Melissa F

Our lunch at 2* @david_toutain continued with incredible highlights such as the herring in a super refined black sesame sauce, the white asparagus with rhubarb & almond, the abalone with buckwheat & sea lettuce, and the most elegant vanilla & caramel dessert ever!

The second part of our menu:

Sourdough bread - Beurre “Madame”
White Asparagus - Rhubarb - Almond
Abalone - Buckwheat - Sea Lettuce
Herring - Sesame - Gastrique
Land - Green Asparagus - Bitter Orange
Bleu d’Auvergne - Pear - Quinoa
Milk - Vanilla - Pralin
Strawberry - Elderflower - Almond
Crêpe - Pecan - Barley
Pear - Safran - Mélilot
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2*, Restaurant David Toutain
Paris, France
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Four experiences are offered at lunch at 2* @david_toutain where the menus bear the name of a plant. We opted for the 8-course Menu Queen Of The Meadows which started with a series of lovely small bites, followed by a flavorful focaccia, a beautiful John Dory, and a delightful cuttlefish.

The first part of our menu:

Oyster - Kiwi - Coriander
Pontoise cabbage - Wild Mint
Tetragone - Poultry - Lemon
Beetroot - Amberjack - Cherry
Focaccia - Pumpkin seeds - Bay Leaf
Rhizome - Citrus - Vegetal
John Dory - Pea - Verbena
Caviar - Cuttlefish - Wild Garlic
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2*, Restaurant David Toutain
Paris, France
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I would have liked to report that this meal was fantastic but it wasn’t.

Many years ago, I had an unforgettable 9* collaboration meal between @restaurant_geranium x @azurmendi_atxa x @maaemo at an OAD event. Since then, I have been to Geranium and Azurmendi a few times already but still haven’t made it to Maaemo yet so we made it the main goal of this trip to Oslo.

Meaning “Mother Earth”, Maaemo has been opened since 2010 and is the only 3 Michelin Star restaurant in Norway. The menu is based almost entirely on locally sourced ingredients. I would have liked to report that this meal was fantastic but ultimately it wasn’t. Dishes were not memorable and flavors were quite frankly very off-balanced. The worst were the cod with marmalade and langoustine with plum jam - both of which were just way too sweet. I couldn’t finish the reindeer as it was so dry and lean, and then the dessert with goats cream and caramel was again way too sweet. It’s disappointing that a meal I had been looking forward to for so long turned out to be so underwhelming.

Our menu:

Cold water shrimp, horseradish and summer preserves

Warm duck liver, nougatine of dried flowers

“Pinnekjott”, birch and preserved rose

Dry aged beef, meadowsweet and pine cone vinegar

Oyster “tradition 2010”

Chilled king crab, horseradish and salted apples

Cod brushed with juniper butter lemon verbena and celeriac

Langoustine glazed with plums and burnt honey sauce of chanterelles and elderflower

Reindeer cooked slowly over embers forest berries and rommegret

Warm milk bread glazed with reindeer fat and sour honey, winter truffle butter

Mushroom and green juniper broth

Frozen goats cream, smoked cherry and plum kernel

Brown butter ice cream cornet, hazelnuts and molasses

Freshly baked cinnamon buns

Wild chamomile and pine fudges
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3*, Maaemo
Oslo, Norway
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First meal in Oslo was at @restarakataka - a casual gourmet restaurant with an extensive wine list! While a tasting menu is available, we opted for the a la carte menu of seasonal Nordic small plates to go with our bottle of wine by Marc Soyard. The signature spaghetti with lojrom roe was delightful as was with most of the snacks we tried…except for the pepper crab which was just disastrous as it was comprised of small crab claws slathered with a thick layer of Chinese hoisin sauce. We couldn’t finish it at all as it was like eating the sauce straight from the jar, and not sure why it was called pepper crab when there was no peppery taste at all. That’s why I usually shy away from Asian fusion restaurants outside of Asia because a lot of times, they don’t know how to use the Asian ingredients correctly.

What we tried:

Spaghetti & Löjrom
Croquette
Caviar & Doughnut
Arakataco
Peppercrab
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Arakataka
Oslo, Norway
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Awesome meal at @leela.hkg trying their new weekend lunch exclusives - Chettinadu Prawns Dosa, Kathi Roll Taco, Tandoori Chicken Leg Musallam, Roast Beef Asado, and Chicken Rice Pulao. Aside from these special dishes, I also love love love the Honey Sesame Pork Ribs and Peshwari Naan! 🤤

Our menu:

STARTER
Lucknowi Tokri Chatt
Chettinadu Prawns Dosa*
Kathi Roll Taco*

TANDOOR & GRILLS
Tandoori Chicken Leg Musallam*
Honey Sesame Pork Ribs
Peshwari Naan

CURRIES & BIRYANI
Roast Beef Asado*
Chicken Rice Pulao*
Lamb Nagori Korma
Hyderabad Dal
Sweet Potato Masala
Kumaoni Raita
Garlic Naan

DESSERT
Rice Pudding
Alphonso Mango
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Leela
Causeway Bay, Hong Kong
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Getting my Chinese food fix before traveling! Always a joy to catch up with @joyceeelauuu at One Harbour Road #港灣壹號 in @grandhyatthongkong while trying seasonal new dishes by Chef @hon_cheong_chan!

