Restaurant Patrick Guibaud, Dublin, 12/12/2024 (2-Course, 155€ excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Restaurant Patrick Guibaud, Dublin, 12/12/2024 (2-Course, 155€ excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Restaurant Patrick Guibaud first opened its door in 1981 and was awarded for the 1^st star in 1988. It was awarded the 2^nd star in 1996, which it has retained ever since. Currently, it is located in the center of Dublin inside the 5-star Merrion Hotel, a block away from Oscar Wilde Park. It is Ireland’s only 2-star restaurant.

The atmosphere receives its accolades for its brilliance, especially the dining room with its lofty ceilings and quite a few pieces of paintings and tapestries. One of the tapestries, resembling Picasso style art works, was done by an Irish artist Louis le Brocquy. It was contributed by Merrion Hotel’s owner. A copy #9 of the same tapestry titled “Allegory Ta” was identified and sold at the latest auction at Christie. It is a blessing that PG is located inside the Merrion Hotel where security system is on around the clock to safeguard the high valued art objects.

Co-owner Patrick Guibaud, semi-retired, visited the restaurant while we were dining there. Mr. Guibaud is a very talented, astute entrepreneur and restaurateur. He was not only the chef created most of the signature dishes in the past 40 years, but also participated in the design and construction of the restaurant throughout his career. He decorated the dining room with its lofty ceilings, modern paintings and placed a small distinctive showcase stature on each table. Being located inside the swanky Merrion Hotel also helps with safeguarding the expensive art works from theft.

There was a wide range of menus. Our server recommended a la carte two courses at 155€ to be the ideal choice. For the evening, restaurant has offered Lobster Ravioli as a special due to guest’s overwhelming requests for reinstating Lobster Ravioli to the menu. Lobster Ravioli has not been on the menu for a while. We were auspicious to hit the jackpot.

CANAPÉS

Parmesan Gougère

Gougère is French cheese puff pastry, a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough mixed with grated cheese (Gruyère, Comté, Emmentaler, cheddar, or other semi-firm cheeses). They were tasty, fluffy, light and delightful, perfect for pre-dinner munching. (19/20)

Salmon Rillette Tart

Mini-tart filled with salmon preserved in butter for 4-10 hours, then slow cooked with spices in oven. It was tender and fresh. Salmon filling was topped with toasted nori and salmon caviar. It was refreshing. (19/20)

AMUSE BOUCHE

Foie Gras Parfait, Peach Espuma, Dried Strawberries 

It was Foie Gras mousse topped with whipped peach juice served in foam, in a petit gold-plated spoon. Dried strawberries helped to balance the overall taste. It had the perfect texture and flavoring. I wished the portion had been more generous. (20/20)

Ravioli of Blue Lobster

This lobster is not ordinary lobster, it was the famous Blue Lobster from Annagasson, County Louth, Ireland. Louth is nicknamed “the Wee County” because it is the smallest county in Ireland. The blue coloration in lobsters is the result of a genetic anomaly.  Bright blue lobsters are very rare, occurring 1 in every 2 million. The Blue Lobsters have to strive in the icy cold English Channel water or North Atlantic coast, and grow at slower pace and smaller size with tender and flavorful flesh in slight blue tint. In order to keep all these good characters, the processing procedures had to be strict with high standard. During the shipping, it may require dry ice to maintain certain temperature and the blue tint. Shelling needs to be done in ice in order to keep lobster meat blue. The whole community also has been principled to keep the tradition alive.

