= These four item amuse bouches are pretty great, as now all three of the shorter tasting menus I've had on the trip have had them. Unfortunately, I didn't write any of them down at the time, and the menu just called them 'amuse bouche', but at least visually they were all adorable, and I remember thinking at least two were incredible, including one that was an uni tart.
= Ok, now we're off. What Le Du did really well is utilize Thai flavors in each dish, starting rihgt off the bat with a modified version of a green curry, softened a bit with flame-roasted scallions then pureed. The base of the dish was the best part, an oyster and pork cheek tartare that was so tasty. Le Du really started off with a bang.
= Le Du did this thing where they just list out three or four key components, but each dish had way more components than the ones listed. This one was primarily a thai crab salad, with a quinelle of some grain or bean paste that was excellent. I'll admit this wasn't the prettiest dish, but it was definitely effective.
= This dish was beautiful, and tasty. The primary component was a perfectly cooked thai catfish, with a reduced green curry and a wolffia (no idea?) puree. The added elements of the other vegetables and edible flowers and whatnot just made the dish come to life a bit more. I don't know if this was their best dish, but the one that made me think that this would be a special meal.
= a king mackeral fish cake with thai spices was a nice start, but the seaweed salae, the dried then fried shiitake mushroom, and the almond sauce, were all just incredible little additions that brightened up what would be a fairly staid dish (if you limit it to just the fish cake).
= This was the main dish, and maybe seemed a bit simplistic, but every component was just perfect. From the pork jowl (oustanding), to the reduced massaman curry. The little peanut curry quinelle to add a bit of bitterness. The pea puree with little bits and bobs on top to give it some freshness. This was about as well composed and created a dish as I've had in a long time.
= The palate cleanser was great, though I don't remember exactly what it was. The primary desert was a mango done in multiple ways, with Thai cocoa nubs and brittle. I'll admit, the desert while being very tasty was a bit traditional, not entirely Thai, and a bit standard. Standard for a tasting menu place, but standard nonetheless.
Gaggan
= Chef Gaggan took much trouble to say often that 23 of the 25 dishes were new, but the first one itself was not. It was his classic "yogurt explosion" dish, but it was altered slightly from how I had it the first time, a bit more jazzed up, this time with a freeze-died chutney leaf to eat it with. This is incredible, just a masterful way to start the meal
= The next bite was a flour-less cookie, made as a rice puff, with indian spices and foie gras in the middle. This wasn't the best bite, but a nice solid reminder of how much he packs into even the smallest of bites
= This is where he starts showing off almost, this was a papadum (standard indian fare) that was twice fried, with the components of a tom yum soup gelatinized over it. The result was basically a soup and bread taste to perfection
= this was a palate cleanser to some degree, a buckwheat and lime ice cream film over foie gras. It was odd eating what was essentially a cookie, but the foie gras was excellent
= This was a thin "humus papaer" with pomegranate frozen and as a cream paste. It was supposed to mimic a hummus type starter, and the taste I don't know if it did, but if anything it tasted better than what a hummus dip would have had
= So he called this creamy thai rat brains. I have no idea if he was being serious, or joking. He tried tying this to a story of how this was the only truly sustainable dish that he had on his menu. Whatever it was, it tasted amazing.
= So this was one part of a two-part combo, the first being the "dirt" which was a creamed, gravy potato in the middle, and edible dirt and root vegetables around it. This idea of an under the ground cooked potato is becoming a bit of a trend (a great one)
= This was the "above the ground" version of the prior dish, it was beautiful, it was incredible tasty. he didn't really explain what it was, but nonetheless, the two-part combo was quite interesting.
= This was described as a cucumber curry, infused with gin & tonic. At this point, I have no real idea how to conceptualize how these dishes are made. I defienitely can't imagine how they're conceived. The whole meal has the staff largely preparing hte dishes in front of you, but even then it is putting final components together out of little bowls with each component.
= Kachori with onion masala. This was a throwback to the type of dishes he started my last meal there with - truly elevated street food. This was more of the same, in a great way.
= Next palate cleanser was a deconstructed bloody mary, with pressed celery and tomato juice and celery ice cream served cold & hot on a glass cube.
= This is when the name of the game changed to more live cooked dishes. the first being an incredible dish - a orasted then burned eggplant (incredible smokey) covered with a deep, perfectly cooked sauce made up of the ash and remains of the eggplant. it was amazing.
= This was a mushroom and methi momo. A nice alliterative combination that was incredible in person. If I have one quibble, the momo was slightly tough, but the inside (the filling) was amazing.
= This was my favorite dish, both from a personal and taste perspective. It was a pork cheek vindaloo taco. It is as it said. It was beautiful, it tasted amazing, and it was Goan. Last time Gaggan had two goan dishes (a deconstructed, but completely different vindaloo, and a prawn balchao). I love that he conitnues to serve Goan food as part of the menu
= This was called chicken charcoal. I don't truly remember much of the dish other than the sauce underneath the charcoal piece was amazing. This was a creative dish, almost like a play on a samosa with tamarind chutney.
= Duck three ways - first foie gras with mango, then breast with a lemon curd sauce, and finally confit legs with a mango jelly. If anything this was the most "conventional" dish, but it is a good reminder that places like this can straight up cook regular stuff too.
= Laal Maas lamb leg. This is the other dish that he has done previously, but even that it slightly changed. The incredible rich laal maas sauce was new (it was a chutney earlier) and it was amazing. I have no idea how he cooks the lamb with such tenderness.
= This was a coconut curry with lime and dried squid - again a fairly conventional dish and it tasted amazing. It was a dish that could ahve been provided at Le Du (not a knock on either place). Again it is nice to have these more standard dishes served in the middle of hte meal as well.
= This was a grilled anago (I think I have the spelling right?), a lightly flaky fish, with "asian mole" - may not have been a Pujol-esque Mole but still an excellent little slice of fish, cooked perfectly.
= Butter prawn with rasam. For what is a common term, I've never tasted the "butter" part of a butter prawn more than I did with this dish. It also came with a perfectly smokey rasam on the side.
= The last main was a perfectly cooked fish "thai style" with various salts given for you to use. All the salts were based on various vegetables and they all tasted that way. I think these specialized salts are underused.
= The deserts are a bit difficult to see as they made the place basically lights off with various strobe lights and music. Great scene, but hard to see. The first was a pina colada chip.
= The next was a rose meringue which was amazing. I generally don't like rose as a flavour, but in this use it was incredible. The dish was served alongside "Kiss from a Rose" as a song.
= This was an American Fruit Tart - though Gaggan admitted that there's no reason for this name, as the fruit on the dish were all from Thailand. Great dish
= This was a play on his old dish "Lick it Up" where you would like up all these little chutneys and what not. I think it was some sort of cream based thing, topped with chutneys in the structure of the world. A great way to end a great meal, even if it was 95% as good as Gaggan the first time around.
