Bon Appétit! I have been dying to try this restaurant because of the 2 Michelin star and good reviews online. Since it is a fancy restaurant, of course we need an occasion, and that would be my birthday! Another year older, despite more wrinkles, hopefully wiser too.
We decided to go with the 4-course menu instead of "the ten", and we each chose different courses so that we can try more dishes.
Amuse-bouche
On the left: tomatoes two ways, with goat cheese and pistachio
On the right, scallop on the spoon, tomato and cucumber pudding in the glass
Definitely very French avant-garde. The tomatoes in the spoon were prepared using molecular gastronomy technique and they burst in your mouth with goat cheese filling. The second tomato was covered in goat cheese and crushed pistachios. As for the pudding, it is very nice to have a cold jelly soup in this hot summer.
The bread
There is a wide selection of bread, and they are baked in-house. From left to right, French country roll, basil brioche, brioche, ciabatta, black olive, and bacon focaccia.
Personal favorite is the basil brioche and the bacon focaccia.
They gave us some butter for the bread, and the butter tastes very different. It is so rich that it almost tastes like cheese. So, we were curious and we asked the server about the butter, and apparently, the butter is from a specific region in France, Normandy. This region is very close to the sea, and the diet of the cows gave the butter this unique rich flavor.
First course
On the left: Santa Barbar Spot Prawns, Celtuce, Citrus Chive Butter
On the right: Tomato soup
The prawns were nicely cooked and seasoned, the sauce is very nice, not too strong to cover the taste of the prawn but complements it nicely. As a soup lover, the tomato soup is definitely one of my favorites tonight. Very rich and creamy, it also has a very interesting texture with the tomato sorbet in the soup. The acidity and sweetness of the tomatoes were balanced so well. One of my favorite soups after the butternut squash soup I had in SPQR San Francisco.
Second Course
On the left: Lobster Bolognese, Fresh Capellini, Basil, Brown Butter Truffle Froth
On the right: Seared Albacore, Olive Mousse, Artichoke
The lobster bolognese was a big surprise. This is probably the best bolognese I have ever had. The brown butter truffle froth bubbles in your mouth, stimulating your pellet for the flavors of the bolognese. Terrific. As for the albacore, I am slightly disappointed. The albacore itself is very fresh and well-cooked. The olive mousse was delicious, but the flavors of each condiment do not blend well together.
Entree
On the left: Liberty Duck, Eggplant, Bak Choy, walnut
On the right: Sweet corn agnolotti with shaved black truffle
Personally, I am not very fond of the duck. Don't get me wrong, I love duck. But this duck dish did not impress me. The sauce does not go really well with the duck. The duck itself was a little rubbery, very disappointed. The agnolotti was a supplement dish for an additional cost but was worth it. The corn filling offered a strong fresh sweetness and that balanced really well with the truffle.
Dessert
On the right: Mango Pudding
On the left below: Cappuccino
On the right below: Salted Caramel
The Cappuccino was definitely one of the best Cappuccino I have had. The aroma of the espresso is so strong that you feel like you are drinking the espresso black, but with a smoother texture from the milk.
The salted caramel was pretty good. It comes with the nectarine fruit, nectarine mousse and nectarine sorbet. Nectarine has a very mild flavor, so it is kinda hard to stand out in a mousse/sorbet form. (I regret not ordering the pineapple souffle)
On the other hand, the mango pudding blew my mind. The very bottom is frozen mango sorbet, top with tapioca, diced mango, pudding and mousse. The combination of all these different texture was just AWESOME.
The Petit Fours
From left to right: Pate de Fruit, Chocolate truffle, Canele, Green tea macarons
They are all very delicious. The petit fours concluded the dinner nicely. The green tea macaron was definitely my favorite. The softest macaron I have ever had, and the green tea flavor was very strong. I have always loved canele, one of my all-time favorite french pastries, and it was very delicious too. Crispy burnt sugar outside, soft custard on the inside.
The dinner was a blast! Impeccable service and delicious food. However, for the price, I expected a little better than what we had. Not exactly disappointed, but not impressed either. Didn't leave with a great satisfaction like I did when I left Hatfield's. In short, I am not crazy about it, a little underwhelming. Mélisse does change its menu according to the food in seasons, maybe I will have a better luck next time? (If there's next time... it's not exactly cheap to go there.....)