Centre Stage
Friday, October 24th, 2008In a young city that has so many up and coming hotels and restaurants which need to come up or get out, there is a common misconception that EATING out is the same as DINING out. Leaving out those who simply feed, eat and NOT dine, let me share a recent dining experience with the rest of you.
A restaurant that is honest in its service and food. A restaurant that doesn’t need a highly overrated local magazine to tell them if they are doing well or not. I guess it also takes a high level of diners for restaurants to improve. A restaurant that can simply rely on the best way of advertising - by word of mouth. Why? Just because they are that good. Period.
This is REFLETS, another overseas venture from Michelin-starred chef, Pierre Gagnaire. To be honest, we didn’t keep our hopes up too high as there have been more misses than hits with the restaurants here. Tucked away in the new Intercontinental Hotel in Dubai Festival City, Reflets is one of those few establishments which manage to set itself higher than the rest, or by Dubai standards, way up there. And they’re only just 5 months old.
After a drink at the lobby bar, we made our way to the restaurant via its private elevator. We were amazed by the beautiful décor that greeted us as the elevator doors opened. The 1st ‘Theatre of Dining’ in this culinary sad city.
A small corridor leads you past the hostess’ counter and a window that allows guests full view of the kitchen. The moment we stepped into the dining room, we knew it was going to be an evening of theatrical splendour.
The deep-mauve carpet, velvet-embellished leather chairs, textured and mirrored walls; the towering glass wine showcase overlooking the room and the sommeliers’ tasting and decanting table at the heart of the room, for all to view in awe; the cool, pink glass chandeliers and…… the mother-of-pearl-covered walls. One can’t help but imagine it as a set out of the Moulin Rouge or maybe even a modernised version of the opera in the Palace of Versailles. The staff were just as amazing as the décor, plus friendly and professional. In the safe hands of Head Sommelier, Julien Coron, I did not need to stress over wine choice.
Introduction to the play started with a small platter of teasers.
Squid ink potato croquette – smooth and crisp, easy on the palate.
Gingerbread biscuit – full-flavoured with good texture.
Onion “marmalade” with white wine and anchovy – salty and tannic, good after the biscuit.
Arugula wafer with raspberry jam – interesting, but worked.
Cornet of hummus with green peppers – the smoothness and flavour of the hummus worked well with the sweetness of the peppers.
Gingerbread butter
Dark beer jelly – bitter and spiced.
Act 1: Cream of cauliflower flavoured with dried bonito; bouillabaisse jelly. Red mullet biscuit. Purple cauliflower.
A gel and the biscuit was a symphony of tenderness, broken only by the pickled cauliflower. Well-balanced and light. Each mouthful sends a flash of aroma through the olfactory stimuli.
Pairing- 2007 Terra di Vulcano, Falanghina, Mario Bisceglia
Act 2: Ravioli of foie gras and bisque of blue velvet crab. Spring onions and cepes. Puree of chervil roots.
The marriage of flavours between the foie gras and crab was further enhanced by the complexity of the cep. The parsnip puree and onion was the icing on the cake - not clogging up your taste buds (receptors), but complementing it dearly. A dish to die for!
Pairing – 2007 St Peray, Les Caves de Tain
Act 3: Wild seabass, poached. Thin layers of aubergines marinated “Stiletto”; Tarbais beans.
The butter poached fillet had a great texture, not soft and flaky. Obtainable when the fish is cooked to perfection. The acidity of the braised aubergine broke the meaty fish. Another winner.
Pairing- 2005 Rully, Vieilles Vignes, Girardin
Act 4: Pink Velouté: a cocktail of tomato and acidic fruits; shellfish and crab bavaroise. Polenta flavoured with Colombo spices.
The spoon of crab cream with the texture of the seafood, not sure what it was it reminded me of Ark shell. It was soft on the palate which was then brought up with the intensity of the velouté. The sharp and smooth velouté, with a mosaic of chopped seafood was there to make its statement. Tangy seafood went perfectly with the Riesling, cleverly recommended by Julien.
Pairing- 2005 Riesling Kabinett, Weingut Schloss Vollrads
Intermediate: Atlantic blue lobster seared with ginger; red pepper, mango and green apple with coriander. Tomate “Otti” and tandoori marshmallow.
Now again, anyone close, knows I DO NOT LIKE mango and everything about it. I do not use it in my cooking, period. But the mango does not come through too strongly in this one. Tender and delicate lobster accompanied with a tandoori-flavoured sweet-spicy marshmallow. The velvety bisque was intense with South East Asian flavours, reminded me of Nonya (Straits-Chinese) flavours from home. Sweet, sharp and savoury with a light spicy note. Yet another winner.
