Coque, Madrid

Coque, Madrid, 5/12/2018 (9-Course, 145 Euro incl.VAT), Mediterranean/Spanish

Coque Madrid, presently owned by 3 Sandoval brothers, Mario, Diego and Rafael. The restaurant is named for the Sandovals’ beloved maternal grandfather, Álvaro “Coque” Huertas, who started the place as a bar and restaurant in 1951. After Mario sharpened his technique and skill in el Bulli, Coque started its ascension to the Michelin star category of the restaurants.

Not too long ago, they moved to the classy Almagro neighborhood of Madrid. Coque’s interior design was done by architect Jean Porche, a famous architect whose office is in the same building. The interior design is spectacular and ostentatious, a combination of contemporary, classic and some traditional Spanish style. Its cuisine is also a combination of tradition Spanish cooking with new cooking technique. The whole renovation project was designed to work with Coque’s new process of tasting menu which requires eating in several different rooms - bar, cellar, open kitchen and dining room. It has 3 dining rooms, each with different theme color, white, green and pink, and variation in design of the geometric patterns on the floor tiles.

At the Cocktail Lounge:

I selected the Q18 menu (the shorter menu) out of Q18 and Q18+, started with the Coque Club apéritif at the cocktail lounge in the basement, accompanied with 3 appetizers. Due to the lighting condition (too much reflection from the glasses), I could not take a decent photo of the drink.

Coque club cocktail was made of Yzaguirre Vermouth, mixed with lime juice, lemon juice, Four Roses whisky and dry sherry, served over cactus pear/prickly pear (tuna/tuno in Spanish) from the Canary Island. Yzaquirre Vermouth has an intense aroma with herby and spicy notes, with a mahogany color and orange highlights. It has a good aromatic intensity in the mouth which balances out acidity very well. Tuna is in the family of cactus fruit, covered by tiny spines outside, in yellow, orange or red color. Tunas taste like sweet cucumber and are delicious straight from the fridge. Prickly pears are said to be a treatment for diabetes and also as an antidote for hangovers. It was a refreshing and delicious drink, a perfect starter for more food and drinks.

1). Pickled Abalone with Sichuan and Citrus

Abalone was pickled in lemon juice, lime juice, and Sichuan peppercorn. It was served on king crab meat and lime “pearls”, a bite of anti-oxidant polyphenols. On the very top, king crab juice was made into foam.  It was like abalone sashimi, however tastier than sashimi. Abalone is a bit firmer than clam, but tastier.  It was my favorite dish in this evening. 

2). Vincentes Bite with Raisins

It was a beet root cookie topped with intensely flavored red wine meringue and raisins. Merlot Red wine meringue was so flavorful, a perfect combination with beet root cookie. It was my 2nd favorite dish in the evening.

3). Canarian Black Potato with Mojo Pic

Canary Island papas arrugadas (wrinkled potatoes) black potato with mojo picon. Mojo picon was made from roasted Canary Island tomato (with a distinctive red-orange color), garlic and onion.

From the 3 appetizers served in the bar, Chef Sandoval has demonstrated his focus on modern and traditional Spanish with unusual elaborations and textures. Then, I was taken to an elevator and arrived at its cellar where 13000+ bottles of wines were stored.

 At the Bodega, I was served with:

1). Fino Jarana (Jerez) 

A glass of dry sherry.

2). Embutido of Bull Bravo with Souffle Bread.

An Iberico ham with a thin crisp made of flour.

3). Macaron of Paprika with Creamy Torta

Beer macaroon with pungent Torta del Casar sheep's milk cheese from Extremadura. It was a beer macaroon, a new savory flavor to me. It also reminded me of the 1^st savory macaron (with foie gras filling) that I had at Frantzen & Lindeberg a few years ago.

Then, I was escorted to the elevator before taken to the open kitchen and was served two appetizers at the edge of stainless steel counter:

1). Beer of Wheat Casimiro Mahou

It was a local brand. It had a mild taste, although I am not a beer fan.

2). Roe of Skrei Cod Salted

 Skrei cod and its salted roe. It was blini with cod tartar, caviar and fried cod skin. The best part was the fried cod skin which was fluffy and crispy.

In another counter just outside of the kitchen, near the restaurant’s ancient wood-burning oven, I was served one more appetizer.

3). Hydralized Spanish Omelette

They were thinly sliced and fried potatoes served with omelet egg sauce at the bottom.

While nibbling in the kitchen, I saw Coque’s oak oven where they make the “suckling pig” (one of their most famous dishes). It was next to some golden eggs that house the taco. Then, I was escorted to the dining room with the pink seats which are not as pinky as Pierre Gagnaire’s Sketch pinky chairs.

