“Taste it first on its own”, I was told.
Here, where the sauces claim the spotlight, the first spoonful I brought to my mouth was of a creamy, velvety emulsion with zesty notes from citrus and a savoury umami flavour from the seafood, whose name was “Corail d’ Hespéride”.
Apologies for any exaggeration of enthusiasm, but it was superlative.
It had an unexpected freshness and citrus scent, thanks to the lemongrass, lemon zest, bergamot and yuzu in its ingredients, which held the whole sauce together.
Hence the name, I believe.
To accompany this sauce, and not the other way around – for this is how @arnauddonckele at 3 Michelin Star @plenitude.paris at @chevalblancparis conceives his cuisine – comes a dish of gambero, radicchio and asaku (citrus hassaku, a Japanese hybrid of pomelo and mandarin). The sauce evolves and becomes more complex with each bite of the dish.
It set the tone for what followed: a succession of brilliant sauces with evocative names and the dishes that enhance them.
The grilled sardine for “Eden”.
The pheasant for “Harmonie Sauvage”.
The langoustine for the sabayon “Buisson Divin”.
The red mullet for the fumet de roche “Ocre Tannique”.
The poultry with truffle for the crème marbrée “Terra Botanica”.
The kiwi for the sauce pectinée “Agavos deliciosa”…
As I read his book on my flight home, I came across the words, “The important thing is not to impress, but to comfort”.
Actually, I got both. Less