We ordered the 9-course Chef’s Tasting Menu. It was the best meal we ever had, definitely an experience of a lifetime!
Our amuse-bouche was Chef Keller’s signature Salmon Tartare Cornette, filled with fresh cream and topped with salmon and chive. These tasty little cones were just the beginning of a wonderful culinary journey..
Our first course was another Keller’s signature Oysters and Pearls – two oysters resting in a shallow pool of sabayon with floating tapioca, crowned with an extremely generous scoop of precious Russian Sevruga Caviar. I normally prefer raw oysters served on their shell, but this couple of trimmed oysters, soaked in a creamy sabayon sauce, was surprisingly better! They are from Beau Soleil located in the east coast of Canada, which produces cleaner and fatter oysters due to unique cultivation method. We consumed this memorable royal treat slowly and carefully to enjoy every moment of the sparkling pearls as there probably won’t be many chances in our life to have our mouth full of luxurious caviar!
We had two choices for our second course. One of them was foie gras terrine which we initially found ridiculous for a $30 supplemental charge as the menu was already expensive. However, after we had a first bite of this dish, we stopped complaining immediately and purely focused on this heavenly silky smooth terrine. While we were still enjoying its long aftertaste, we agreed that the $30 supplement was totally worthwhile.
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Moulard duck “foie gras en terrine” |
Salad of Hawaiian hearts of peach palm |
The other choice for the second course was just a salad. This dish was as simple as you could ever get in a three Michelin Star restaurant. Yet, all the ingredients were unbelievably fresh!
Our third course was Sautéed Fillet of Pacific Kahala surrounded by marinated Japanese beech mushrooms, garnished with cilantro shoots and finished off with a light vinegar sauce. The vinegar is made of a Spanish grape (Pedro Ximenez) aged for 12 years, creating a unique bitter-sweetness. The fish was perfectly fried; the beech mushrooms had a nice texture; finally the vinegar did a lovely job of bringing them together to form in a brilliant dish. The only imperfection we could think of was that the portion was too small. Well, it was a testimony of Chef Keller’s “law of diminishing returns”, I guess…
Our fourth course was Maine Lobster Tail “Cuite Sous Vide au Beurre Doux”. “Sous Vide” is a food-packaging technique whereby fresh ingredients are combined into various dishes, vacuum-packed in individual portion pouches, and then cooked under a vacuum. The purpose of this cooking technique is to maximise flavour, which was fully evidenced by the intense delicate flavours and the tenderness of the meaty lobster. Again, another superb dish for the evening!