Not that I have ever been asked, but
if I was ever asked to name three grey bearded wizards, I’d probably say
Dumbledore, Gandalf and Gagnaire.
The word “wizard” gets bandied about
a lot these days when talking about chefs, especially the likes of Heston
Blumenthal, Grant Achatz, Ferran Adrià and, of course, Pierre Gagnaire. The
creations of these virtuoso chefs are typically influenced by ‘molecular
gastronomy’ - a term that was coined by Gagnaire’s long time associate, the
inspirational French chemist Hervé This.
‘Foods To Try
Before You Die’ came up with an interesting mathematical method for ‘How to
choose a three-star Michelin restaurant in Paris’ (see here)
– whilst I find this an informative and interesting read, for me, there was
only ever one choice.
Of course, I had heard the name
before but from seeing him on series two of Great British Menu at the
‘Ambassadors Dinner’ in the British Embassy in Paris and again, in series
three, at London's Gherkin for ‘The Banquet’ hosted by Heston to celebrate the
best of British, it appeared to me that even amongst the world’s culinary elite
that there was a magical aura around Gagnaire that the other chefs seemed to
respect – a true legend.
It was these ‘GBM’ appearances that
prompted our visit(s) to Gagnaire’s London outpost Sketch last year (see here),
which in turn made our desire to visit his eponymous three-Michelin-starred
Parisian flagship restaurant even stronger – despite recently slipping to
number sixteen, the fact that Gagnaire has ranked amongst the top three in the
world on the Restaurant Magazine’s 50 Best restaurants list and appears in Les Grandes Tables du Monde also helped cement
the deal.
When telling people that I planned
to eat at Gagnaire there were two main responses: one being, that when 'on
form' the food could be peerless but to expect some dishes to be 'a bit
strange' (strange has never bothered me). The most common response however was
usually, 'Do you know how much that is gonna cost?'
The cost was certainly an issue and
being able to justify possibly spending close to £600 on a meal for two (before
drinks) was not a decision I took lightly. To date, my number one restaurant
experience remains Heston's The Fat Duck - for the money we would spend at
Gagnaire we could have gone back there twice!
People advised us to forget the
three star biggies and check out a number of two or one star places instead
(and even some un-starred trendy spots around town) – this is very good advice
and at one point I gave in and crossed Gagnaire off the list.
Not for long though, as those 'You
only live once' 'Life is for living' 'I could be hit by a bus tomorrow' moments
helped it to creep back on. Too much “umming” and “ahhing”? What the heck…
booked! (As if there was ever any doubt.)
So the simple question: 'Was it
worth it? Simple answer… 'Oh, yes!'
We arrived to be confronted with a
grand set of doors emblazoned with the Gagnaire ‘table’ logo. I’ve read a few
reviews that have criticised the décor – personally I loved the modern styling
in warm brown graduations with big bold art works and flower arrangements.
Extraordinarily innovative and
progressive food would perhaps not seem as right in a typically French 3-star
dining room based on Louis the ‘whatever’ old school Parisian grandeur.
As a blogger, thinking thoughts
about how the lighting will affect the photographs is a downside - the ‘City of
Love and Lights’ however, came up trumps with lamps providing just enough light
for decent enough pictures (in most cases) without detracting from the
atmospheric candle-lit glow befitting a romantic meal.
Gagnaire's restaurants, including
Sketch and Gaya have a tendency to present several small tasters together,
especially evident with the amuse bouche and desserts. As an eater this is
exciting as every course makes you feel like a kid in a sweet shop, not knowing
what to try first. As a blogger it's a nightmare trying to remember all the
explanations from the waiter - especially when there is likely to be some
unusual sourcing or pairing of ingredients.
According to fellow three-star chef
Jean-Georges Vongerichten, "The amuse-bouche is the best way for a great
chef to express his big ideas in small bites." Obviously someone with lots
of big ideas, in my mind, Gagnaire is the amuse bouche master:
One consisted of a fresh tropical
tasting salad featuring a small dice of heart of palm and grape. Another saw a
squid ink biscuit sat atop a thimble sized pot containing a tapenade-like
concoction of black olive, carrot and tandoori spices. There was also
blackberry set between white meringue; a ginger and almond biscuit adorned with
a beetroot wafer; and anchovy cream with rocket and a tiny toadstool made from
a nut.
The bread offering consisted of: the
same delightful little brioche that we had enjoyed earlier in the day at Gaya (see here);
a crispy 'traditional bread' that had exceptional flavour and chestnut breads –
these were tasty but strangely they appeared to be a little burnt around the
edges (obviously by design).
Accompanying the usual 'salted
butter' we were also presented with a 'citrus butter' that contained lemon,
lime, orange and grapefruit – I was not convinced by the citrus offering, you had to be
selective as to what courses it would complement.
Crémeux d’araignée de mer, consommé d’omiza au ginseng; tourteau, petits
coquillages et cristes marines – consisting of a cocktail of crab meats, including spider
crab and two different sizes of clam set over a ginseng infused jelly made with
omiza (see Korean omija tea) and a samphire like plant. My wife loved this
dish; it was her favourite of the evening.
Lac Léman: mousseline de brochet au savagnin, grenouilles façon
Poulette; flan d’ortie aux herbes fraîches. Tranche d’omble-chevalier voilée de
lard de Colonnata, légumes racines de printemps au macvin – this dish came in three parts,
one, accompanied by root vegetables, starred the Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) Pike;
a great tasting sustainable freshwater fish, it’s a shame you don’t see it more
often on UK menus.
