once more into the breach - spring edition of fine dining

I suppose skipping the introduction to Molecular Tapas at the Mandarin Oriental is alright. Just read on further. I came back again (after further penny pinching) for their Spring Menu, as it changes every 3 months. Once again, Chef Jeff Ramsey did not disappoint, though in my personal opinion, Winter was a smidge better, due to heavier and more rich winter foods. Spring however, was light, delicate, and pleasantly refreshing, as Spring dining should be. Onwards!



Firstly, Molecular Tapas begins with a cocktail and some "bar snacks". The drink of choice this season is a peculiar one, owing to the fact that it's form is not particularly drink-like. A cherry is preserved in a Japanese cherry sake gel, forming a "bon-bon" of sorts. It's very gelatinous, but it simply melts apart in your mouth. It's pleasant, and extremely reminiscent of Hanami season, which by the eating of this, has sadly well passed.



The Cherry Bonbon is followed quickly with "bar snacks". In this presentation, we have a lime leaf coated in a vodka tempura, as well as a Jamon Iberico biscuit. The lime leaf isn't meant to be eaten, but rather serves as a flavoring agent for the tempura. Just bite the tempura off, and it luxuriates with the taste of lime. Jamon Iberico is thinly sliced over a cheese biscuit, which has the light and fluffy consistency of a thick slice of pork rinds, but with all the essence of cheese distilled into it. Apparently, it was made in a toaster. Major props.



The last of the "seasonal snacks" was a delicate cube of bamboo shoot flavored jelly, covered in pieces of black truffle and lavender petals. The simple and plain smoothness of the bamboo went well with the strong rich flavor of the truffle bits, tasting effectively like nature starting to grow again. The flower petals were nice, I guess? I'm not one much for flowers, so the taste wasn't as interactive as I would have imagined.



One of my favorites from this meal, if only for the main centerpiece of the dish: Uni. Japanese sea urchin (and quite a hefty quantity) playfully interacting with a base of matcha (Japanese green tea), a lime foam, and slices of apple. The uni was indescribably fresh, with its darker, velvety texture clashing with the boldness and crunch of apple. The lime gave the uni the tang that it needs to really (metaphorically) sizzle in your mouth, while the matcha grounded the strong lime. Amazing and flawless. I wanted more uni >.>''



This is listed as Fromage Montagne with Spring Flowers. Once again, I remind all the people who know me that I did in fact eat every vegetable presented to me, regardless of color or crunch factor. However, this was a very delicate salad, with many different flowers that I cannot name, nor do I remember much about their specific flavor other than "Dang, I am eating a pile of flowers." However, cool details! There are small little "butterfly" cutouts from beets and other vegetables, so they're crunchy "themed" croutons so to speak. Also, the rosehip water foam (lots of foam this round of Tapas) served as a nice flavoring as rose is a much stronger flavor than random other flowers. Also, the piece of bread (the actual crouton) with fromage montagne melted over it was the heavyweight flavor that this dish needed.




Originally, this is presented with Razor Clam instead of Scallop, but I think I actually prefer Scallop. This is a masterful presentation of the contrast between Hot and Cold flavors. To the left, we have a seaweed granita, light with a pleasant zing. To the right we have a Hokkaido scallop, perfectly seared over peas wrapped in pork fat (giving the peas a very meaty taste). In the center, we have ice plant (seen prior in the Winter selection) with micro tomatoes. Thus, we move from cold to lukewarm (in an ice plant) to warm. The granita worked as an amazing sauce for the scallop and peas. The ice plant and tomatoes worked as a side, making this a miniature full entree. The savory sweetness of the Hokkaido scallop definitely clinched it for me, reminding me exactly why I prefer scallops to clams.



Next, Japanese white asparagus in a Parmesan broth with French morels. The broth is created with Parmesan cheese in boiling water and then just throwing away the cheese, leaving a liquid which tastes much of cheese without the weight of it. The white asparagus was stewed to such a point that it was it was almost meaty and pasta-esque at the same time. The morels were cooked so exquisitely that their juices were rich. The balance between light and heavy on this dish was what made it really interesting, as it was some delicately put together.



