I came here with some friends recently & enjoyed a great meal filled with food made by a clearly talented chef. While the dishes were on the smaller side, as is usually the case with French/fine cuisine, each dish packed a punch of flavors leaving me curious for more. We tried the tasting menu as this was our first time, it provided a great array of different dishes & we were definitely looking to come back & try some of the other dishes. The black cod, the duck & the mushroom dish were my favorites. I removed one star because of the service. Our reservation was at 9, so probably one of the last services of the evening. When the waiter took our order, he informed us that two us the items from the tasting menu were sold out & that they would substitute it with other things. I asked if I could order the tasting menu in addition to other dishes & he really stood his ground in saying that the tasting menu was a lot & ordering more was ambitious. He did mention that if we were still hungry agrees that we could simply order more. Low & behold, when the last course before dessert came, we were still hungry & still very curious to try what else the menu had to offer. We asked to get the menu & the waiter seemed a bit struck. He asked us to wait while he asked the chef if the kitchen was still open & returned shortly to tell us that if we placed the orders now, they could be fulfilled. But now, what happened was that a lot more of the menu was sold out. In the end, 6 menu items were not available. So while this was not exactly the waiters fault (but I guess he could have listened to our original order & not tell me that I'm ambitious if wanted more than the tasting menu), I don't understand why the restaurant would take reservations at a time where by the middle of the meal, half the menu items would run out. It just felt like we got screwed by getting a late reservation. For such a restaurant of high estime, every seating should be serviced at the same caliber. I digress. The food was good & I was happy I got to come here.
Service is fantastic, everyone was very friendly, ambiance is a great date night, the food was good but expected more with the reviews being 4.8 We had the tasting menu for two which is $75 each. Simple, clear flavors that lets the ingredients speak for itself, but nothing really wow'd us as the headliner or that we would want to come back for. The portions also could be bigger for value The first four dishes all came at once & within 10 mins of ordering which makes me think the food was already cooked - bread & butter: a quarter slice each? Butter was just butter - beef tartare: favorite, get this, really good & the mole sauce was great - mushrooms & trout were simple flavours - agnolotti came with three pieces each which seemed small: wanted more! - beef with brisket: a couple of slices of steak with two pieces of brisket. Was supposed to be the main headliner but nothing special The food is good but had higher expectations in flavours & value. Given the tasting menu was essentially everything on the regular menu, not sure if we would come back
Service: A1! We had an amazing service, super friendly & very attentive: Water was always filled up, plates & utensils were swap after every single plate.
Atmosphere: Some what "homey" yet still chic, had a very charming aesthetic.
Food: I had the tasting menu which was 75$ per person, it was worth every dollar, highly recommended! (menu changes often based on season, month, & ingredient's availability)
Part 1 of the tasting menu
Unlimited Sourdough bread with butter: 10/10 (Very good homemade bread, can't complain about unlimited bread!)
Tuna Tataki with Melon, Tomato, Jalapeno & Shiso: 6.5/10 (unfortunately the only dish that was underwhelming to my taste, refreshing tho)
Beef tartare, eggplant, green beans, marjoram, basil, parmesan: 10/10 (Delicious! full of flavor, great balance, execution & seasoning)
Pan fried oyster mushrooms with smoked feta, shallot, bread crumbs: 9.5/10 (Delicious! Mushroom had a nice lard flavor to it & the smokiness of the feta really paired well together. Another dish that was well executed & well seasoned. Honestly, the bread crumbs was a nice texture additive, but the bread soaked all the oil which made the dish a bit heavier than it already is. Perhaps in a smaller quantity or simply omitted would have been better.
Part 2 of the tasting menu
Artic char fish confit with slight grill, squash, miso, capers & elder berries: 7.5/10 (The fish was cooked flawlessly, execution, flavor, texture were all there, however I feel like everything that came along with the fish did not complement nor enhanced the fish. As a whole dish, I felt like it missed the mark.)
Beats, peach, vadouvan & labneh: 9/10 (Very unique dish, which had a nice mix between refreshing & sweet & creamy & spiced, great contrasting flavor profile that complimented each other. It is served at the same time as the Artic char fish, the sweetness, tanginess & spice help elevate & bring forward the gentle herby flavor profile of the Artic char fish).
Part 3 of the tasting menu
Lamb made 2 way - pulled lamb & pressed for crust & grilled & sliced. Squash, hazel nuts, Groundcherry, fir tree, served with sherry jus. 9.5/10 (The lamb were cooked perfectly, nice & tender, not gammy at all! The sherry jus was packed with umami, the squash was amazing, & the groundcherry added a nice tangy sweetness to the dish. Fantastic dish! It would have been perfect if the dish was not as sweet, however the broccolini served along with the dish balanced the overall of the serving).
Broccolini, nasturtium, shallot, garlic, & leek. 10/10 (Great side dish with the Lamb, full of fresh & herbal flavor to complement the main dish).
Part 4 of the tasting menu
Pre-Dessert: Financier cake with homemade jam & grated cheese. 9.5/10 (Very tasty bite, balanced sweetness, fantastic texture on the pastry, the cheese added a good complexity to the flavor, but the smell it emitted was a bit too pungent for a dessert).
Dessert: Cheese cake on top of graham cracker crust, raspberry water with sorrel oil, fresh raspberry, celery bits, sorrel leaf, & dried flower raspberry sorbet. 10/10 (The best dessert I ever had in my life, I could have 10 serving of it without getting sick of it. It was refreshing, delicate, light, well balanced, a mature sweetness. A symphony of flavor & texture! Perfection.)
Highly recommended!
