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. 

Oria Restaurant (120€, 5/26/2023, 10 – Course incl VAT)

 Oria Restaurant (120€, 5/26/2023, 10 – Course incl VAT)

Celebrity Chef Martin Berasategui’s Oria restaurant stands right next door to his Lasarte (Michelin 3-star restaurant) in the Monument Hotel, Barcelona. Oria restaurant is a modern and sophisticated space integrated into the lobby of the Hotel Monument by means of an inverted pyramid structure.

Around the world, chef Berasategui has got quite a few restaurants that boast Michelin stars, including Martin Berasategui (3-star), Lasarte and Oria (each 1-star). Oria is like the informal dining room to Lasarte’s more upscale ambiance. I visited Lasarte in 2018. Interior decoration in Lasarte was fabulous. The style and elements of core interior design in Oria is very similar to what was done in Lasarte, but in a delicate way, characterized by its high ceiling, a sky light that floods the space with natural light and lamp pool. In Oria as well as in Lasarte, the emphasis is on light and texture. The thin strings of lights poking through the ceiling were exquisite, elegant and classic. I thought the more moderate setting in Oria suits it well. To make a comparison - Lasarte has a more upscale atmosphere and to dine at Oria is a gastronomical way to taste the avant-garde cuisine by the local innovative chefs on the fusion of Mediterranean, Catalan and Basque cuisine.

There are two types of Tasting Menus. I chose the small Menu Tradition which contains 9 courses to give my stomach a little break. It started with Amuse Bouche.

I. Codfish Fitter with Chamomile Mayonnaise and Yuzu Gel

Local cod fish, made into fish ball, breaded and fried. Served with Chamomile Mayo and nice refreshing Yuzu gel (yellow gel), and adorned with shiso (purple). Yuzu flavor provided a kicker to start your palate, while the beautiful purple-blue shiso enhanced the visual side of stimulus. (18/20)

II. Crunchy Violet Potato and Red Shrimp with Salt

Local shrimp, served with house-made violet potato chips, hazelnut mayonnaise, anise flower (green), pink salt, and shrimp head juice. Chef at Oria was fully committed to bringing out shrimp’s full flavor not just the flesh/meat part of the flavor. It was very tasty and inspirational for an amuse bouche. (18/20)

III. Fake Tomato Macaron and Trout Tartar

It was fig macaron with smoked and marinated trout with KiIimanti (yellow) cream and plants. Kilimanti is the highest flowering plant, can reach almost 2-ft tall at 8000+ feet elevation on Mount Kilimanjaro. They are known as everlasting flowers because they can bloom year-round, grow in clumps with a yellowish-brown shade, with lemon-scented, pale white leaves and unusually shaped, delicate flowers. It was lemon-scented, but the source of this course certainly showed chef’s dedication and creativity. I had inquired with our server whether chef Berasategui’s signature dish of Smoked Eel is available at Oria, and was informed that it was not available. (18/20)

IV. Sandwich stuffed with Mushroom Duxelle with Ibrian Foil, Black Garlic and Truffle Mayonnaise

Sandwich was filled with local trumpet mushroom, with Iberia ham, baby parsley leaf, spring onion, bottled President cream, black garlic with truffle. It was a real gem with well-balanced flavor. I could feel that my previous evening’s sumptuous dinner at El Celler de Can Roca probably had enhanced my appetite and I was ready for the mains. (19/20)

Bread and Butter

Our server first brought over warm hand towels to clean our hands before bread and butter were served. There were traditional, whole wheat and whole grain with 3 different flavors of butter – salt, rosemary and olive. (17/20)

Mains

I. Cured Scallop with Sage Hollandaise, Noisette Butter Cream and Codium Seaweed Crisp

Sea scallop was from Spain’s main seafood supply region Galicia, scallop was marinated with sugar and salt for approximately 20 minutes. Hollandaise sauce was served with sage and spinach, caviar of trout and grapefruit jelly, codium seaweed (known as green sea finger or dead man’s fingers) and adorned with sage flower. Codium seaweed, after being thoroughly washed, is eaten raw, and the spicy-vanilla aroma made codium seaweed was a great companion to hard-drinks but also to fruits. It can be used to infuse spirits! (19/20)