The Blue Lobster meat was wrapped in home-made pasta, topped by a crispy coronet and a twig of parsley. It looked like a bee hive with many compartments filled with chunks of lobster when cut open. These chunks of lobster were cooked to perfection, tender but not tough with adequately spiced ingredients. Lobster was first poached in coconut juice/cream. Then, lobster, along with some juice/bisque, was wrapped in the pasta.  Timing was important, otherwise pasta would turn into a soggy ravioli. Sauce was prepared including some Indian spices, cooked lobster broth and other seafood condiments. The quality, coloring and texture of the pasta was so smooth, it probably was ½ of the thickness of the ordinary pasta, however, the diner still can feel the physique of the home-made pasta. Since there were layers inside the ravioli, there were generous portion of lobster meats served in the plate. I appreciated the perfection of this dish so much that I requested for an extra order. Unfortunately, their kitchen did not allow a 2^nd order of Blue Lobster ravioli. I noticed the sauce with obvious and beautiful orange tint. It was done by poaching lobster in coconut juice/cream. Orange color/accent can be extracted out by this simple step. Blue Lobsters are precious because of their flavors, texture and scarcity. Once it is cooked, its shell looks like the shell of an ordinary lobster.

The signature Blue Lobster was pasta perfect, fresh and moist, as a tradition paired with local produce and flavor, prepared by culinary artists (cooking as an art not just science). (20/20)

BREAD

Varieties of bread – seaweed, rolls of onion and bacon, rolls of walnut and cranberry and sour dough baguette. Butter had the unusual yellowish luster like Froment du Léon. Quality of bread was superb; they were extra crunchy. Our server informed me the extra crunchiness was accomplished by cold salted water or by placing a pan of water for the 1^st 15 minutes of baking. (19/20)

MAINS

Mellow Spiced Castle Dermot Lamb, Potato Croissant, Jalapeno, Avocado and Kohlrabi

It was beautifully presented including a few detailed prepared vegetables in addition to the center piece lamb.

Croissant of nori and potatoes slices was crested on top. Layers of treated raw potatoes was used alternately with nori and rolled into croissant shape. It was the smallest croissant that I have ever seen. It requires a tweezer and patience to assemble. Potatoes slices also need to be baked in the oven after being treated and assembled.

On the side, there is a small avocado dumpling made of Kohlrabi slice and avocado, mashed avocado in inner part wrapped by treated Kohlrabi slice in the outer part. The treatment of Kohlrabi requires dipping with dry ice then patting dry before baking. Green sauce was made from scallion, jalapeno sauce.

Quality of the lamb was fine, tender and cooked to the medium. It has been my personal preference to have a bit of stronger flavoring with lamb. (18/20)

Fillet of Irish Beef and Roast Foie Gras, Madeira and Truffle Jus

A fillet of beef was at the very bottom of the plate, topped by mushroom from Portugal, with Madeira sauce. Mushroom and beef juice gave the sauce a bit of earthy flavor.

Beef, melt in your mouth, from Shanahans, is farmed the same way as Aberdeen Angus, was handsomely cooked, lusciously rare with a charred crust on the outside, can be aged a bit more.

The sauces, both so different, both so incredibly scrumptious. Our plates were so clean.

Mashed potatoes were so smooth and tasty, reminded our previous beloved “Bouley” in NYC which offered the similar style of mashed potatoes. In addition to the yummy mashed potatoes, Potatoes Maxine was in the plate. It looked like an apple tart, these like a roulette. I am not a potato fan; however, I enjoyed this. It was tasty with slight crunchiness and good flavor.

I have noticed that every MAINS was covered with a silver plate when bringing the MAINS to each table. I could recall that the last time I saw it was at the Chapeau Rouge Restaurant in Dijon, another Michelin 2-star restaurant. I certainly enjoyed the aroma from the beautifully cooked food the moment when the cover was lifted. (18/20)

PALETTE CLEANER

Tropical Fruit Espuma, Coconut Tapioca

Coconut Tapioca shaped like an egg yolk covered by tropical fruits (coconut, mango, lemon, lime, passion fruit, pineapple) jelly sitting in coconut juice. It was refreshing and tasty. My palette was ready for the transition from savory to the sweet. However, my taste bud was not quite happy yet! (19/20)

