop carpaccio / heart mussels / artichokes |
Fried turbot on bone / summer oyster |
Our second course was fried turbot with summer oysters resting on top of diced cucumbers and tapioca in champagne sauce. The turbot was very meaty; the oyster and cucumber were paired harmoniously in both taste and texture. The champagne sauce was delicate in flavour, highlighting the top quality ingredients without taking away their natural flavour.