There is really no other word to describe Jacques Reymond Restaurant other than gracious. From the moment I was ushered to my seat to the moment I left, I was given the five-star treatment. When I entered the restaurant, I felt like I entered into a French man's home. The ceilings were high, with 2 fireplaces from end-to-end, voluminous mocha colored chandeliers, accentuated with purple orchids. I took the eight-course meal to maximize my experience, though I didn't take the wine pairing. The servers were all knowledgeable from the wine list to the menu, they can even tell you how the chef made the dishes! One server, who I think was the maitre'd, offered me a reading material which featured their restaurant on the prestigious pages of Relais & Chateuax. As I was getting my bill, the "gracious" maitre'd gave the thick booklet to take home as a souveneir to complete my dining experience.
My meal started with a puffed pastry with gruyere cheese which was warm and delicate. The puffed pastry was crunchy and stringy from the melted cheese and the buttery pastry itself. I wish I could have more.
Jerusalem artichoke emmenthal soup with rock lobster dumpling. The rock lobster dumpling was extremely light and delicate in texture, like a soft, melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow. The flavor of emmenthal was not overpowering and the soup was smooth without being grainy and too creamy.
Leek terrine with crushed nougat on top of seared scallop, king fish sashimi in ponzu dressing with chilli mayonnaise and gerkin. I personally do not like leeks and I find them too strong and sometimes bitter. This leek terrine was very sweet and almost meaty but still crunchy. The star here has to be the sashimi with ponzu dressing. The dressing did not cook the sashimi at all and its citrusy taste contributed to the freshness of the fish. Eaten with the terrine, it was very interesting, combining something warm with something slightly cool. The terrine has a nice, clean taste of butter and broth. The seared scallop was not overcooked and still moist in the center.
Pan-seared snapper with spices, tarragon foam, lime and green tea oil on a bed of pickled radish. The snapper's flesh was extremely supple, there was no trace of overcooked flesh anywhere! It was sheer perfection. I don't need my table knife to cut through the meat. The tarragon foam was a whole other level of excellence. At first, I was confused why it was there but as I tasted the dish, it was more of tasting the essence of tarragon rather than eating it. The lime and green tea oil also altered the dish when eaten with it. The oil added the green tea and citrusy flavor to the dish, fusing Japanese and French styles in one dish.
Quail tempura with tagine spices, Persian cream, on organic black risotto with green tea and lime paste and tagine paste. This is an example of using Japanese style cooking to come up with a very contemporary dish. Who would think of making quail tempura? The quail was a perfect pink in the middle, not over or undercooked. It was amazing how crunchy the tempura batter was. The Persian inspired cream tasted like a very sharp and pungent creme fraiche. The black risotto was like little firm black pearls and was distinctly Italian. To me, it tasted like slightly sweet taro. The risotto was cooked in quail broth, by the way. Combining the cream, risotto and quail meat was excellent and sheer genius in terms of flavor. It was during this time when suddenly, a nice gentleman came to my table, asking me how I'm enjoying the food. I almost choked when I lifted my gaze up to see Jacques Reymond in the flesh! Not losing my cool, a quickly said thank you for a wonderful meal so far, as I was half-way through the winter degustation menu.
Saddle of wallaby on choy-sum, with apple dashi jelly, daikon with dried polenta. My first wallaby and it was perfect. The wallaby flesh was a touch rare but extremely soft. It didn't taste like beef at all though it looked very much like it. It was less richer and less intense than beef. I loved the apple dashi jelly with the wallaby, every time I ate the smallish piece of the wallaby, an intense dashi apple flavor will burst into my mouth. I'm not entirely sure about the daikon, but the rest of the combination was very good.
Beef rump with shaved black Italian truffle, mustard butter iced cream, decontructed ravioli of daikon and pickled celery, soft polenta and chanterelle. This dish was definitely the star of the night. I've never had black truffle before and I'm glad I've decided to add them to the wagyu beef rump. How do I describe truffles? There is really no description for these. The first scent I got was distinctly from the truffles, then from the beef. I think it is best to describe the truffle as an earthy, pungent and warm. What's amazing about this dish was the mustard butter ice cream on top of the wagyu beef. Again, there was that play of cool against warm. The beef was also delicious. I've had wagyu beef before but none this sweet and tasty. Another thing to note on this dish was the chanterelle. I don't think I've had chanterelles before so this was also a first for me. The taste of the mushrooms were light and, surprisingly, no earthy taste. It was also delicate but firm and has that lovely golden color like gold nuggets.
Bittersweet chocolate martini with chocolate sauce, chocolate granita, vanilla bean cream and caramelized rice crispies. This is every chocolate lover's dream. To have layer upon layer of chocolate in different forms was simply delightful. Each bite interlacing with warm, then cool, then rich, then crispy, then smooth.
Caramelized pears on orange cream wrapped with mieulle feuille, orange peko and earl grey iced cream, pedro ximenez jelly. I loved everything about this dessert. The mieulle feuille was thick but crunchy, I was hoping this to be lighter, nonetheless buttery and almost has a hint of caramel. Pears were sweet and blended well with the orange cream. Next, the orange peko and earl grey iced cream REALLY tasted of the tea and was calming indeed. And lastly, the pedro ximenez jelly tasted like pedro ximenez, only lighter with the alchohol still intact.
