This popular place appeared to be a reservation-only dinner as a number of passersby stopped in to enquire and were turned away even though the table next to us sat empty all night. Does that set the tone?  The service was a bit strange. Obviously trying for “Michelin tone” they introduced the team, asked after every course if we enjoyed it, dutifully changed out flatware, refolded napkins, etc. but something was missing – maybe experience. Nice people but missing the subtlety between care and intrusion.

While I’m ranting I will also add that the lovely female sommelier was so very helpful and nice but loaded with enough cologne which is totally out of place for someone who wants you to enjoy any nose of the wine. They serve pretty food but  a bit too much on some of the saucing and then others had none and needed it. One fun quirk was when they asked if I’d like sauce on my meat or put it on myself? I replied that sauce was fine but would be glad if they left it on the side for me to use more if needed. You’ll enjoy the pictures below with the sauce on one side of the plate, not where the meat was unfortunately and then they took the vessel back with them. The restaurant serves only a tasting menu and you simply pick if you want 4 to 7 courses and wine pairings are available. We chose the 7 course and selected our own bottles of red and white wine. The meal started with several amuse bouche.

 

When the tasting started each course had 2 choices so we decided to have one of each in order to try more of their food. The duck liver and rhubarb went very nicely together and while the brioche was good I really preferred eating the dish without the bread to be able to appreciate the flavors. It was quite nice. The crayfish dish was accented with some snippets of cornichon and coriander but had way too much watercress goo on the plate. It overwhelmed  the perfectly cooked crayfish.

 

The second course brought a huge ravioli stuffed with mashed potatoes and  a soft cooked egg with a roasted morel on the side and in the sauce.  It was a giant ravioli and great. The other option was a called “our garden” but none of the greens were from their own garden. It contained cauliflower, snowpeas, carrots, squash and micro-greens and it was extremely mildly flavored.  It really needed something.

 

Third course was scallops, deep fried tartar and sauteed, with sea asparagus. It was also on the mild side but overall nice. The salmon trout was cooked perfectly as was the fennel and accented with a bit of dill. The bread crumbs coating the fish were especially tasty.

 

Fourth course was pigeon served as confit and rare. It came with beets and was a winner. The pike was cooked in a sous vide and then pan fried for a crispy skin. It was served with savoy cabbage sauce, brussel sprouts and red cabbage and bacon. The fish was mild and cooked nicely for an overall good combination.

Fifth was beef fillet served nicely rare and also braised and served in a pasta wrapper.  Small discs of polenta were mixed with onion and black garlic. The boar was from Hungary and served  with Jerusalem artichoke slices and chips, mushrooms and red currants with a morel sauce.

 

Sixth course was a faux TNT complete with a fuse that was lit at the table. It was strawberry and filo pastry and more show than taste. The option was a cheese course with their selection of 4 cheeses and accompanying jelly. The Hungarian cheese came with fig, the French with grape, Spain with passion fruit and Italian blue cheese with pomegranate cider. It was the more interesting choice.

Last was “a walk in the forest” that came out with the faux mist of the woods and contained chocolate sponge cake, blueberries and chocolate ice cream. A stronger chocolate would have helped the dish. The alternative was “wild flower” which was such a strong violet taste it was unpleasant. They finished the meal with a few extra candies that were okay but their rendition of the pastry rolls that are commonly sold in the street were quite good.