National Potato Week in the UK begins today, and this afternoon, I visited L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London to sample 'the world's first Michelin-starred potato tasting menu' (so they claim on their website) with matching wines and an aperitif. My appetite had been stimulated by a couple of food bloggers who had been invited for a preview of the menu the week before, and posted their reviews online. I was extremely intrigued to find out what a fine restaurant could do with this humble spud. According to the restaurant, it is all about using the right potato variety with the perfect texture for each dish - I must confess to not knowing that there were so many types of potatoes to begin with!
The interior design, as with all the other Ateliers around the world, is intentionally modern, sleek and Japanese-inspired (think red & black lacquer, and counter seating in a sushi restaurant). The kitchen is in full view, a restaurant concept becoming more popular these days. A relaxed lounge feel permeates the space, and modern house tracks play in the background. All in all, a very different atmosphere from a traditional restaurant setting. As I had arrived quite early I was offered a table to myself - still sitting on a high chair, but already way better than cramping myself into a narrow space at the counter, I think!
The martini aperitif soon arrived, and service was excellent from the start. The bartender who had prepared this drink in the Salon Bar upstairs was patient in explaining its components, and agreed very readily to write them down when I requested him to do so. As with all his other colleagues who served me throughout today's lunch, he also appeared to be genuinely interested in my feedback, as I was the first customer of the week to sample the complete menu with wine pairings.
Aperitif: 'salt and vinegar' martini, made with Chase English potato vodka (winner of 'World's Best Vodka' in the 2010 San Francisco World Spirits Competition, made entirely from potatoes grown on the Chase family farm in Herefordshire; Chase is currently the only UK distillery to make spirits from homegrown ingredients, and also the creator of the posh Tyrrells Crisps brand which was sold off in 2008), Grand Marnier, apricot brandy, St. Germain (an artisanal French liqueur made from freshly handpicked elderflower blossoms), quince vinaigrette and a sprinkling of salt on the surface. The rim of the glass was decorated by a salted potato skin crisp with sesame seeds.
My server advised me to take a bite of the crisp before sipping the martini. What a wondrous effect this had - the feather-light savouriness of the crisp was perfectly complemented by the sweetness and fruitiness of the martini. A slight tinge of acidity from the vinaigrette and bitterness from the vodka gave this drink a nice refreshing edge. Overall extremely well-balanced, smooth and (almost too) easy to drink.
Amuse-bouche: potato pancake sandwich (somewhat like a blini) with poached quail's egg, Oscietra caviar, smoked salmon, garnish of chopped nuts, chive and fennel, and chive remoulade.
This bite-sized morsel possessed a surprising range of textures, from the runny & creamy egg yolk, to the gelatinous caviar and the tender & succulent salmon, separated by layers of light & moist potato-based pancake dough. The thick & velvety remoulade on the side provided a further touch of richness in mouthfeel. This little starter was also extremely tasty - predominantly savoury flavours from the caviar, salmon and remoulade, enhanced by the unmistakable aromas of chive and fennel. Taken in all at once, the sheer harmony of textures and flavours was both revelatory and comforting - too bad it only lasted all of a few seconds!
First course: 'La Salade' - truffle marinated potato salad with Charlotte potatoes, shavings of autumn truffle and parmesan, boiled (quail?) egg, sliced cep and baby radish, rocket garnish, dash of ground black pepper.
Wine pairing: 2010 Macon Loche Domaine Cordier, Burgundy, France.
The intoxicating aromas of truffles and ceps were the first to strike me when presented with this dish, but it was really about so much more than these premium fungi. The texture of the chosen potato variety was firm and substantial, with a good bite that matched the meatiness of the sliced ceps very well. The boiled egg had an incredibly soft & fluffy dessicated yolk (how did the kitchen manage that?) and gelatinous white area (not hard and rubbery like in overboiled examples). Shavings of parmesan enhanced the richness of this dish and gave it a savoury depth, while the radish and mildly spicy rocket garnishings contributed a refreshing edge apt for a salad.
Tasting notes for the wine: crisp, balanced acidity with clear mineral notes, and a fresh and lasting finish. Great panache and elegance, perfect for the fresh flavours and characteristic aromas of this salad.
Second course: 'La Vichyssoise' - Desirée potato and leek vichyssoise with smoked halibut, basil oil and Espelette pepper.
Wine pairing: 2010 Ovilos, Bibla Chora, Pangeon, Greece.
How good could a potato and leek soup be, you ask? The magic of this dish was in its texture (Desirée potatoes were chosen precisely for their smoothness) - never have I had a Western soup that was so velvety that it felt like drinking a whole pool of cream. Not the slightest hint of fibre or coarseness - quite miraculous indeed. This surprisingly light and non-starchy cold soup was pleasantly seasoned with a touch of basil oil and pepper, which gave it further aromas and a nice refreshing edge. The succulent mound of halibut in the middle was an excellent savoury contribution and a touch of luxury in this otherwise commonplace dish. Both the fish and the leek-flavoured potato crisps also provided a nice bite within the predominantly creamy texture. I could never think of soup in the same way again.
Tasting notes for the wine: crisp acidity, very fruity with strong notes of peach. Smooth texture and good length. Both an apt complement in texture to the soup, and a refreshing contrast to its creamy, savoury flavours.
Third course: 'Les Gnocchi' - King Edward potato gnocchi with a fricassée of girolle (chanterelle) mushrooms and fava (broad) beans.
Wine pairing: 2010 Contini Karmis, Sardegna (Sardinia), Italy.