II. Hake Kokotxas with Pilpil on Iberian Pork Stew and Baby Squid Tartare

Kokotxas is a traditional Basque fish stew. The dish is made from stewed fish neck/dewlap served with a sauce made from salt cod, white wine, garlic, olive oil and constant motion allows the olive oil and salt cod to emulsify into the fantastic pil-pil sauce. Kokotxas means chest in Catalan, is the equivalent of cheek on fish head.

Ragout of Iberian pork was in the base with tartare of roasted squid on top of ham and hake cheek at the very top, skirted by emulsion of chives (green) and the lovely bollga flower. Fish was extraordinarily tender and tasty, flavor was superb. Different parts of fish require different cooking time, chef has done a very prescient timing and quality commitment beyond what I expected from a Michelin 1-star restaurant. (20/20)

III. Hake Loin in Tempura, Iodized and Acidulated Cockles Sauce

Hake loin was fried in coated tempura, served with garlic mayonnaise, iodized sauce with cream of celeriac, cockles with crunchy quinoa, cream pea, codium seaweed, pea shoot, marinated cockles at the base along with celeriac family. The preparation for hake loin was completely different, it also required different timing and technique. I was surprised with the tenderness and freshness of the hake loin. It has got a fuller tenderness than the fish cheek. Both of them were superbly orchestrated. (19/20)                          

IV. Rack of Boneless Suckling Lamb with Cream of Salsify and Grilled Marrow Perigueux Sauce

Lamb was from Valladolid, a province of northwest Spain in the central part of the Autonomous community of Castile and León, served with Perigueux sauce. Meats in the region of Spain are famous for their unique flavor. Lamb was first seared over high heat then slow-cooked at medium-low temperature to create a more intense flavor due to the fat present in the cuts. The fat also helps to create tender meat. While Valladolid in Spain is famous for its meats and roasts, Valladolid of Mexico, located in the Yucatan state of Mexico, is recognized for its natural beauty, cenotes and the iconically renowned archeological site Chichen Itza. Perigueux sauce was amazingly complementary with the tender and succulent lamb. Since this was the last savory dish, chef offered a bit more variety – sweet potato and potato radish cream, baby carrot, chardonnay gel and chardonnay tempera, bone marrow and black mushroom (murgula or morels). They were all delicious and sumptuous. (20/20)

Palate Cleanser – Basil Water with Creamy Raw Almond and Lemon Peel Ice Cream

Green sauce at the base of the plate was made by basil water, green beans from Basque + lime + almond paste + skin of lemon + white chocolate. It was so refreshing. (20/20)

V. Creamy Juniper, White Chocolate and Citrus

By appearance, it was not that complicated. But by taste and flavor, it was superbly sophisticated. There was lemon foam, creamy white chocolate with juniper inside cream, popcorn lemon (pearl), meringue of grapefruit (ice cream), tangerine sorbet, tangerine jelly, bergamot (white, from Italy) and rice paper caramel. It was one of the most satisfying ends of the meal desserts that I have had. (20/20)

Petit Fours (18/20)

1). Tart Tatin

2). Pistachio and Caramelized Pistachio

3). Passion Fruits Macaron with White Chocolate

4). Raspberry Jelly

5). Cookie and Pedro Jimenez, Egg and Cream

They were all pleasant and appetizing and we were able to enjoy them with an almost full stomach. (18/20)

We had a very good experience at Oria and I was quite delighted with the Tasting Menu at Oria. It has delivered beyond what most of the Michelin 1-star restaurants have delivered in terms of taste, flavor, creativity, and technique.

