We ordered the 11-course “Menu Naturan” for lunch, characterised by the abundant use of seasonal ingredients, herbs and spices. Our meal was accompanied by a bottle of As Sortes Val do bibei 2005. This Spanish white wine has an intense aroma of green apple with good acidity.
Two amuse-bouche courses were offered. The first one was tomato wedges and spinach consommé, the simplest course we’ve seen in a Michelin star restaurant; the second one was, on the contrary, received a big “wow” from both of us. First, a plate with Soya beans and vegetable jelly were presented to us; then a white tuna consommé was poured into the plate. The taste was so simple yet absolutely stunning! The contrast in texture between rice-crispy-like Soya beans and gelatinous texture was intriguing; the consommé was light yet rich in tuna flavour. What a perfect way of starting a tasting menu!
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Tomato / spinach consommé |
Soya bean / vegetable jelly / white tuna consommé |
Our first course was a hot vegetable soup. Sounds simple, right? Yes, it was indeed very simple, but you could not possibly imagine how delicious this simple dish was! A lovely arrangement of seasonal vegetables, namely carrot, radish, lettuce, mushroom and onion, were all mini in size and extremely fresh. Along with the four big slices of pungent truffle, the dish simply captured the true flavour of the nature. What an enjoyable first course!
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Hot vegetable soup with dehydrated tubers |
Sheep milk curd / glazed pumpkin / hay and toasted fern |
The chef presented us with two different second courses, sheep milk curd and herb consommé. The sheep milk curd did not have much taste and it came with pumpkin glazed with savoury syrup. The herb consommé was indeed very special, in terms of its taste and presentation. It was an herb consommé, with a very strange and unpleasant taste. The bowl containing the consommé was put in a hole. I was told to lift up the bowl and hold it in my hands while eating this course. When I lifted up the bowl, I could see the description of this course through the hole. An interesting presentation, but was it too much a gimmick?
Our third course was potatoes and truffles with Tonka bean cream and transparent potato flakes. Two marble-size potatoes were completely dusted by a black coating, made of a mixture of black truffles and brown sugar, topped by diced truffle. The sauce was made from charcoal Tonka bean - a South American bean that has a restricted use in the US as it contains coumarin. The potatoes and the sauce were both very bland, augmented the rich aroma and flavour of the truffle. This dish was absolutely amazing. It was such a creative way of serving truffle while fully preserving its natural beauty. The traditional way of serving truffles with either egg or cheese looked unsophisticated in comparison.