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2023-03-05
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It’d been a long time since I felt such excitement from dining at a small restaurant. Given the credentials of the chefs, I'd set a high bar on the restaurant but Racines still didn’t disappoint. We chose the kitchen counter seats. Throughout the course of dining, while Chef Adrien was engrossed in the cooking at the back most of the time, Chef Romaine was enthusiastically explaining to us the details of how each dish was prepared and what ingredients they used behind the counter bar. I knew
We chose the kitchen counter seats. Throughout the course of dining, while Chef Adrien was engrossed in the cooking at the back most of the time, Chef Romaine was enthusiastically explaining to us the details of how each dish was prepared and what ingredients they used behind the counter bar. I knew by then Racines was a special creation. In the simple descriptions of the menu lay profound thought and ingenuity.
【 Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 242 】
Racines offered a 2 or 3-glass wine pairing option yet I preferred choosing my own wines. To start with, a glass of Champagne Collection 242 by Louis Roederer. Not Cristal of course, this sparkling wine heralded a good start though honestly not quite as impressive and expressive as Louis Roederer claimed it was.
Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 242
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Sourdough from Levain Bakery
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Smoked Espelette pepper with Plum Jam and Sourdough
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As an aside, Les Beurre Bordier makes excellent le beurre au piment d’Espelette as well. That’s one of the reasons I cherish every visit to Gaddi’s, which has le beurre au piment d’Espelette served all the time.
【 Pre-appetisers — Artichoke Tart, Chicken Liver Parfait and Barba Juan 】
Beautifully prepared pre-appetisers demonstrated layers of flavours in harmony. The delicious tart and liver parfait aside, it is worth mentioning that before picking up that fried Provençal dumpling — Barba Juan as it is called — by hand, you were advised to rub the sage with your fingers to add fragrance to your hand.
Pre-appetisers - Artichoke Tart and Chicken Liver Parfait
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Barba Juan
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【 Squid | Escabeche | Leek | Citrus 】
On top of the squid rolls were julienned carrot and leek heaped up. They were then encircled on the plate by squid ink coconut milk sauce that tasted dramatically in resemblance of Tom Yum. That Kaffir lime leaf fragrance in the sauce not least represented a beautiful twist-and-blend but also led you through a sublime gastronomical experience in what’s supposed to be essentially French (or French-Spanish, in case you were aware of the escabeche).
Squid | Escabeche | Leek | Citrus
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【 Beef | Tartare | Oyster Mushroom | Soybeans | Périgord Winter Black Truffle 】
The pickled mushrooms beneath the beef gave the dish some warmth in addition to the flavoursome acidity that usually came with traditional beef tartare, whereas the milder-tasted soybeans served to give certain texture and balance out the strength of the beef tartare. The gestalt was mesmerising and I deeply savoured it.
Adding slices of winter truffle was nice but for me the dish had been too strong in taste to complement the subdued, earthy tone and minimally minty flagrance of the truffle. It’s a nice to have though not absolutely necessary in terms of taste enhancement.
Beef | Tartare | Oyster Mushroom | Soybeans | Périgord Winter Black Truffle
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The warm and beautiful bouillabaisse was poured on to the golden sea bream - don’t forget the octopus — and mingled nicely with rouille sauce, the unparalleled jewel for fish soup. Though creamy, it was not too thick yet effusive with the deep flavours. I had no second thought using small pieces of bread to clean up the plate at the end. A faux pas this might be but it was a sin to waste one drop of such delicious soup.
Golden Threadfin Bream | Bouillabaisse | Yunnan Potato | Rouille
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Justin Giradin 2020 Santenay Vielles Vignes
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【 Beef | Cheek | Basmati | Red Curry 】
The chef served this excellent beef cheek with light and sweet red curry from Blue Elephant and crispy basmati rice on top. When it touched my palate, the flavours fanned out to my taste buds like light going through a spectrum.
Beef | Cheek | Basmati | Red Curry
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Both dishes shared a punch in taste alike and both were eclectic in style yet diverged from cuisines of two different regions. The lamb shoulder at Petrus came with the influence of the Middle East while today’s beef cheek told a story about an elegant and beautiful Thailand built upon a very French beef dish.
After the Petrus lunch last year I called Chef Romaine the painter J. M. W. Turner as his food was bold and complex but within the splash of flavours you’d find beauty almost to the extent beyond description as you’d discover from the dashes of colours on a Turner.
On the other hand, I appreciated Caprice for the classic approach in a more controlled, structural setting, and today I got to know Chef Adrien’s own interpretation of how food could bring about such radiant happiness in a freer and more cozy environment, not to mention the complexity and harmony in each dish.
I always believe in nurture as much as in nature. Apart from training and striving for the better, I am sure Chefs Adrien and Romaine are born with a refined palate and the genes for gastronomy which are expressed in their food. Glad that the two gentlemen ventured out to Racines.
【 Of note 】 The table knives for the main course are hand made for Racines by Les Couteliers Basque in France, each having a different word etched on the blade that means something special to the chefs and in the course of making Racines a dream come true.
【 Ossau Iraty | Hazelnut Crumble | Persimmon | Oxalis 】
The Basque semi-hard cheese made from sheep milk was plated to go with persimmon jam, and texturally supplemented by hazelnut crumbles. It was not an overpowering cheese but with some kick and overall quite smooth and palatable. Such amicability surely would go well with a lot of fine foods and wines yet a reasonable amount of sweetness, as in this case, persimmon, was a definite complement to the cheese. The dish was finally nuanced by a hint of sourness of oxalis, a touch ‘to turn gold into diamond’.
Ossau Iraty | Hazelnut Crumble | Persimmon | Oxalis
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Before serving, the banana tart was showcased on the countertop for us to take pictures, then we all got a small slice paired with Bailey ice-cream and caramel. The combinative effect was astoundingly delicious. Contrast in temperature between the tart and the ice-cream, texture between the banana dessert and the nuts, and finally the flavours among all on the plate simply made me on cloud nine.
Banana | Tart | Almond | Baileys
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Banana | Tart | Almond | Baileys (on Plate)
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Mignardises
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【 Some more to say 】The tins showing the homes of the chefs and souvenirs to take away.
All in all, this was a beautiful and colourful lunch at a sunny noon in France — Le midi de la France as the region where the chefs come from is called. Then my friend booked for dinner in April and needless to say this said of our compliments to the chefs. We look forward to seeing Chefs Adrien and Romaine again soon.
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