Septime, Paris

Septime (95€, 2/13/2020, 7- Course incl. VAT)

Chef Bertrand Grébaut started his culinary career at the three-star L’Arpège and subsequently won his own Michelin star as the opening Chef at L’Agapé. Chef Grébaut has once said “I wanted to liberate good French food from expensive hotel dining rooms”. He had his theme on making creative, plant and vegetable-focused dishes that change every two weeks. Because it is a surprise tasting menu at dinner, it is important to specify any intolerances or food allergy. English menus were not available, descriptions in parenthesis are the Google translation.

Septime is located near the Bastille area. The restaurant was decorated in a relaxed and unpretentious way, no white tablecloth, wooden tables/wooden chairs and the spiral staircase, forcing the diners to direct serious attention to the plate. It offered a tasting menu of 7 courses. I requested for an additional course toward the end of the meal. Therefore, I had an 8-course meal with extra charges.

I.Amuse Bouche

1. Bouillon de Racines (Root Bouillon) – Soup made from root vegetables including celery, parsley, nasturtium, Jerusalem artichoke. It was well-seasoned and tasty.

2. Flat Bread au Blé Ancien, Comté et Truffe (Flat Bread with Old Wheat, Comté and Truffle) – Light and crusty flat bread covered with 18-month aged Comté cheese and topped with Périgord truffles. Cheese was siphoned with air and yielded with smoother texture. It was just delicious and I wished I could have more.

II. Bouillabaisse, Seiche d’Oléron et Noisette (Bouillabaisse, Cuttlefish from Oléron and Hazelnut)

Sliced raw cuttlefish, from the island of Oléron which is the largest island on the French Atlantic coast, and al dente confit potatoes were the main ingredients. Cuttlefish, cut into ½ inch slices, was fresh and succulent and potatoes was cut in #9 spaghetti size and poached in hot water for a few second. The texture of potatoes was amazing, while it still retained its crispiness, it did not have that raw potatoes taste. Soup base was made of bouillabaisse and saffron, it was thick enough to coat the spaghetti-like potatoes. Chef also complemented the overall taste by including hazelnut oil. The superb creativity and perfectness of this dish was under estimated by its appearance.

III. Cerf de la Meuse, Chou Pontoise, Sabayon Miso (Meuse deer, Chou Pontoise, Sabayon Miso)

Venison was prepared in Gravlax style, cured with sugar and pepper then dried for 24-48 hours. Diced venison was served with miso sabayon, venison bone infused oil, and vinegar. At the very top, there was a piece of marinated Pontoise cabbage leaf covering part of venison and sprinkled with togahachi spice. Venison was tender, tasty and flavorful (probably from the extra step of using venison bone infused oil), without gamy taste. The Pontoise cabbage has been on the lands around Paris since the 16 century, and is recognizable by its curly leaves, less compact than the white cabbage and has a purplish tender center. It is particularly tender, sweet and sugary. It can be eaten raw or cooked, sold all winter long. Pontoise cabbage is also known for its therapeutic benefits, it is rich in vitamin C, vitamin E, potassium and anti-oxidant.

IV. Potage Cressonnière, Pralin de Graine de Courge (Watercress Soup, Squash Praline)

It was sautéed spinach, sorrel and watercress; their flavor was rather unconventional. Upon inquiry, I found out Chef used infused nuts oil to sautée the vegetable. Nuts infused oil did produce a delicate and pleasant flavor. In addition, Chef also served thickened cream from Normandy, water cress velouté and roasted pumpkin seeds paste to complement the taste and flavor. Velouté is one of the five “mother sauces” of French cuisine. Using velouté to balance the richness of cream and still offer the levelness of fresh vegetables was an excellent practice by the Chef.