To say the least, Jacques Reymond oozes sophistication, elegance and grace from the ambiance to the menu, to the staff and the food. I realized that I've dined to one of the best restuarants in the world and this was one of those rare moments that I feel honored.
My meal started with a puffed pastry with gruyere cheese which was warm and delicate. The puffed pastry was crunchy and stringy from the melted cheese and the buttery pastry itself. I wish I could have more. Jerusalem artichoke emmenthal soup with rock lobster dumpling. The rock lobster dumpling was extremely light and delicate in texture, like a soft, melt-in-your-mouth marshmallow. The flavor of emmenthal was not overpowering and the soup was smooth without being grainy and too creamy. Leek terrine with crushed nougat on top of seared scallop, king fish sashimi in ponzu dressing with chilli mayonnaise and gerkin. I personally do not like leeks and I find them too strong and sometimes bitter. This leek terrine was very sweet and almost meaty but still crunchy. The star here has to be the sashimi with ponzu dressing. The dressing did not cook the sashimi at all and its citrusy taste contributed to the freshness of the fish. Eaten with the terrine, it was very interesting, combining something warm with something slightly cool. The terrine has a nice, clean taste of butter and broth. The seared scallop was not overcooked and still moist in the center. Pan-seared snapper with spices, tarragon foam, lime and green tea oil on a bed of pickled radish. The snapper's flesh was extremely supple, there was no trace of overcooked flesh anywhere! It was sheer perfection. I don't need my table knife to cut through the meat. The tarragon foam was a whole other level of excellence. At first, I was confused why it was there but as I tasted the dish, it was more of tasting the essence of tarragon rather than eating it. The lime and green tea oil also altered the dish when eaten with it. The oil added the green tea and citrusy flavor to the dish, fusing Japanese and French styles in one dish. Quail tempura with tagine spices, Persian cream, on organic black risotto with green tea and lime paste and tagine paste. This is an example of using Japanese style cooking to come up with a very contemporary dish. Who would think of making quail tempura? The quail was a perfect pink in the middle, not over or undercooked. It was amazing how crunchy the tempura batter was. The Persian inspired cream tasted like a very sharp and pungent creme fraiche. The black risotto was like little firm black pearls and was distinctly Italian. To me, it tasted like slightly sweet taro. The risotto was cooked in quail broth, by the way. Combining the cream, risotto and quail meat was excellent and sheer genius in terms of flavor. It was during this time when suddenly, a nice gentleman came to my table, asking me how I'm enjoying the food. I almost choked when I lifted my gaze up to see Jacques Reymond in the flesh! Not losing my cool, a quickly said thank you for a wonderful meal so far, as I was half-way through the winter degustation menu. Saddle of wallaby on choy-sum, with apple dashi jelly, daikon with dried polenta. My first wallaby and it was perfect. The wallaby flesh was a touch rare but extremely soft. It didn't taste like beef at all though it looked very much like it. It was less richer and less intense than beef. I loved the apple dashi jelly with the wallaby, every time I ate the smallish piece of the wallaby, an intense dashi apple flavor will burst into my mouth. I'm not entirely sure about the daikon, but the rest of the combination was very good. Beef rump with shaved black Italian truffle, mustard butter iced cream, decontructed ravioli of daikon and pickled celery, soft polenta and chanterelle. This dish was definitely the star of the night. I've never had black truffle before and I'm glad I've decided to add them to the wagyu beef rump. How do I describe truffles? There is really no description for these. The first scent I got was distinctly from the truffles, then from the beef. I think it is best to describe the truffle as an earthy, pungent and warm. What's amazing about this dish was the mustard butter ice cream on top of the wagyu beef. Again, there was that play of cool against warm. The beef was also delicious. I've had wagyu beef before but none this sweet and tasty. Another thing to note on this dish was the chanterelle. I don't think I've had chanterelles before so this was also a first for me. The taste of the mushrooms were light and, surprisingly, no earthy taste. It was also delicate but firm and has that lovely golden color like gold nuggets. Bittersweet chocolate martini with chocolate sauce, chocolate granita, vanilla bean cream and caramelized rice crispies. This is every chocolate lover's dream. To have layer upon layer of chocolate in different forms was simply delightful. Each bite interlacing with warm, then cool, then rich, then crispy, then smooth. Caramelized pears on orange cream wrapped with mieulle feuille, orange peko and earl grey iced cream, pedro ximenez jelly. I loved everything about this dessert. The mieulle feuille was thick but crunchy, I was hoping this to be lighter, nonetheless buttery and almost has a hint of caramel. Pears were sweet and blended well with the orange cream. Next, the orange peko and earl grey iced cream REALLY tasted of the tea and was calming indeed. And lastly, the pedro ximenez jelly tasted like pedro ximenez, only lighter with the alchohol still intact. To say the least, Jacques Reymond oozes sophistication, elegance and grace from the ambiance to the menu, to the staff and the food. I realized that I've dined to one of the best restuarants in the world and this was one of those rare moments that I feel honored.
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