Per Se is the urban interpretation of The French Laundry, London. It situates at the most busiest part of Manhattan. The restaurant is not easily found, it locates at the top floor in the Time Warner Center. The signature blue door of the restaurant is easily spotted. The fireplace and garden are noticeable as the symbols of The French Laundry as well.
The use of natural light in dining room
We had a really late lunch but to our surprise the restaurant was full of diners. Everyone seems to enjoy a relaxing environment and chit chat with the restaurant manager. We did not manage to get a window table but the restaurant offers a view of the Central Park and Columbus Circle.
The lunch menu changes daily. The basic lunch set has 5 courses (USD185) with limited choices, while the tasting menu offers 9 courses (USD295) but they are both expensive. Per Se is charging a price for dinner at lunch.
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| Amuse Bouche |
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| Island Creek Oyster "Vol-Au-Vent" |
The Island Creek Oyster includes Compressed Cucumber, Watercress and Garden Dill Emulsion
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| Citrus-Cured Alaskan King Salmon |
The Alaskan King Salmon includes Compressed Summer Melons, Petite Mint, Hass Avocado and Watermelon Sorbet
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| “Boudin Noir” |
"Boudin Noir" includes Sunny Side-up Hen Egg, Cauliflower Veloute, Caramelixed Sour Apples and Sorrell
The appetizers are a little disappointing to us. The chef tried to use many ingredients to create new favor for the dishes, however I expect something more creative in terms of presentation and taste.
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| Butter Poached King Crab |
The Poashed King Crab includes Brentwood Corn Risotto, Caramelized Spring Onions, Wilted Spigarello and Suncoke Mousselin. The risotto was tasty but too creamy. A small amount of saffron could be added to make the favor stands out.
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| Herb Roasted Elysian Fileds Farm’s Lamb |
The Lamb includes Fennel Bulb, Cherry Tomatoes, Pickled Garlic, Young Basil and Toasted Pine Nuts. It was tenderly made and juicy.
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| Chocolate Custard |
It includes Chocolate Mud Cake, Whipped Honey and Custard Ice Cream.The dessert combines four small desserts together which gives us variety but unfortunately they all taste similar.
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| Mignardises |
I had a great meal at Per Se, not because of the food and the wine. The overall dining experience was satisfied. However, I could not figure out their specialties in culinary. It is not traditional French cuisine nor as creative as the Scandinavian. The restaurant surely has room to improve for competing with Michelin starred restaurants in France.
S. Pellegrino World’s 50 Best Restaurants: 10th (2011)
Food rating: 6/10
Price: $$$$$
Date of visit: 23/07/2011
Address: The Time Warner Center, 10 Columbus Circle, 4th floor, Manhattan, New York
Website: http://perseny.com/
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