Monday, November 11, 2013

Next Restaurant - Bocuse D'Or

Wrapping up the 2013's Next is the Bocuse D'Or meal. I've been waiting for this meal the entire year as I've wondered how Next will fare when they recreate the meal.

Unlike the prior times, I have the luck to dine at the chef's table this time, which wrapped up my 2013's experience in Next that much more awesome.



Terrine of veal with frisee salad and cipollini marmalade

To start off the evening, we're served with a veal terrine. I like the savoriness of the terrine, as it's meaty, yet very light when combined with the salad.



Osteria Caviar with whipped beurre blanc and pine nut

One of my favorite dish of the night. The caviar provides a nice brininess which is highlighted by the little crispy waffles along with the creamy butter.

Mousse of darden ham, and madeira aspic - Taken from Paul Bocuse's recipe

The mousse actually tastes a bit like peanut butter: savory and salty, along with a light green salad. 

Souffle of Prawns

Another one of my favorite of the night. The souffle encase a small prawn in the center, giving it a lively flavor. The prawn itself actually reminds me of heavily flavored shrimp ramen, but of course, the prawn carries its natural sweetness. 




Just to give the same experience as the Bocuse competition, the Next team tour around the entire restaurant with our up coming entree prior to serving us the dishes.


Custard of Cauliflower with verjus rouge, rose, and foie gras

A rich custard of foie. This is definitely one of the best preparation I've had so far. The foie is light, combined with the creaminess of the custard, made every bite as foie-centric as possible, yet, not too overwhelming. 


Charred lettuce, bottarga, bonito and peanut

A nice charred lettuce providing a refreshing, crunchy refreshment for our palate.


Ivory Char with coddled eggs, celeriac and green blueberries



Quinault river salmon with beets, browned butter, and parsley

The salmon is nicely sous vide cooked. along with the charred parsley and other vegetable, making this dish a very nice bite as it combines the simple salmon along the smokiness of the vegetable.

Consomme of roasted mushrooms - Paul Bocuse's recipe

A very classic soup preparation. I like the crusty skin on top. The consomme is a nice, hearty concentrated mushroom soup.


Phesant smoked in hay with grilled baby leek, caramelized onion, and sauce blanquette

This is actually one of my first time having a phesant. I would describe it as a very juicy, flavorful bird. And it's complimented with the baby leek, figs, pickled apples and some mustard seeds



Ribeye of beef with doudin vert, roasted carrot, sauce bearnaise, and potato marrow

My ribeye is unfortunately a little dry. However, the golden nugget of this dish is actually the potato marrow, which is nicely flavored, creamy and smooth as it can get. 

Tete de moine with cashews, pear, and milk skin

I am usually not a strong smelling cheese guy. However, this cheese smells stronger than it tastes, I actually like the combination of cashew and pear with cheese, as it adds sweetness, crunchiness to the pungent cheese. 

Ice cream bombe in the style of apple pie

A deconstructed apple pie. It's actually fun to eat, especially since the ice cream tastes like an apple pie!


A cube of squash with huckleberry, butter pecan ice cream, and pecan oatmeal cookie

To wrap up our evening, we've got a combination of crunchy nuts, pecan ice cream and huckleberry. A perfect and light way to end our evening.


Mignardises - Lime Macaroon, truffle of chocolate and hazelnut, bitter chocolate taffy

All in all, I'm very impressed with the Bocuse D'Or dinner. As I rub my belly to try to digest all these food, I still have a hard time coming up with a good description of this meal. It's definitely a fine meal, with alot of creativity, fun and familiarity from the normal food we eat but making them taste that much better. Next has truly captured the essence of BOcuse D'Or and I just can't wait for the 2014's lineup. I'll be waiting, eagerly and hungrily.