Our menu:

港灣點心花園

碧綠鮮蝦餃 / 魚香茄子魚米餃 / 竹影山珍如意果

麻辣海茸蟶子皇 / 蜜汁又燒 / 胡椒蘿蔔絲酥餅

鮮茄九華蘭州百合雞頭米斑片湯

山珍醬煎釀洄魚肚

魚湯杞子黑牛肝菌浸莧菜

松露澳洲和牛臉頰粢飯糕

椰子雪葩開心果露

香滑黑白芝麻卷 / 招牌南乳餅
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One Harbour Road
Wan Chai, Hong Kong
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A brilliant lunch at 2* @leclarenceparis with ingenious combinations and flavor profiles from around the world! We had the Le Clarence menu in 4 sequences with each sequence accompanied by a myriad of satellite plates. Highlights included the zucchini flower tempura with squid ink, clams in white wine sauce, turbot with sweetbread & lime beurre blanc, smoked eel with veal tripe, quail, chocolate soufflé tart with coffee ice cream, and of course Chef @pele.christophe’s signature almond dacquoise. Definitely one of the best meals we’ve had so far this year!
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2*, Le Clarence
Paris, France
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Back at @magistracydiningroom to check out new dishes by new Executive Chef @williams.alyn who hails from East London! The revamped menu showcases the rich heritage of British cuisine with a spotlight on seasonal British ingredients. Don’t miss new creations such as the Dressed Dungeness Crab, Heritage Tomato Tart, ‘Arnold Bennett’ Soufflé, Roasted Three Yellow Chicken, and of course the classic Sticky Toffee Pudding!

Our menu:

RAW & SHELLFISH
Dressed Dungeness Crab served with brown crab mayo and toasted crumpets

Lobster Salad with mesclun leaves, avocado, tomato and lobster dressing

STARTERS
Heritage Tomato Tart with Arbequina olive oil, crème fraîche and fragrant herbes

Beef Tea Broth with poached Gillardeau oysters and spring vegetables

Soufflé ‘Arnold Bennett’ with smoked haddock, Lincolnshire poacher and leeks served with crispy caviar and chive beurre blanc

Chef’s Dad’s Allotment Spring Vegetables Salad with puffed grains, mint and honey dressing

MAINS
Slow Steamed Atlantic Cod served with crispy caviar and chive Beurre Blanc

Poached and Roasted Three Yellow Chicken served with a shortcrust pastry pie filled with braised leg and vegetables

Quality Chop House Confit Potatoes with malt vinegar and sea salt

DESSERT
Sticky Toffee Pudding
Salted Caramel Tart with lemon curd ice cream
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Magistracy Dining Room
Central, Hong Kong
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Lobster champagne curry anyone? 🦞🥂

It’s one of the dishes on the new menu by new Chef de Cuisine @chefgaurav_kuthari at @chaathongkong in @rosewoodhongkong! My favorites included the Palak Patte ke Chaat, Pork Pepper Fry, Kasundi Lamb Chop, and Lobster Champagne Curry. These new dishes will add to the already amazing repertoire of Indian flavors at the restaurant!

Our menu:

CAVIAR OYSTER PANI PURI
Mint, Tamarind, Tomato Consommé

PALAK PATTE KE CHAAT
Batter Fried Spinach, Yoghurt, Mint Chutney

PORK PEPPER FRY
Iberico Pork, Tellicherry Pepper

BADAMI CHICKEN TIKKA
Almond, Black Pepper, Yoghurt

KASUNDI LAMB CHOP
Bengali Mustard, Nutmeg, Yellow Chilli

SMOKED PATRANI CHILEAN SEABASS
Coriander, Mint, Coconut

LOBSTER CHAMPAGNE CURRY
Caramelized Tomato Sauce, Kashmiri Chili

LAMB ROGAN JOSH
Kashmiri Chilli, Ratan Jot, Yoghurt

BURRATA CORN PALAK
Spinach Curry, Crispy Corn, Cumin

DUCK KEEMA KULCHA
Stuffed Minced Duck, Foie Gras, Soft Bread

COCONUT VANILLA PAYASAM
Rice, Coconut Pudding
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1*, Chaat
Tsim Sha Tsui, Hong Kong
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