OUT GALLIC GOODIES
Petite pleasures at Le Salon de L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon
It doesn’t matter whether an establishment is defined as a haute-cuisine restaurant or just a casual workplace of chefs, when it boasts such a prominent postscript like “Joel Robuchon”, you can always expect no less than sublime world-class gastronomy.
Of course, it is the case for Le Salon de L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Bangkok’s latest dining venue by the globally-glorified, 28 Michelin-starred French chef and this week’s subject of review.
Despite its all-open foyer location and nonchalant tea salon ambience, the 50-seat venue, which opened two months ago at Central Embassy, focuses on offering a high-end gastronomic experience through a collection of lavish light bites and desserts.
No compromising on the top-notch quality of ingredients, subtlety of taste or impeccability of service. This is to ensure nothing will interfere with its highly acclaimed status.
Reflecting the style and scale of the eatery, Le Salon’s menu is rather small and fun-filled, snappy yet easy to understand. It lists no more than two dozen savoury entrées (the likes of gourmet salad, sandwiches, quiches and galettes) and approximately 15 choices of sweet delicacies (waffles, cakes and desserts).
Other than a basket of warm, house-baked bread that also includes an escargot-shaped croissant celebrated for its extraordinarily buttery and flaky flair, every guest ordering from the food menu is also treated to a complimentary amuse-bouche.
The current offering, dubbed “royal of foie gras”, is a warm concoction of fine duck liver custard, sweet port wine reduction and Parmesan foam served in a single shot glass that proved so sumptuous it made me wonder if it really was free of charge.
For those wishing to partake in some of L’Atelier’s signature dishes, I recommend browsing the Les Classique section.
Le Sologne Imperial Caviar Surprise (2,800 baht), which reveals chilled, well-crafted layers of king crabmeat and lobster consommé jelly underneath a French caviar surface, tasted no second-best, though plated differently, when compared to the dish served at its sister venue.
Another popular appetiser, Le Betterave (380 baht), which features apple and beetroot tartare with guacamole, herbs and green mustard sherbet, was, like many other creations here, a delicious harmony of different colours, textures, tastes and temperatures. The soft crunch of the diced fruit and beet was complemented by a creamy dash of the puréed avocado, while the tangy sweet sherbet lent to each bite a refreshingly mustardy tang.
Other classic signatures are the foie gras torchon with chutney, home-made smoked salmon with sour cream, niçoise-style salad with tuna and a traditional quiche Lorraine.
Exclusive only for Le Salon, however, is a repertoire of mini sandwiches that might be miniature in size but never in sensation. All are gourmet-crafted and boasting house-made bread that yields a soft and plushy bliss in every bite.
From seven options, we sampled lobster sandwich with avocado, imperial caviar and cocktail sauce (1,400 baht); salmon sandwich with fennel, dill and sour cream (350 baht) and chicken sandwich with mimosa egg and toasted quinoa (200 baht). Every one of them was brilliant.
My best-loved choice was a warm wafer sandwich with king crab (400 baht). The light and buttery toasted wafer married perfectly with the naturally sweet and briny morsels of crab leg meat.
Le Salon is one of a very few places in town to offer true a French galette, a crusty buckwheat crêpe with savoury filling. Piping hot platters of galettes with chorizo, gruyere and organic egg (450 baht) and galette with house-smoked salmon, poached egg, fresh dill, capers and sour cream (450 baht) are truly delightful.
Le Salon’s traditional Brussels waffle that comes with a choice of topping on the side is worth all the buzz it gets. The waffle, prepared with ale yeast-leavened batter, showcases an extraordinarily soft and airy texture that comes with a slight beer taste underneath the crusty exterior.
From various topping options, the best-selling Tainori chocolate Chantilly with salted caramel and macadamia nuts (500 baht), which is a deconstructed rendering of a classic chocolate tart, was super addictive.
While the Sicilian pistachio and Bahibe milk chocolate cremeux with confit cherries (650 baht) and a medley of Grand Cru fresh vanilla cream (750 baht) also gives an equally divine complement to the warm waffle.
Not-to-be-missed is the wintry special Montblanc waffle (800 baht), an awe-inspiring presentation of truffle-chestnut purée, Chantilly cream and fresh orange, which is available from mid-December.
Though the waffles may serve as a sweet finale to the meal, guests who are left craving for a “real dessert” should try the reconstructed caipirinha (450 baht), featuring passion-banana mousse hidden inside a gelatinous springy ball on bed coconut nectar jelly and Cachaca rum granite.
During my visit, service by a team well-trained staff was brisk, knowledgeable and wholeheartedly cordial.