DESERTS

Baba Rhum Flambé

Cake was soft and fresh, served with vanilla ice cream and Tonka Beans. Baba au Rhum flambé prepared at the table was primo. Customer was offered 3 different types of Rum – strong, medium and light. I choose the combination of strong 8-year aged Bacardi and medium 7-year aged Havana Club so that I can walk back to the hotel after dinner. It was delicious and my big sweet teeth were still wagging. (20/20)

COEUR DE GUANAJA CHOCOLATE TART, BOURBON VANILLA ICE CREAM

A thin, crisp part of chocolate topped a layer of chocolate ganache which then topped a chocolate cookie. All these were topped again by Bourbon vanilla ice cream with four corners adorned by gold leaves. It was delicious and flavorful although not as gratifying as Baba. (19/20)

PETIE FOURS

Brioche Buns – with Kirsh, vanilla cream and Tonka Beans

Mince Pie Macaron

Lemon and Pineapple Financier

Tart of Hazelnut Praline with Milk Chocolate Mousse

In addition, at the very end inhouse-made chocolate truffles were offered. When the server opened the box of truffles, you are hit with the incredible scent of high-quality chocolate. Two expertly made truffles was chosen for each guest. They were sensational! (20/20)

I have read some reviews on Restaurant Patrick Guibard on the subject of being “pricy” comparing with what in London. PG is the only Michelin 2-star in Ireland, it is in a monopolistic position on “how much to charge” just like what Ristorante Quardri does in Venice. However, PG does provide customers with excellent signature dishes in addition to the gorgeous dining room and impeccable services. Dining at PG is a formal and total experience, it is best kept beyond monetary valuation alone. I was so impressed with the Blue Lobster Ravioli; I personally considered it was delivered better and with higher standard than what I had in a Michelin 3-star restaurant in London. 

 

Le Pavillon, NYC, 6-15-2024 (4-course, $95 excl. Taxes and Gratuity, French, Michelin 1 Star)

 Le Pavillon, NYC, 6/15/2024 (4-Course, Summer Menu $95 excl. Taxes and Gratuity)

Le Pavillon is located in the center of NYC midtown, 1 Vanderbilt Ave., in one of the newest skyscrapers where you can observe some stunning views of other skyscrapers. The entrance to Le Pavillon faces 42^nd St., the lower part of the building is surrounded by 6-floor height plate glass with a warm palette and friendly ambiance.

I have recently discovered that Le Pavillon has a Summer Menu thru 8/31/24, and seating time of 5-6pm vs its ordinary Dinner Menu of 3-Course $145. I was late on the appointment and was informed that Summer Menu was no longer served at the regular dining room table after 6pm. However, still available at the bar. We decided to take the bar seats as I noticed there were 2 corner seats around the bar counter, one of them has the perfect view of southern exposure facing the architecturally spectacular Chrysler building. 

 

Summer Menu offers 2 Canapés, 1 Amuse Bouche (chose 1 of 2), 1 Main Course (chose 1 out of 3) and 1 Desert (chose 1 of 2). Chef Daniel Boulud and his talented team of chefs Michael Balboni and Will Nacev prepare a contemporary French cuisine dominated by seafood and vegetable-focused items.

I.CHEF’S SELECTION OF CANAPÉS

Grilled Avocados

Just ripe avocados were grilled and served with harissa (red) and fried kales leave from Castor Belly Farm. In addition, nicely flavored Eikenberry was partially hidden in the plate. Eikenberry has been around in Turkey for a long while, from 12,000 years ago, in Gobekli Tepe civilization, Turkey. I verified with one of the servers, Eikenberry is similar to barley which is a very healthy food and can clean out your metabolism system as well as help with losing weight. Green Goddess sauce in pale green color, made of mayonnaise, sour cream, chervil, chives, anchovy, tarragon, lemon juice, and pepper, was served on the side. Eikenberry prepared in this plate is a ½ size grain of what I use and flavored with mid-Eastern flavored spices, it requires 2 hours of low heat cooking. Although I am not a fan of mid-Eastern food, but the flavor and taste of this course is very pleasant. (18/20)

Oyster Vanderbilt with White Wine

Oysters from John River Oyster in Main was prepared with white wine in grill. It has got multiple layers of herbs and ingredients. At the very bottom, sea salt was just for presentation. So did the seaweeds, I tried to taste the seaweeds and they were not even chewable. But anything else above seaweeds were edible and delicious.

