Les Déserteurs is a tiny place that holds about 20 people at mostly 2-top tables.  When you enter you immediately notice the open kitchen on one end and benches lining the the two other walls.  They do supply you with plenty of bolsters that you can use for back support or as a divider between you and the next table’s guests.  Lighting is nicely lowered, but not too dark, and soft background music plays.  The windows on the back wall appeared to look out on a courtyard but it was too dark to really tell for sure.  They have been open about 4 years and are furnished with bare wood tables but lovely cloth napkins.  The menu is a choice of 4 or 6 courses and the menu denotes which courses are included in the 4 course.  They have a really nice wine list and the menu does offer a couple supplemental charge options.  We chose the 6 course menu and our own bottles of wine.

 

We started with different colors of carrots mixed with grapefruit, a rose coulis with tamarind and green pepper from Cambodia (Kampot).  It was a mildly flavored dish and while all the components were good alone they were best when mixed together.  Bread was a nice white variety, not warm but very moist and chewy.

 

Roasted vegetables were served with chanterelles, parsnip and “vanilla” sauce.  The sauce was made from a root that tastes like vanilla.  The potatoes in the dish almost melted in your mouth and the dark bits in the photo are dried mushrooms.  This dish had great bursts of flavor that melded into a wonderful blend of taste.  A really good one here.

 

Scallops and little potatoes (Ratte) were served with crab sauce.   The scallops were very tender and lightly cooked and the small yellow potatoes were firm yet perfectly tender with a nice strong potato flavor.  I also found bits of saffron in the sauce that added to the wonderful flavor.  Winner here.

 

The goose was roasted and served with roasted chicory and both served with a  wonderful goose juice seasoned with orange.  The goose was cooked nicely pink and the Belgium endive, or chicory, was braised to complete tenderness.  The tasty goose was very nice and really “roasty” tasting and the delicious sauce really brought out the flavor.  They were nice enough to leave the rest of the sauce at the table which I was glad to partake of.  Another good one.

 

We opted for the optional cheese course which was a mild cow’s milk cheese with a soft center.  It was very nice.

 

Toffee was caramel sorbet mixed with yuzu and chestnut creams and topped with caramelized cocoa nibs.  It was like a creamy caramel corn with crispy chocolate.  It was sweet and wonderful.

 

A pumpkin cream was served with a bergamot mousse and tonka bean ice cream.  The pumpkin mousse was smooth, creamy and sweet but not too much so.  Some crispy bits  topped the slightly tart foam.   Really good ice cream completed this very nice dish.  Yum.