One of the ambitions of the Robuchon dynasty is to deliver top quality French cuisine in different corners of the world. That passion and their overall consistency became the biggest reason why I always came back for more. Coz I knew exactly what I would be getting for my money's worth.
And after tonight, I could add London to the list.
La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon London is situated on a very dark alley called West Street in the Covent Garden area which seems like a rather unpretentious venue for a fine dining restaurant. The restaurant is housed in a four-storey building painted entirely in black on the outside. Well, let's hope that things get more interesting inside.
On the ground floor was the more casual L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon with the standard Robuchon bar table setting and the black and red decoration.
But this night, we wanted something more formal and hopefully a little more quiet. With that in mind, we went for the La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon which was situated on the second floor.
Our server, a gentleman with a very strong French accent, was very attentive to details although he could use a smile on his face at times. We went through the menu quickly and really didn't take long to lock in on what we would like to order.
Right before our starters, a small amuse bouche of foie gras mousse with cauliflower foam was served up to get our palates ready.
I have mentioned on numerous occasions that I am a chestnut soup lover. So this was really a no-brainer for me - chestnut velouté with smoked ham cream and celeriac cream to start off my night.
Smooth, creamy, .....I am out of words.
Our other starter was one of the house specialties, free range quail stuffed with foie gras and truffle mashed potatoes. We had this dish at different Joël Robuchon restaurants before but were still loving every bit of this (9/10).
For whatever reason, I was craving for some seafood tonight so subsequently I selected the scallops and mushrooms fricassé with Iberian ham and hazelnuts.
That was another deflightful dish with the taste of parmesan cheese and Iberian ham leading the way.
The milk fed lamb cutlets from Pyrénées with fresh thyme was equally tempting.
The only blemish was perhaps that it had been sitting at the counter for a little bit (possibly due to a mixup, the scallops was not ready at the time the lamb cutlets finished cooking. We spotted that having seated right next to the open kitchen.). Luckily, the food lamp managed to keep it at room temperature.
We finished our dinner on a positive note with a wonderful dessert called La Sphère. I had to really sit back and marvel at this amazing work of art.
It was an orange sugar sphere that was stuffed with crispy meringue, lemon sorbet, avocado banana cream. Incredibly refreshing and mouthwashing.
Food Rating: 7.6/10
Price: ££££
Address: 13-15 West Street, London, UK Closest Tube Station: Leicester Square / Covent Garden
Website: www.joelrobuchon.co.uk/first-floor
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