At the very top was the crunchy crust powder of parsley, plankton, hazelnut, almond. It was refreshing and with sophisticated taste. Underneath this top layer was with whole piece of oyster in white wine sauce and potato chowder sauce. It was my favorite plate out of this dinner (20/20).

2ND COURSE-WILD MUSHROOM GIRELLA PASTA, broccoli rabe, Comté emulsion

Chef used duxelles mushroom in making the mushroom lasagna with house lasagna pasta sheet. It was medium al dente, the right firmness stuffed with mushroom purée. Sautées brocoli, Comté cheese emulsion and Comté cheese tuille, sautéed spinach, endive frisée were served on the side to produce a balance on taste. The top edges of the lasagna were a bit charred to be in company with the crunchiness of the cheese tuille. (18/20)

 2ND COURSE-DUO OF RED & WHITE GAZPACHOS, California strawberries, cucumber, dill, goat cheese

There were 2 types of gazpachos served in the same plate, one in white color, one in red color.

White color- was comprised of cucumber, yellow tomatoes, oca radishes, goat cheese, white grape, grape cucumber, sherry vinegar and spicey Mondego’s oil and olive oil from Portugal. The white gazpacho was absolutely refreshing, with a long and not too strong pleasant flavor on the palette. At the very bottom of the plate was mild flavored goat cheese, it was very delightful to scoop a bite of goat cheese in the chilled gazpacho into your taste bud. The yellow baby heirloom tomatoes were so delicately flavored, melt in your mouth with a lingering perfect taste. 

Red color- was mainly comprised of Harrys berry strawberry. They are wild baby strawberry from California. Harrys berry has its distinctive taste when mixed with other berries and olive oil in this plate, it has a different taste from the white gazpachos, and it was another perfect taste.

Varieties of heirloom vegetable were displayed in the plate. They were not just for decoration only. Each of the heirloom veg was prepared and flavored to yield a well- balanced flavor and artistic presentation. (20/20)

3RD COURSE-GRILLED ATLANTIC BASS, kaffir lime, celtuce, crushed potatoes, pinenut gremolata

I and my companion both ordered the Atlantic bass, I ordered my fish to be rare-medium, and it was prepared as medium-medium. But the flavor was still enjoyable.

Although I have had celtuce (Chinese lettuce) many times, it was the 1^st time that I ate celtuce as so delicate and precise. Celtuce was prepared for 2 forms, one is the stock itself and the other was the purée. It had a milder taste in between asparagus and kohlrabi. The stock itself was cooked and charred (with the mark of grilled). In the middle of the purée there was a white color puddle which is the white pine nut oil. In addition, there were sprinkles of Earl Grey powder (in black). Both versions were prepared to the perfection on texture and flavor.

Fish was seared with olive oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat with skin side down to yield the crispy skin. It most likely had melted butter basing to make tender and flaky flesh inside. On top of fish were roasted pine nuts seasoned with Italian style Gremolata sauce made of parley, fresh garlic and lemon zest.   

There was another veg on the side, varieties of potatoes in different color, in different size and different texture.  There were Peruvian potatoes (in purple) and salt baked Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukon Gold is a hybrid made with Yellow potatoes and White potatoes, are more moist than starchy potatoes, they are semi-starchy and semi-waxy. These crushed potatoes were adorned with Japanese mushroom and green garnishes, nasturtium. I am not a potato fan. But I enjoyed this potato galore. (19/20)

4^TH COURSE-TROPICAL FRUIT VACHERIN, pineapple-guava sorbet, spiced meringue, exotic fruit compote

Vacherin is a meringue-based desert, needs a lot of egg white. It was invented by a French pastry chef in the 18^th century. Calorie wise probably is suitable for Summer Menu.

