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2015-08-02
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More casual French restaurants at a not so casual price, more rustic meat and potato menu, more steak-frites like dish with unlimited fries…okay. BUT unlimited pommes darphin, dauphines, gratin dauphinois, sautéed potatoes and mashed potatoes. You can try them all and encore at any point, my inner Minion screamed with joy at Atelier Vivanda. POH-TAAA-TOH-OH-OH~~Here for lunch on a Sunday (a $298+10% set with an entrée, infinite poh-taaa-toh and greens). The staff encouraged us to try the reinte
Here for lunch on a Sunday (a $298+10% set with an entrée, infinite poh-taaa-toh and greens). The staff encouraged us to try the reinterpreted burger but our eyes were on the basic – steak! Lunch began with bread and Caractère olive oil. It was peppery and uplifting to the palate with a tiny bit of heat. Not the usual raw grassy olive flavor. I would say the bread was there just so we could "eat" the whole bottle of Caractère. Soaked up those bread! The bottle stayed through the meal and the staff also suggested to pour the oil on e.v.e.r.y. dish to come.
We tried the highly recommended thinly sliced 50-day matured smoked beef and it was addictive. I wasn't a fan of raw red meat because of the coppery (bloody) taste and felt a bit caveman like; also not a prosciutto person because the high fat % made it gamey, if unlucky. The smokiness of Atelier Vivanda's lean veal solved all my problems. The meat was shaved upon ordering with the sexy black Swedlinghaus meat slicer; the machine was spun manually with a wheel and you could hear the knife going back and forth *swoon with goosebumps. With the Caractère, the meat tasted like peppercorn roast beef and melted instantly in the mouth. Mmmm.
Then the salad and potatoes arrived (the steaks followed shortly and I had a great time bouncing back and forth between all the dishes). We chose the pommes darphin, pommes dauphines and gratin dauphinois *starch freaks now roar. The darphin with chive and red pepper flakes were crispy hash browns. Next, I was curious on why the inside of the dauphines looked a little grey in color and tasted spiced. It was nutmeg, interesting and yum! The gratin dauphinois seemed to have a bit of mushroom in it and it was so creamy and aromatic. I could envisage digging through a pan like this all day in front of the TV.
Entrees were Black Angus flank, persillé Black Angus and Iberian pork rib. Thumbs up to the chefs who liked to stay minimal - by finding great meat cuts, without even salting the meat much and presenting only the very original taste of the ingredients. I especially liked my flank for the texture. It was beefy, toothsome and still tender enough to slice through easily. Due to the flank’s lean parallel strips of muscular tissue, it was not as heavy as eating meaty sirloin or ribeye. Some would say steaks here were under seasoned, like my friend, so the staff was also very generous in bringing over some crystal clear Maldon sea salt flakes.
The pork rib was extremely soft and juicy, and taking the staff’s suggestion on having it medium rare was a good move. Yes, you heard it right. Medium rare for pork and this was how confident this restaurant was.
The environment was unpretentious and comfortably lit; white, beige, grey and black color tones; 2 cow pictures on the wall; a clock on the ceiling; 2-person tables were slightly on the small side but tables for 4 above were fine; and some deadly steak knives slid into slots at every 4.5 inches thick table. The knife design was slick but my hand kept subconsciously turning it to the wrong side when eating (the slanted side, which I thought was understandable). *Couples and business people would have a great time here because everyone would play nice when knives are at easy reach. You wouldn’t want to upset the other parties, do you?
Male server each wore a smooth piece of blacksmith leather apron. Who doesn’t like men in leather! Atelier Vivanda is by Michelin 2-star Akrame Benallal, whose restaurant is just next door. I should try that out, too.
Other Info. :
The Caractère, designer knives and leather aprons are up for sale on the spot if you like them. I wish the servers are, too.
(The above review is the personal opinion of a user which does not represent OpenRice's point of view.)
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