V. St. Jaques en Coquille, Lard Fumé et Burre Laurier (Scallops in Shell, Smoked Bacon and Bay Butter)

I have not had Coquille St. Jacques for a while. Loved to eat it again. Scallop, from St. Malow, was roasted half-raw and served with lardo (smoked bacon from Southern France), red fermented berries and fermented mushroom. Sauce was made of bay leaf butter and wine (Chenin Blanc wine from Anjou Mosse). My server informed that Chef was very particular about the type of wine used in the sauce. Chef was also very keen on using fermented vegetable to render a more sophisticated taste. Scallop was tender, and succulent. Lardo gave scallop more juice in the chewing process. Another dish of perfect taste and flavor.

VI. Poulette du Patis, Noix Pickles et Truffe Noire (Patis Chicken, Pickles Nuts and Black Truffle)

One piece of hen breast meat and one piece of hen thigh meat were broiled to golden brown on skin. Hen was prepared like doing Patis fried chicken. Patis fried chicken is a crispy and tasty recipe that requires chicken marinated in fish sauce and ground black pepper before coated in flour or cornstarch mixture. Chef did his best to minimize the coating while still kept the skin crispy and meat juicy. Hen was served with sauce made of meat juice and black truffle and pickled walnut, and mushroom purée. This was supposed to be the last savory dish. But I felt that I have not had enough yet. I, therefore, requested for one additional course which I would pay extra for the cost. Chef delightfully agreed to prepare for a seafood dish.

VII. Turbot, Sauce Moule Pimenton, Oseille Rouge (Turbot, Chili Mold Sauce, Red Sorrel)

The turbot is a relatively large species of flatfish found on menus in the whitest of the white-tablecloth restaurants. Like halibut, turbot is a highly prized species often regarded as the best of the flatfish with great flavor and firm, white flesh. Chef used wild-caught Atlantic turbot and a rarely used classic sauce made of Vin Jaune, pimento and mussels’ juice. In addition, red sorrel and smoked paprika was sprinkled on top. A few pieces of white flesh placed on the edge of plate were the meat from turbot fin which has different texture from the fish fillet. I also noticed that the fish fillet was only slightly browned, probably it was not boiled under the high heat.

Vin Jaune is French for “yellow wine” whose production is concentrated in the Jura region in eastern France. Even though it is yellow – more like a sweet dessert wine in its look, Vin Jaune is as dry as a wine can get. It has a complex and distinctive flavor marked by notes of pine resin, curry, citrus, nuts, salt and anis. Vin Jaune is made from grapes harvested in late October when the sugars have developed enough to have a potential alcohol level of 13-15% for the finished wine.

Fish was tender and with subtle taste-of-the-sea flavor (less browning made it less fishy), accompanied by the extraordinarily elaborate sauce. It was the perfect way of ending the savory dishes.

Palette Cleanser – Crème à la Feuille de Citronnier, Citron Caviar (Lemon Leaf Cream, Lemon Caviar)

Penna cotta with citrus jam, pepper, and lemon tree leaves infused dill oil. It was a light, delicious and refreshing.

VIII. Glace au Pain et Miel, Avoine et Lait d’Amande (Bread and Honey Ice Cream, Oats and Almond Milk)

The 1st one was Bread and Honey Ice Cream with finely toasted oats crumble on the side and pollen and almond milk on top. It was not overwhelmingly rich in substance, but rich in flavor.

The 2nd one was petit puff. Its outside texture was a bit crunchier than puff. Inside was filled with yummy custard, dough was made of flour and ground nuts.

Chef Grébaut’s cooking style is produce-centric and “naïve, spontaneous, balanced” as described by himself. Tastes and textures are amazingly and intriguingly playing off to a perfect way with genuine creativity. It is notoriously difficult and frustrating to get a reservation at Septime. We had to get up at 4 am Eastern time to make a trans-Atlantic phone call. We were lucky enough to get a reservation to experience such an extraordinary gastronomic satisfaction. Was it worth the hassle? The answer is a definite “yes”. Septime’s current Tasting menu priced at €95 is a true steal for a one Michelin Star restaurant in Paris.