One thing also rarely seen on UK menu are frog’s legs as many British
diners, including my wife, are squeamish when it comes to amputated amphibians – as a result I got to eat two
portions of these delicious ‘chickeny’ bites. The leg meat was served off the
bone with rich creamy savoury custard. There was also a grassy, herb and nettle
salad and mousse.
Carabineros au curry doux Madras, pointe de citron caviar et piquillos;
fondue de pamplemousse rosé, avocat et radis croquants;
velouté de brebis - Carabinero prawns are famed for
their deep red hue and more robust flavour; which thankfully came through with
a marriage of Madras spices, avocado, piquillo pepper, dinky slices of radish
and the citrusy tang of pink grapefruits and bursts of lemon ‘caviar’. A
luscious creamy ewe’s milk velouté was spooned over at the table.
Foie gras de canard Dundee-Pinky, huîtres spéciales au gingembre
frais;
sorbet tamarillo et bouquet de champignons de Paris aux pousses
d’épinard. Marmelade de betterave rouge – another dish with lots of flavours, all seemingly
balanced with a wave of Gagnaire’s wand: duck foie gras, oysters, fresh ginger,
tamarillo sorbet, spinach, sesame, red cabbage and beetroot marmalade, topped
with discs of white Paris mushroom. The tamarillo sorbet was a revelation.
Poulpe, sériole, tripes de morue et piments de Guernica à la manzanilla;
cœur de thon de Méditerranée (issu de la pêche raisonnée),
artichauts
poivrades, aubergine et anchois demi sel – this one of my favourite dishes, featuring: artichoke,
aubergine, sweet sherry soaked Guernica pepper, fish (cod and amberjack) with
octopus and a sashimi slither of what translates as ‘heart of tuna’ (which I
think refers to the cut of the ‘bonito’ fillet as opposed to the actual heart.
Crème d’asperge à la cardamome, raviole de cresson; asperges vertes et
blanches, chou cœur de bœuf, mange-tout et mangue thaï – white asparagus is one of my all
time favourite vegetables and these were the best I have had. The pasta for the
watercress ravioli was also exceptional. (I was less convinced by the presence
of the Thai mango purée.)
Also on the plate: green asparagus,
‘chou cœur de bœuf’ (or beef heart cabbage) and mangetout. Finishing the dish,
a cardamom infused asparagus cream sauce was theatrically spooned on at the
table.
La Corse:
Fricassée de cabri poivre vert/vadouvan/miel du désert des
Agriates; galette de châtaigne: tricandille, olives noires et cornes d'
abondance – this
dish featured a number of ingredients that are not often seen on British
plates: ‘cornes d' abondance’ are black chanterelle mushrooms that are also
known as black trumpet or trumpet of death; ‘tricandille’ or chitterlings are
intestines and ‘vadouvan’ is French variant on a masala like spice mix,
popularised in their colonial territories in India.
Along with the above ingredients,
the main component of goat had also been stewed with green pepper, honey and
black olives; topped with leaf shaped chestnut biscuits and surrounded by
vibrant peaks of a radicchio emulsion – the dish tasted great but did seem
quite autumnal, considering we were tasting the brand new spring menu.
The cheese course was an interesting
one, Trois fromages fermiers au lait de
vache:
Vieux gruyère de Garde - Coup de corne - Morbier.
Pâte de coing à
l’alisier, pousses de soja au vinaigre de riz. Gelée de gentiane aux perles de
chocolat blanc – the three cheeses: an aged gruyère, a morbier and, a new
one on me, ‘coup de corne’ were all delightful.
The white chocolate and bean sprouts
added a pleasing, yet different dimension. However, the gentian jelly was
incredibly bitter and tasted very medicinal, even when tempered by the fresh
yoghurt - it just didn't work for me.
Les desserts Pierre Gagnaire – a feast of flavours and techniques to tantalise the taste
buds. The miniature works of art included such delights as: a ‘macaron’ with
orange and orange gelée; coffee jelly with coffee meringues and lime sorbet; a
disc of sponge topped with pear, caramelised almonds and ice cream drizzled
with a balsamic caramel and strawberries with coconut textures and ‘bubblegum’
ice-cream.
My favourite of the desserts
consisted of a clever dark chocolate concoction with cherries, dates and
hazelnut - creatively prepared and beautifully presented. In a playful twist,
what looked like one of the discs of white mushroom from earlier turned out to
be a sweet sugary marzipan type creation.
To finish the meal, a well prepared
green tea presented in fine Limoges porcelain by JL Coquet. Service throughout
was faultless.
At the beginning of this post I
referred to Monsieur Gagnaire as a culinary wizard – unlike Dumbledore and
Gandalf, his enchanting food proves that magic does exist.
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Thanks for the mention.
ReplyDeleteI think this might be the best review you've done to date. The excitement and joy you experienced really comes across and some of the pics are great. Very good read!
Not sure Gagnaire's style of cooking is for me, but glad you enjoyed it. Nothing worse than being let down by a restaurant you can't wait to try, but looks like this really delivered.
Thank you - we had better meals whilst away but still loved Gagnaire.
ReplyDeleteI think I need to visit this place, I’d like to taste their green tea, I wonder if that porcelain being used is as beautiful as the famille vert
ReplyDelete