As with the salad, I was immediately taken by the fragrance of the mushrooms, now even more pronounced due to the warmth of the dish. The meaty mushrooms and crunchy beans made a very pleasing contrast to the surprising lightness and fluffiness of the gnocchi, surely a good representation of the texture of King Edward potatoes. This was nothing like the usual chewy and starchy examples that I've had in inferior establishments or tried to cook. The frothy layer made of alternating segments of mushroom and bean foam supported the texture of the gnocchi excellently. A savoury mushroom and bean jus below the foam kept the whole dish tasty and moist, while the salted netted potato crisp topping was both a pleasure to look at and to bite into.
Tasting notes for the wine: very bold, dry, crisp and mineral, with notes of citrus (grapefruit) and green herbs. Nice complement to the intense earthy aromas of the dish as well as a good balance for its understated sumptuousness.
Fourth course: 'Le Porc' - Iberico pork braised in Grenache wine, served with Desirée potato purée.
Wine pairing: 2005 Resalte Crianza, Bodegas Resalte de Peñafiel, Ribera del Duero, Spain.
The most substantial course of the menu with an extra side portion of creamed potato for bigger appetites (just in case!), this was truly satisfying in the most basic sense. There were no frills whatsoever in the ingredients and presentation, just extremely high-quality produce handled with utmost precision. The Iberico pork (coming from pigs pampered on a diet of acorns, wild thyme, rosemary and mushrooms) was amazingly tender, succulent and tasty (its ham counterpart is famously known as the best of its kind in the world), and a generous mound of this was paired with a delicious red wine sauce with berry and spice flavours. Desirée potatoes, previously featured in the vichyssoise course, now made an apt re-appearance in the form of an equally smooth but thicker mash.
N.B. A 'trophy dish' version with the pork braised in vintage Bordeaux, and black truffle in the potato mash, is also available at a supplement of £35 (à la carte price £75); I wasn't quite prepared to splash out that much though!
Tasting notes for the wine: strong notes of dark berries and cherries, with a subtle touch of spice (vanilla and cloves). Low acidity, subtle tannins and rather oaky. Smooth texture, lush flavours. Quite extraordinary for its reasonable price, and blended perfectly with the dish.
Fifth course: 'La Pomme Amande' - crisp parcel of almond, Maris Peer potato and vanilla, with a red fruit coulis. (no wine pairing)
It was at this point that I asked to take a short break for my stomach, as the sheer amount of potatoes ingested were starting to make an effect. A while later, this pre-dessert was aptly served to help ease off a bit from the indulgence of the previous courses. Small parcels of crisp and feather-light filo pastry contained a warm and runny potato-based custard which was light, smooth, fragrant, and not too sweet. The coulis upon which they lay both complemented the custard with their sweetness, and provided a mild refreshing touch of acidity.
Sixth course: 'Piccolini' - caramelised piccolini (from Maris Piper potatoes) in Grand Marnier, with citrus
custard and mandarin sorbet.
Wine pairing: 2008 Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Doux “Brumaire”, Domaines Alain Brumont, Southwest France.
(Alain Brumont, also known as 'Monsieur Madiran', is credited with single-handedly raising the profile of the winemaking region around the village of Madiran in Gascony, southwest France, in the 1980s. He owns the Château Bouscasse estate from which this wine comes. In the Occitan language, 'Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh Doux' means 'a row of vines from Madiran' and 'Brumaire' means 'November', which is when the Petit Manseng grapes used to make this wine are harvested.)
'Piccolini' literally means 'little ones' in Italian. Small churro-like potato strips caramelised in orange liqueur were paired with a mandarin sorbet and then submerged in a pool of creamy vanilla-based custard with subtle citrus flavours. The potato strips were nice, sweet and fluffy when eaten immediately, but it would have been nice to have the custard on the side (like a dip or something) to prevent them from going soggy too soon (better for presentation too I think!). The sorbet was excellent, very fruity and refreshing amidst the heavier components on the plate, and had an incredibly light and smooth consistency. A crispy paper-thin sheet of caramel and a touch of edible real gold leaf completed this dessert with an opulent flourish.
Tasting notes for the wine: beautiful yellow gold colour. Soft and honeyed with notes of tropical fruit. Fresh, balanced acidity with a full, lingering finish that balanced the richness of the piccolini and custard very well.
With that dessert I came to the formal end of the potato tasting menu, and I asked my wine waiter to line up all the bottles from today's pairings on my table for a photograph, which he promptly and happily obliged:
Petit fours with a choice of coffee or tea: I was offered lemon marshmallow and hazelnut praline biscuit coated in dark chocolate, which was a little baffling, since the original menu had promised a selection of potato-based tidbits. When I clarified this with a waitress, she said that the kitchen had changed its mind about the feasibility of using potato in the petit fours. Oh well, never mind. It was still a very nice ending to the meal, and the green tea I chose was very light-tasting and fragrant; I'd have finished the whole pot if I weren't so stuffed (and tipsy after all that wine) by then!
One last picture of the near-empty restaurant; I was the last to leave the lunch sitting nearly 3.5 hours after I first stepped into it. L'Atelier does open for afternoon tea and pre-theatre dinner (which makes sense given its Covent Garden location), though it looks really quiet during these times.
Summary notes: This was comfort food at the highest level, with pure understated luxury throughout. Though not inexpensive, I left feeling full and satisfied. This menu truly displayed the full potential of a humble staple produce, and elevated typical everyday dishes to an unimaginably sophisticated level. Service was stellar from all the staff, who displayed a genuine enthusiasm for their work and engaging the customer for improvements; even head chef Olivier Limousin came out personally to ask me towards the end of the meal if I had been happy with what I had been given so far. I certainly hope to return sometime!
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