Meringue was baked into pocket shape and pineapple-guava concentrate were made into sorbet before fitting into the meringue pocket. The flavor of the sorbet was strong but not overwhelming, complementary with the exotic fruit compote of mango, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple, yellow kiwi and kumquat. It was a perfect desert for a summer night. (19/20)

4^TH COURSE-NOISETTE, milk chocolate crémeux, praline croustillant, hazelnut nougatine

Noisette means hazelnut in French. This course is a chocolate made with hazelnuts and creméux, adorned with gold leaves and artistically decorated chocolate trimming sitting on a bed of praline croustillant and hazelnut nougatine. Creméux is a fancy way for pastry chefs to describe any dessert that falls between mousse and pudding in terms of lightness, needs a lot of egg yolks. In other words, it is crème anglaise emulsified with chocolate and crunchy nougatine. It is good for chocolate lovers. (19/20)

PETIT FOUR

Pistachio – choux pastry dough filled with pistachio cream

Caramel – choux pastry dough filled with caramel cream

They were both pleasant. The whole Summer Menu was delicate, delightfully tasty and light. I must say my favorite spot was at the bar where a guest can see the beautiful and stunning view of Crysler building. However, on the other end (N side) of the dining room, there are so many greeneries around make it feel like you are eating in a striking verdant garden rather than a skyscraper. 

Maaemo (4800 NOK, 1/10/2024, 16-Course incl VAT)

MAAEMO, Oslo, 1/10/2024 (16 – Course, 4800 NOK incl. VAT), Nordic, Michelin 3-Star)

MAA (earth), EMO (mother) are old Finn language words, meaning “Mother Earth”. The correct pronunciation requires two syllables. It is the most northerly restaurant with Michelin 3-Star in the world. Its head chef Esben Holmboe Bang is a Danish chef, restaurateur and co-owner, has opened the restaurant since December 2010 with a journey thru the Norwegian landscape (sea and land) featuring ingredients from the pristine and icy waters on the north to the grown and foraged land surrounding Oslo to reflect changing seasons and the raw nature of Norway. It focuses on local food and only uses organic, biodynamic and wild produce.

Maaemo was the first restaurant to be awarded 3-star in the Nordic. It moved into a larger current location in the trendy neighborhood of Oslobukta (nearby the Opera House and Edvard Munch Museum) in March 2020. This resulted in the loss of all its 3 stars in Feb. 2020. In Sept. 2021 it won back all its 3 Michelin stars. On the front door at its current location, it has got a barely noticeable sign of Maaemo ***. In the dark we missed it when we passed by it first time.

I have visited Maaemo in Sept. 2017. Its current decoration is very Nordic style, mainly black, white, beige and grey colors of furnishings. We were greeted by the maître d’ and seated near by the lounge downstairs, there were about 30+ guests around. We were informed of the 16-Course Tasting Menu without Amuse Bouche and optional wine pairing. Food was served shortly.

I .LOMPE – Cold Water Shrimp, Horseradish and Summer Preserves

It was a bite size pancake, at the very bottom there was a piece of Norwegian potato flatbread made of flour and potato, topped with multi-layered seafood and herbs. One of the major ingredients was Arctic shrimp salad which was made of Arctic cold water shrimp fusion with lemon juice and herbs. In addition to the Arctic shrimp salad, there was a layer of umami and tasteful caramelized langoustine purée, a layer of cumelon (baby cucumber), a layer of horseradish, a layer of elder flower a and a layer of grated cured egg yolk. At the very top, it was adorned with fresh chives. Arctic shrimp is small in size, but soft and tender and tasty. Caramelized langoustine purée was umami. With the touch of lemon juice and horseradish, it was well-balanced to perfection. Its sheer small size camouflaged the daunting amount of work required. (20/20)