 Dining room part of the meal started with an Amuse Bouche - Thick tomato and mint foam, tomato and mint ice water and mint.

The Q18 menu that I selected was comprised of 6 savory courses and 3 deserts:

1^st Course - White Prawns with Jerez, Its Fried Heads and Palo Cortado Pearls

Huelva prawns from Andalucía served in sauce made of scallion, slightly fried garlic, diced pepper, sherry wine, hot pepper and Palo Cortado wine pearls. These tiny pearls are the products of spherification in molecular gastronomy by dipping sodium alginate into calcium lactate. Prawn’s head is the best part of prawn and its fried head tasted even better. This crunchy prawn’s fried head was the most potent flavor to integrate with Palo Cortado pearls.

2^nd course - White Asparagus Tempered with Hollandaise Sauce Perrextico and Almond Ice-Cream

It is the season of white asparagus, from Navarro. They are plump and fresh, accompanied by almond ice cream, hollIt is the season of white asparagus, from Navarro. They are plump and fresh, accompanied by almond ice cream, hollandise sauce, and perrechicos (morels) mushroom from Leon in Spain. This kind of mushroom available only in May and June. 

Morel is one of the edible species of fungi that grow in Andean Patagonia orginally . These fungi are very difficult to find because they are isolated and it is very difficult to distinguish them with the naked eye. 

Morel mushrooms cannot be eaten raw because of their toxicity (they contain thermolabile hemolysins (TLH), they must first be dried, then rehydrated (discarding the water) and then cooked for 30 minutes at a temperature between 70 and 90º C.

In this way they constitute an excellent edible due to its delicate flavor and exquisite aroma, especially for sauces and to flavor foods.andise sauce, and perreoay and June. 

3^rd Course - Duck in Barrel of Oloroso with Pickled Mango and Duck Foie

Roasted medium-rare dick breast served In Olorosso wine sauce and foie gras. Mango was pickled, sliced and rolled, tender duck breast was also sliced and rolled, accompanied by paper thin seaweeds (look like wings), pine nut and pistachio. Oloroso is a variety of fortified wine (sherry), usually is dark and nutty. Sauce was a bit sweet (from Oloroso) and sour like most of the sauce accompanied with foie gras. It was a picture-perfect presentation with marvelous flavor.

4^th Course - Skrei Cheek with Pilpil and Ginger, Daikon and Its Crunchy Skin

Skrei cod was from Norway. Thick skin was fried, but not greasy. Also served in the plate was belly, ginger cream, daikon slice and quindilla pepper slices. Quindilla peppers are from the Basque region. They have a tangy, slightly sweet flavor and a refreshing crunch. It is delicious when served with seafood.

5^th Course - Tuna Cheek of Almadraba with Tomato Tree Stew, Passion Fruit and Vine Shoots

Tuna fish cheek was from Cadiz, Andalucia in Spain. Tuna fish cheek has slightly higher content of fish fat and tastier when served warm. It was glazed in beef sauce in Coque’s way, most of other restaurants served fish in fish/shell fish sauce. In addition, there were tamarillo tomatos (yellow), passion fruit, seaweed and sliced radish. The taste of passion fruit gave this traditional dish a very interesting savor.

6). Lacquered Suckling Pig (Conchinillo) with Lettuce

The “baby suckling pig” was a show. It came covered with a dome full of smoke. Baby suckling pig was served on a bed of lettuce, with evenly bronzed crackling. Just by looking, you knew the skin was definitely crunchy. What was unusual in this plate was the separation of skin and meat. In other words, skin and meat were not connected together. I know the authentic traditional way of making Chinese Peking duck will render the separation of skin and meat and produce crunchy skin. According to the chef, suckling pig was roasted at 200-225 degree for 2 hours on side and another 1 1/2 hours on the other side in an oak wood-burning oven. The preparation required rubbing salt, pepper and olive oil on the skin before roasting. This is Coque’s famed signature dish, a delicious and magnificent dish.

Deserts

1). Red Fruit’s Fresini with Bloody Orange Sponge and Sour Yogurt

Strawberry and sorbet were placed on top of a little sponge cake of bloody orange flavor. Strawberry sauce on the side was made of strawberries and Compari. Compari is a bitter-sweet, red liqueur with intense aroma and inspiring flavor. Using of Compari made strawberry sauce with more sophisticated taste and flavor. Yogurt and crystalized sugar wafer were placed on top of the sorbet. It was a very delightful palate cleanser.

