So I had a theme for my birthday this year. Since I can't travel to Paris, I decided to bring Paris to me. I did a lot of research before selecting this restaurant. I also called several times to make sure that they will have the Mille Feuille. But man there are so many obstacles. First I could hardly understand their English on the phone, but that means that this restaurant is operated by French people and you know this is authentic! There's also a ban on indoor dining, but I had a good feeling that by June they will remove the restriction, and I was right. The worker there told me that they don't take reservations, and they only sell Mille Feuille on Fridays. So I purposely planned a day off on Friday to celebrate with a friend.
When I got there, the first thing I noticed was the limited patio dining tables outside their restaurant facing a busy street. While we were waiting for our table, the buses would occasionally make a stop to offload passengers right in front of the restaurant. With the traffic and noise, I definitely wouldn't want to eat outside. Luckily, we didn't have to wait too long to be seated. The inside of the restaurant was quite fancy with a cocktail bar on one side and seating booths on the other side with large mirrors hanging above it.
As soon as I settled down, I asked the waiter if I could reserve a piece of mille feuille. In a heavy French-English accent, the waiter said that they do not have that. I was devastated... but when I peered over my right shoulder, I saw a tall dessert showcase right next to our table with at least a dozen mille feuille in it. I then figured that the waiter did not understand my poor French...
When the waiter returned, we ordered the braised lamb and a duck leg confit for the main, and then I pointed at the mille feuille from the showcase to reserve a piece.
The duck leg was seared to perfection. The skin was crispy while the meat is leathery with a palatable chew. The texture of the meat isn't moist and tender, but a drier texture that resembles a bit like jerky strips with parts of the edge being crusty. The deep flavor and the fibery texture only tell me that this duck leg has been cured with salt and seasoning before submerging the leg in duck fat. This also explains why the duck skin was extra crispy too. In the process of curing, it draws out the moisture from the meat which enhances the flavor. The skin is also dehydrated which yields to a crispier skin when it's cooked and baste with its own rendered fat. I have full respect for the chef who prepared this using the traditional French cooking technique rather than cutting corners using sous vide, a widely used method in restaurants these days to save time. It's not the same. Sous vide results in a soft and tender texture but you will never have the same enhanced meaty flavor without curing it. The duck sauce added an extra touch to this dish with the perfect amount of condiments that did not rob away the flavor of the duck meat. With just one bite, it tells a story about the cooking techniques and the preparation behind this meal.
With the braised lamb, frankly, I wasn't as impressed as the duck leg. It was ultra gamey, and even for a lamb lover myself, the pungent smell was a teeny bit overwhelming. So I wouldn't recommend it for the general crowd. However, the texture of the meat was fall off the bone tender.
The mille feuille was the highlight of my meal. I do love my sweets and mille feuille is one of my favorite desserts, so I'm probably a little bias. I liked the strong vanilla fragrance in the smooth custard, and the puff pastry was somewhat flakey and crispy. The puff pastry is a bit greasy though and it tasted like the packaged ones I buy from Trader Joes. So I had some marks docked off for the pastry layers as it's nothing out of the ordinary. I prefer the puff pastry from Foret Noire, but I really like the custard from this restaurant. If only I can combine them together...
The lemon tart was also excellent. It had the perfect tang with the sweet. The lemon flavor really stood out and I liked the crust holding the lemon curd. It's more like a shortbread type of crust instead of a flaky one. It's harder but it crumbles in your mouth. I can't comment on the merguine decorated nicely on top, as I generally am not a fan of it. It's usually too sweet for me (and for my friend too) so we scraped it off.
Overall, everything was executed perfectly and you could tell a lot of careful planning and preparation were involved. What a great place to fine dine during lunch or brunch! I would want to come back to try out their breakfast or dinner menu in the future.
📍 Location: Here
💵 Price: $ 25 - $35 pp for lunch (excluding 🍷🍰) || $40 - $60 pp for dinner (excluding 🍷🍰)
🤤Taste: 4.5 / 5
🕯Atmosphere: 4.5
🪑Seating: 4
📈 Price Performance ratio: 4.8 / 5
Retention Rate: 100%
ℙ𝕣𝕠𝕤:
🍴 excellent service
🍴carries a lot of classic French dishes
🍴 the confit duck leg was seared to perfection using real cooking techniques and not sous vide.
🍴the lamb meat was fall off the bone tender
🍴has amazing desserts
🍴I love the custard from the mille feuille. It has a strong vanilla fragrance
🍴The lemon tart has the perfect balance of tangy and sweet. The crust resembles a shortbread cookie. It's buttery and it crumbles with a bite (not the flaky kind)
ℂ𝕠𝕟𝕤:
🍴 the braised lamb was really gamey which I'm okay with. I think it would be too much for the general crowd
🍴Don't take reservations
𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐓𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡𝐭𝐬:
🍴love everything about this place. Especially the Mille Feuille 😍
🍴 they only carry the Mille Feuille on Fridays
🍴 can't comment on the merguine. I scraped it off from the lemon tart (I don't like merguine in general cause it's usually too sweet)