You can already feel the pride of the chef from the oversized red and gold menu with a cover photo of him showing off his medal. The back cover also describes his lifetime achievements in several languages. While we were studying his menu, a glass of aperitif was served to us: Henriot Brut 1996 Vintage – a lovely fresh fruit aroma. We then both decided to order the Grande Tradition Classical Menu. Described accurately by its name, the meal was huge, traditional and classical!
The amuse-bouche was a warm green pea soup with a floating scope of cream blended with thin strips of truffle, accompanied by a cheese puff. It was quite a generous portion as an amuse-bouche. A nice warm beginning to our meal on that cold and rainy day!
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Green pea soup / fresh cream with truffle |
Pan fried foie gras / pear and date reduction |
Our first course was a pan fried foie gras topped with few diced pear and garnished by a light crisp leaning on its edge. The foie was perfectly cooked with a distinct yellowish colour inside. The rich foie was well complimented by sweetness of the deep fruity reduction. The sauce was intense but not overly strong; the foie was buttery but not too greasy. This dish was well executed with a great depth of taste. To pair with the foie, the sommelier has selected a glass of 2000 Leon Beyer Gewurztraminer Comtes d'Eguisheim – light honey sweetness with a lychee aroma.
Then, the legendary dish of Paul Bocuse, which has been long-awaited for, finally came – Black Truffle Soup V.G.E. Created in 1975, it was served for French President Valery Giscard d’Estaing in Elysée Palace of Paris. Crowned with a pastry dome to retain the truffle flavour, this historical soup was served in a customized soup bowl with the printed name and year of this creation, decorated by a tri-coloured band of blue, white and red symbolizing the French flag. After poking the dome, hot fragrance was steaming out as it was almost about to explode. We quickly took a deep breath, not wasting any bit of the escaping pungent vapour. The pastry was then soaked into the soup absorbing its full flavour. This glorious broth was light by itself, but fully enhanced by the aroma of truffle and diced foie gras, duck meat and carrot. This was definitely our most memorable soup ever. It was an honour that we had an opportunity to taste this historical dish.