2). Sunflower of Yuzu and Vanilla Flambed Meringue and Rum

It was passion fruit mousse covered by passion fruit jello, surrounded by vanilla macaroon at the bottom, and topped by chocolate coated pecan and grosella (red currant). It was so refreshing and tasty that I almost decided to exchange next course for one more serving of passion fruit mousse.

3). Spiced Chocolate in Textures with Raisin Sponge

It was chocolate ice cream with salt and African spice rusaljanut, almond, orange peel. On the side, there was orange ice cream and curled orange peel, and raisin sponge cake. Even though Chocolate ice cream was not overwhelming spicy, I would still prefer the passion fruit mousse.

In addition to its emphasize of traditional cooking, Coque is also in partnership with Dr. Marta de Miguel of Madrid's CSIC (Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas, or Superior Council of Scientific Research — the largest public research institution in Spain) with whom he experiments with innovations using such materials as egg whites and vegetable fibers in designing recipes with health as well as taste benefits in mind.

I made a comparison of Coque with El Celler de can Roca which is also operated by 3 Roca brothers. Roca has been my favorite 3-star restaurant since I visited it 4 years ago. This visit to Coque was my 1^st time at Coque and I truly enjoy my dining experience at Coque, a 2 Michelin star “worth the detour”.

The Greenhouse, London

The Greenhouse, London, 9/14/2017 (8-Course, £85 – Taste of Summer, incl. VAT), French, Michelin 2-Star

Since Greenhouse first opened its door in 1977, it has been an established with a long and successful history in Mayfair section of London. The current chef Arnaud Bignon got the restaurant the 2^nd star after his arrival. He was the head chef at Spondi in Athens (I visited in 2014) and was Eric Frechon’s sous-chef at 3-star Epicure (I visited in 2013) in Paris for 7 years.

The restaurant offered a very competitive “Taste of Summer” menu, probably in response to the newly opened competitor Sketch. It was comprised of 6 courses and I requested for an addition course from the a la carte menu.

Canapés

1).Iberico ham Penna cotta was served on top of a thin waffle. Melon jell made of cantaloupe contributed the refreshing taste to balance the taste of ham.

2).Prawn dumpling wrapped in rice paper with shrimp egg, mayo, yuzu and paprika inside. This was more sophisticated than the shrimp dumpling in Chinese Dim Sun. Using mayo probably help to keep prawn tender and juicy. The touch of yuzu made this a Modernist’s invention. The hint of little paprika provided a little kick in the taste bud. Later in the evening, I found out this product was in Chef’s experiment and creativity pipeline.

3).Champignon de Paris. Mushroom and minced ginger were wrapped in puff pastry and baked. Although “Paris” was part of the name of this course, the type of mushroom used was Chinese wood ear mushroom. Wood ear mushroom is a very healthy produce to eat, it cleans out the toxic element in your body. 

4).Roasted artichoke served on artichoke purée with coconut and maple syrup foam. Roasted artichoke was a good bond with the slightly sweet syrup foam.

 In the bread basket, there were sourdough, multi-grain and feuilletine (look like brioche). I decided feuilletine would be the only type of bread that I had for the evening, served with unsalted butter and seaweed butter. It was made from light spelt flour and coated with brittle, crispy flakes with caramelized and praline flavor. It was light, buttery and delicious, usually seen only in professional pastry kitchens. I had to restrain myself from eating more. This was my 2nd favorite.

1^st Course – Dorset Crab, Mint/Cauliflower/Granny Smith Apple/Apple

This was one of chef’s signature dishes, it was served as per my special request. Dorset crab came in fleshy bites in lump. It was moisture and packed with plenty of flavor just the crab itself. In addition, this course came with multiple layers, cauliflower mouse, mint jelly, apple foam, diced granny smith apple and mild curry dressing. The spicing was subtle, mint flavor was not overwhelming, the acidity from the apple was a counterbalance to the crab. None of the ingredients had strong taste, but, each complimented the other with an overall ultra-sophisticated and smooth taste. This course was my favorite of the Greenhouse.

2^nd Course - Sea Bream – Courgette/Avocado/Black Sesame

Marinated diced sea bream was served with slightly poached julienned zucchini along with zucchini sauce. Roasted sesame paste (on the upper left corner of the photo) really incorporated a hint of Oriental flavor and provide a very pleasant taste.