II. Duck Liver, Warm Brioche, Chestnuts and Toasted Yeast

It was a light brioche filled with smooth tasteful chestnut purée and toasted yeast. Cold water shrimps were wrapped inside of the green nasturtium, adorned with shredded frozen duck liver (foie gras). Shredded duck liver can only be done at -20 degree, not an easy task to shred a piece of duck liver. The shredded fine foie gras provided a delicate taste and flavor, well balanced with toasting flavor and mild sweetness of chestnut purée. (20/20)

III. Pinnekjøtt, birch and Preserved Rose

It was presented as a floral tartlet made with sliced Swedish rutabaga (turnip) and sliced beetroot. Part of the sliced rutabaga was dyed with beetroot juice to create different shades of crimson color. It not only looked pretty, it also tasted pleasant like a crunchy pie crust, rendered by a refined low temperature baking process. The final surprise was at the bottom filled with tender and juicy lamb tartare. The whole tartlet gave you a dilemma of hesitation between the palatial enjoyment of appreciation of the taste and flavor vs. the esthetic appearance. It was so delicious and pretty. Should you enjoy it gastronomically at present or have more visual appreciation? This is my favorite course among the whole dinner. (20/20)

As soon as we completed the 3^rd course, we were invited to go upstairs (ground floor) where the formal dining room and private dining space are located. Open kitchen was large and artistically contemporary looking with black color theme. Open kitchen was connected to the main kitchen downstairs where major preparation and serious cooking/baking were performed. Chef used the open kitchen mainly for the last touch up.

IV. Dry Aged Beef, Meadowsweet and Pine Cone Vinegar

35-day dry aged beef from Telemark in the southeastern region of Norway was used because of its pasture. Beef tartare sat on top of cep mushroom tartlet. Cep mushroom is larger and has a more yellowish color than the straw mushroom. On top of the tartlet, there was jelly made of meadowsweet and pine cone vinegar. The inclusion of jelly provided a well-balanced taste and flavor. (20/20)

V. Marinated Trout Roe, Apple and Smoked Reindeer Heart

Trout roe derived from ocean trout from Denmark. Trout marinated by Aquavit before being used in the plate. Aquavit is a distilled spirit mainly produced in Scandinavia. Aquavit is distilled from grain or potatoes and flavored by herbs. To be classified as an aquavit, the dominant flavor must come from a distillate caraway or dill seed. The word “aquavit” derives from the Latin words aqua (water) and vit (life), meaning “the water of life”. Use of aquavit produced a strong and spicy flavor, chef used another strong and spicy ingredient, chopped smoked reindeer heart, at the bottom of the plate to balance the overall palatial effect. Chef also used granny smith apple slices to refresh the taste of fresh trout roe. It was a creative product to perfection. (20/20)          

VI. Oyster “Tradition 2010”

It has been one of the signature dishes since 2010. Flat oysters are available from Bømlo, Norway in all seasons. Oyster and mussels were made into a layer of jell (in transparent color) sitting on top of mussel broth. In addition, cream sauce and dill oil were floating on the top. No solid piece of oyster or mussel was present in the dish. It was the flavor through different way of preparation that made the taste stand out. When I dined at Maaemo in 2017, it was served with a more dill-accented sauce. (19/20)

VII. Gently Cooked King Crab, White Asparagus and Hazelnut Milk

King crab is expensive and is the best crab from the Arctic Circle. We figured that an average weight of 3 ½ Kilogram per crab would cost $300 each in the tank. Since crab meat doesn’t have much fat content, to preserve its tenderness during the cooking process requires some clever methods. First, poached the crab in hazelnut milk and hazelnut cream. Then, prepare Chawanmushi sauce – a stock of egg, aged cheese, dashi, soy sauce, mirin, sake, miso of sun flower and burnt onion. It was an authentic fusion sauce, a very sophisticated umami taste while still keeping the tenderness and freshness of the King Crab. Then, foam mussel stock at the very top was infused with bacon. It was a masterpiece of perfection. The tender, juicy umami taste of a king crab was sublime, the subtle acidity from the fermented asparagus was the appropriate balancing agent. It was another perfection. (20/20)