This Langoustine Squet is simultaneously difficult to explain yet all too easy. In the quickest of words, this is a Lobster Bisque with a Lobster and Tomato Skewer. Slightly more complicated, Langoustine is a Norwegian Lobster (that is construed as a true lobster in terms of European cuisine) over a Squet, a Catalan sort of soup. It boils down to amazingly delicious (I'm quite biased in terms of lobster bisques) and absolutely juicy. The langoustine piece is skewered onto its own leg, along with a cherry tomato. The tomato absorbs so much of the juices of the lobster and takes on this sweet and sour lobster tomato taste. This is the one plate that I wanted to lick clean in the entirety of the courses, largely in part to the rich texture of the squet and the actual sweetness of the langoustine.



Sole, Artichoke, Butterbur is a very bitter counter taste to the prior dish, taking our senses away from the heavy and toward the light again. Sole, deep underneath artichoke and butterbur bits lies cooked to a point of sultry juiciness among much more savory leaves. This really enjoyed the effect of the Chardonnay Vinegar foam, as well as some Japanese bitter leaves (I forget their name), which really changed the depth of the artichoke and butterbur salad.



The second favorite of the night's courses, Guinea Fowl, Foie Gras, and Plum worked together to create a very Asian inspired touch to Western weight. A sweet plum puree lies dotted on the left hand side, whereas Japanese mountain vegetable (help me here people, these things don't really translate well) rests curled up over a piece of succulent fowl o'er a tender foie gras. As a "perfect bite", the flavors meld together with sweet, savory, and salty. As individual parts, the curled vegetable has a nice crunch (ugh), the fowl was juicy and savory, and I never have complaints about well-cooked foie. The sauce with the fowl reminded me a lot of Chinese style duck with sweet sauce, but on a slightly more Western axis.



Reinterpreted Xiaolongbao. See prior post for details :)



Spring Landscape I tastes as impressive as it looks. Simple, delicate, and full of rich earthy flavors. Light greens with many mushrooms, with fermented shallots and garlic for an incredibly "spring" and "earth" touch for the ground. Every bite was as intended, expressing the taste of spring coming and the vibrancy of hidden flavors and textures. Plus garlic and shallots, which I love in nearly everything.



On a manga frame of black mayonnaise silk screened onto the plate, a piece of 36 hour slow cooked meat that has been sitting inside a pressurized canister (the ones they use for whipped cream) comes out and gets promptly blow torched. From there, it gets slicked and placed onto the manga frames, where sauce is draped over it. This is the coolest part. The meat is somewhat lukewarm (but still melt in your mouth warm), but the sauce bubbles continuously. Absolutely amazing. Also. I ate everything.



And here's miso soup. Please read Winter for the description and taste.



Spring Landscape II, the first of the desserts, presents the fresh scene of snow having just melted and the earth coming to life again. This one is chockablock full of chocolate. The chocolate jelly appears to be a lake, with a chocolate tree with a truffle (the mushroom kind) base, covered with freeze dried chocolate ice cream (both white and otherwise). There are hazelnut bits and aero chocolate chunks to round it out. Mint leaves and a raspberry round out this almost-too-chocolate-y confection, which otherwise tempts and teases with all the way chocolate can offer, in a variety of formats and densities.



Blood orange caviar, made in much the same way that the garlic and pepper caviar was made last time. This was Starburst goodness, with two strands of saffron on top. The texture and aftertaste of the blood orange was a bit better than the garlic and pepper, but mostly due to the sweetness.



Two separate desserts here. The first is dehydrated bananas covered in white chocolate, making a marshmallow-y textured banana-chocolate confection. The strawberry paper was crunchy but had the taste and nostalgia of Fruit-Roll-Up, but once eaten, smelling the piece of paper with the scent of condensed milk created the illusion of strawberries and milk.



Second to last, this Japanese inspired sweet is red bean covered with a sakura mousse and petal-chips. I'm not a huge fan of red bean but the sakura taste was pleasant in tandem.



And Fruit. See amazement in Winter.

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Overall, the experience was still worth the cost, though the food was a bit less my usual palette. However I enjoyed the depth and remarkable quality of food that was still presented to me. Apparently, there's going to be something amazing in Summer. I can't wait. :)