3^rd Course – Girolle, Cobnut/Amontillado/Spinach

Chef used many seasonal produces as the ingredients. Cobnut is a cultivated variety of hazelnut, when young they are sweet and coconutty. But, they are equally delicious when older. Cobnut are seasonal and are sold fresh, traditionally grown in Kent, England. They can usually only be bought from mid-August to October. Sautéed spinach served with girolle mushroom and cobnut with almond sauce was a decent vegetable dish.

4^th Course – Black Tiger Prawn, Basmati Rice/Seaweed/Lemon Balm

Black Tiger Prawn, lobster roe (in orange color), topped with seaweed were served in shell fish juice. While lobster roe and seaweed enhanced the seafood taste, lemon balm gave the counter-balance and fresh acidity taste. Basmati rice at the bottom helped to captivate the delicious shell fish juice.

5^th Course – Venison, Pear/Girolle/Rosemary

Autumn is the season for game. Pinky venison was served with roasted pear, girolle mushroom and rosemary purée. Rosemary was usually used for lamb. It was also a perfect accompany for venison. Venison was served with sauce made from red wine and meat juice.

6^th Course – Pre-dessert, Rocket, Mint

 

This was a course for palette cleanser. Mint ice cream was served on an ice block (rock). Mint had a mild flavor and refreshing.

7^th Course – Equatorial Chocolate, Tarragon/Lime

Chocolate creameux cake, with chocolate cream layer and vanilla parfait layer, was sumptuous. Tarragon and lime flavored ice cream was delicately flavored to counter-balance chocolate’s sweetness.

Petit Fours – 3 Plates of Petit Fours

1).Green apple pate de fruit, and mint marshmellow.

2).Liquid Financier (lemon yuzu and creameux in center) sitting on top of crispy rice.

3).3 house-made chocolate with 3 flavor – peanut butter and puffed rice, coconut passion and yuzu coffee

The main course of dessert was excellent. I probably was spoiled by the dessert galore at Sketch, still felt like to have a bit more. 

The Ledbury, London

The Ledbury, London, 9/9/2017 (8-Course, £145 incl. VAT & Gratuity), French, Michelin 2-Star

The Ledbury is located in the trendy Notting Hill section of London. Its chef Brett Graham has been one of London’s most celebrated chefs. Its cuisine is considered vibrant, inspirational and seasonal.

I chose the 8-Course Tasting menu and started with Amuse Bouche.

Amuse Bouche

a). Mussel Mousse with Seaweed Cracker

At the bottom, there were some Kumbu dry seaweed for display only because they were not cooked yet. On top of it, there was a piece of fried seaweed cracker made of meshed rice and seaweed. On top of cracker, some mussel mousse with many tiny transparent balls. These were made by melting agar (unflavored gelatin) in hot apple juice and then drop it into cold olive oil. It was an alternative to dipping sodium alginate into calcium lactate. To boost the seafood flavor, some seaweed sprinkles were speckled on the mussel mousse. It was a light and flavorful appetizer.

Sourdough bread was served with cultured butter made by separating butter milk and fact during the whipping process and then adding ½ of butter milk back to the fat part. Butter made this way would be more flavorful and soft. What Ledbury practiced in making butter resembles what MAAEMO does.

b). Parmigiano Puff with Fowl Mousse

At the bottom, a biscuit made of puffed Parmigiano, not in pâte à choux style, which was topped by fowl mousse and fermented honey jell, an imported cooking method from Nordic. Parmigiano was medium flavored to make an overall balanced taste.

c). Muntjac Dumpling with Fruit Jelly

My server informed me there are 8 different types of deer in UK. This dish used Muntjac deer’s meat which is available all year around. Muntjac deer can be trained to be excellent pets, love affection and may become attached to the owner. Its meat is not too gamy, tasted almost like beef. Kind of feeling bad to eat them. Fig, apple and mustard were served on top of the dumpling to add depth and sharpness to the dish.

1^st Course -  Chantilly of Oyster, Tartare of Sea Bream and Frozen English Wasabi

Oyster Chantilly was in cream sauce, with tartare of sea bream underneath. On the side, there were diced celery and caviar and freshly grated wasabi roots. Fresh wasabi gave a real punch to this course, bringing out the full taste of oyster, sea bream and caviar.

2^nd Course -  Fresh Hazelnuts, Green Beans, Peach and Grated Foie Gras

At the bottom, there were sautéed baby string beans covered by shaved frozen foie gras and julienned peach slices. Foie gras was topped by sliced fresh almond, fresh hazelnut and roasted hazelnut. Peach added freshness and acidity to the mild-taste shaved foie gras.