Pairing- 2005 Montlouis, Clos du Breuil, Francois Chidaine
The main act: Beef cheeks, lacquered. Roasted scallops and braised turnip. Cabbage leaf and sweet potato cream. Frothy pop corn and corn ice-cream.
I started this course by first scooping into the corn ice cream and the pop corn froth which, I think was charged in a siphon. It really was very light. As explained, the beef cheeks here are marinated in wine for 2 weeks and slow cooked for about 2 days. All in all here, lying before me is a 16-day work of genius. The wine pairing, just like the cheeks and its braising liquid lashes out its odorant molecules in the mouth, kind of like a midday rush in a bustling business district. It hits you fast and but not too much, and the pop corn with the jus was absolutely fantastic.
Although the dish was already a champion on its own, the scallops did pop it up a notch or two. It was kind of like a VIP ONLY party. Tender cheek and scallops, again broken by the texture of the braised but crunchy turnip and the unique texture of the pop corn in jus. The kind of dish that I could eat every night.
Pairing – 2004 Cahors, Cuvée Particulière, Château Lamartine
Act 6: Cheese Course
Cheese was not included in the Le Grand Menu d’Automme but being a fan of French cheeses, we decided to have it as an addition. There is a choice of 3 regions of cheese offered and we opted for the Auvergne selection.
Cantal – Was paired with white chocolate pearls and a gelée of ginseng. The earthy note from the cheese cleverly balanced with the sweetness of the chocolate and the bitter from the gelée.
Saint-Nectaire – Was paired with apple compote and a tarragon ice cream. The sharpness from the compote and sweetness of the ice cream broke down this nutty and creamy cheese.
Fourme d’Ambert – Simply paired with a toasted brioche. Nothing much was needed for this powerful yet supple cheese, just a buttery brioche which brought out the flavour of this already flavourful cheese.
Pairing – 2004 Rhona Muscadelle, Graham Beck
Act 7: Pre-Desserts
Not the regular dessert one would have, it was the grand dessert. The sweets were started with a selection of small pre-desserts.
Tomato compote with orange cooked with vanilla, topped with almond meringue.
Bonbon of prune, Orange with meringue and orange powder, Dacquoise of white chocolate, olive and olive oil.
After what we thought was a grand pre-dessert, we were “stormed” yet again with The Grand Dessert, the grand finale to a theatrical night of fine food and wine.
The Grand Finale
Small Tea Passion fruit – light passion fruit and mascarpone, not too sweet and delicate overall.
Happy Birthday Bowl – Jelly of grapefruit and confit, sorbet of grapefruit and pear, with cooked pear. Bitter-sweet, with variations of soft textures.
Orange Rectangle – Burnt bread parfait, with fresh and confit of orange. Classical marriage that is always welcomed by the senses.
Espelette Chilli – a chilli which is from Basque, with an AOC. Here flavours a ganache with pana cotta and MANGO. (Due to obvious reasons I just had a small taste, though the chilli comes through strongly).
Chocolate Hiver 2008 – Guanaja ganache and leaf, with a soft biscuit, praline and red pepper. Bitter-sweet goodness all round. Something I hope to have again, upon my return here.
Post-Theater
Thereafter, we enjoyed and soaked our near 5 hour theatre attendance at REFLETS, with a glass of French Coffee (coffee and cognac) and petit four. And a final palate cleanser at the bar of a chilled tea infusion with margarita salt.
After this experience, I truly know what it means when dining is the equivalent to a play in a theatre. Not one where only the food takes centre stage, or the décor is over-the-top and outshines the dishes and the service. Or one where the service lets down the whole experience. This one was balanced, where everything was in harmony, kind of like the intro to a good Metallica or GnR song. Every guest received equal “love” and honesty from all the staff. Etienne Haro, Restaurant Director explains why they close on Sundays. That every guest pays the same amount, so it’s only fair that every night when they are open all the key people are present. No element should be missing.
Not just another money pump, Reflets truly is a “restaurant with soul”, concentrating on what most places have forgotten - offering an extraordinary dining experience through their dishes and impeccable service. The basic factor for any restaurant. Special thanks to the team, the chef, Etienne and Julien, that indeed was a great birthday dinner made extra special by their vision which, truly deserves an encore attendance.
Just as we were warmly welcomed, we parted with equally warm goodbyes and just an overall sense of “peace” and balance.
[More photos here]