VIII. Skrei Brushed with Juniper Butter Horseradish, Lemon Verbena and Celeriac

Skrei is another name for Cod and Norway has an abundance of supply. Cod was steamed for 2 minutes, then, brushed with juniper butter and elder flower. Sauce was made of chicken stock, mussels, celeriac, nasturtium, horseradish and lemon verbena. In addition, on top of the layer of leek purée sitting on top of tender fish, there were artichoke, horseradish and jam of onion. Overall, the varieties of herbs, not overwhelming, in the recipe made its well-balanced taste and flavor. (19/20)

IX. Scallop Roasted in Honey, Sauce of Pumpkin and Burnt Onion

Scallop was from the Arctic Circle, caught by the best fisherman. To be specific, it was from the western part of Norway around Hegeland. Helgeland is derived from the old Norse Helgaland meaning ‘holy’ ‘sacred’ + land. Arctic scallops are quite a size, the largest that I have ever seen. It grew slowly because of the extreme cold water in the Arctic, it was also more elastic and flavorful but neither tough nor chewy.

It was seared in honey butter to get the well-roasted appearance. Sauce was a complicated process. It required sabayon (egg yolk only), burnt onion oil, elder flower vinegar, salt, pepper, pumpkin purée, black trumpet mushroom and dry yeast.

The Arctic scallops differ from the ordinary scallops not only in size. Their texture and flavor being more superior. If anyone ever had the Australian lobster, the Aussie lobster has the same analogy to the ordinary lobster. In this course, every ingredient was well thought and well prepared to make another mouth-watering signature dish. (20/20)

X. Scallop Roasted in Honey, Sauce of Pumpkin and Burnt Onion

We loved the Arctic scallop so much that we made a special request for scallop in a more rare-medium mode. It was another delightful treat.

XI. Reindeer Cooked Slowly over Embers, Forest Berries and Rømmergrøt

Reindeer was prepared with dual cooking processes. Chef initially cooked reindeer meat for 20 minutes then let meat rest in the pot for ½ hour. Repeat the process 3 times. Reindeer meat was more tender than usual because it was simmered by the residual heat during each of the ½ hour slow-cooking.  Sauce was made of reindeer intestine stock, juniper berries, blue berries and other berries. It also required Norweigian Rømmergrøt in the sauce. Rømmergrøt is Norwegian sour cream porridge made of sour cream/heavy cream, whole milk, butter and flour. Reindeer meat always paired well with juniper berries and using intestines stock provided a more sophisticated taste and flavor. (19/20)

We were invited to relax in the lounge downstairs where we initially started the dinner so every guest could have as many drinks and deserts as he/she liked.

XII. Warm Milk Bread Glazed with Reindeer Fat and Sour Honey winter Truffle Butter

The glazing radiated from the reindeer fat and sour honey had a special gloss on it, it did not look like ordinary butter glazing. Warm bread served with the sweet reindeer fat and yummy winter truffle butter is always welcome on a cold winter night. It also served as a palate cleanser. (18/20)

XIII. Frozen Goat’s Cream, Smoked Cherry and Plum Kernel

Goat’s cream was delicate and tasty, when served with smoked cherry and plum kernel the combined they were well suited. It was more delicate and sophisticated than an ordinary cheese course. (19/20)

XIV. Brown Butter Ice Cream Cornet Hazelnuts and Molasses

It may sound odd to enjoy ice cream on a freezing cold winter night. But we did enjoy it very much for its taste, flavor and texture. (19/20)

XV. Freshly Baked Cinnamon Buns

They radiated a sweet aroma and looked like flakier than the warm milk bread. I can see from the top crust; it also got some cinnamon sprinkles on top. (19/20)

XVI. Wild Chamomile and Pine Fudges

Candies to munch on the way home or snack. By this time, my stomach was happy and ran out of space. (19/20)