3^rd Course - Warm Bantam’s Egg, Celeriac, Arbois, Dried Ham and Truffle

Bantam (one type of chicken) chicken egg offered rich egg yolk. Poached egg yolk, in soft condition, was covered by celeriac, toasted bread, button mushroom, toasted crispy Serrano ham and Australian truffles. The type of Australian truffles used in this dish was different from what I had in Sketch, the day before, in appearance as well as in taste. The type that I had in Sketch was darker and with milder taste, and the one that I had in the Ledbury looked more like the French/Italian type with more mature taste. This dish, a perfectly balanced dish with the right amount of richness and acidity, was certainly my favorite course for the evening at the Ledbury.

4^th Course -  Roast Scallop, Fennel and Elderflower Wine

Fresh and creamy Scottish scallop, with a licorice root kebab, was roasted to perfection. It was served along with diced fennel, raw sliced fennel, fennel purée, elder flower wine sauce and cep mushroom for the season. A little dill leave was adorned on the top. Licorice root gave depth and sweetness to the dish.

5^th Course -  Hen of the Woods, Potato Emulsion and Rosemary

This was a vegetarian dish. A good size of Hen of the Woods mushroom (had a firmer texture) was soaked and cooked in Kumbu (the same type of seaweed served in the Amuse Bouche for display only) soy sauce and barbecue sauce. It was served on top of potato purée with rosemary emulsion and porcini powder sprinkled on top. This was my 2^nd favorite dish for the evening.

6^th Course - Sika Deer, Smoked Bone Marrow, Prune Juice and Roscoff Onion

The Sika deer also known as the spotted deer or Japanese deer, is a species of deer native to much of the East Asia and introduced to other parts of the world. Sika deer can either be small or medium, depending the area it happens to live. Autumn is the season for hunting Sika deer. It feeds on many different plants, grasses, herbs and fruits. The importance of good tasting deer meat lies more with the meat preparation. Venison is the meat of any species of deer. Sika meat, lean, has a slighter darker color resembling elk meat, but is less gamy than elk.

In this dish, Sika was roasted to rare-medium, served with Roscoff onion, date stuffed with truffled potato, truffled potato, venison sausage, smoked bone marrow and venison stew under the onion. Smoky flavor was subtle and delightful. Sauce was made of prune and meat juice.

7^th Course -  Meadowsweet Cream, Plum and Timur Pepper

This was a pre-dessert. Meadowsweet herb cream was served with plum juice Granité and meringue with Timur pepper sprinkled on top. Plum juice Granité was very refreshing. There was also a small bite-size donut with plum powder. This was the palette cleanser before the major dessert.

8^th Course -  Chocolate, Dark Chocolate Chantilly and Mint

It was comprised of mild-flavored mint ice cream, chocolate Chantilly, warm chocolate cake, vanilla Chantilly and frozen chocolate crumb. Mint provided the balance to the sweetness of chocolate.

Petit Fours

1).Juniper Berry – Caramel Stick

This is another import from the Nordic region. Although they look like berries, they are a type of conifer cone. Because of the presence of pinene, juniper berries have a mild pine-like scent and flavor with a light note of citrus. The berries are green when young, and mature to a purple-black color (look almost like blue berry) over about 18 months in most species. They are used both fresh and dried, but their flavor and odor are at their strongest immediately after harvest and decline during drying and storage. Native Americans as well as Europeans have used it not just as a seasoning but also as a nutrient. It tastes green-fresh, sweet, with citrus notes and resinous.  

2).Dark Chocolate Ball

A dark chocolate mousse ball coated with cocoa powder.

The night before my appointment at the Ledbury, I had a gorgeous dinner at Sketch. My experience at Sketch was so overwhelming in many aspects, it was my 2^nd fine dining experience in Chef Pierre Gagnaire’s restaurant group. Without of doubt, quality, taste, flavor, creativity and presentation of food at the Ledbury were all up to Michelin 2-Star standard. However, quality of services at Sketch was absolutely impeccable, at least a notch better than what the Ledbury delivered.

At Sketch and Pierre Gagnaire (in Paris), whenever a guest (especially a female guest) showed movement of getting up from the chair, staff would fly to him/her to facilitate the process. When the guest was returning, staff would fly to move the chair to facilitate the guest get seated. I used the word “fly” because the staff were so swift in movement. However, at the Ledbury, staff would just stay aside and watch you when you were on your way back to your seat. They would not even attempt to move your chair.

The Tasting menu was well constructed at the Ledbury, its choices between light and more sumptuous dishes were well considered to provide different levels of taste and horizon. However, the dessert perhaps could provide a bit more complexity and attention, especially when my memory of Sketch was still fresh.