The Royce @ Langham Hotel

I was bummed when Langham's famous The Dining Room with Michael Voltaggio closed down before I get to sample it. Not having a chance to dine at The Dining Room was is a huge mistake on my part. So this time, I make up for my mistake by going to The Royce on opening week. Along with Kevin from KevinEats, Ryan of Epicuryan and others, we are able to dine at the Chef's Table.

David Féau, a protégé of French chef Guy Savoy and ex-executive chef of Patina, takes up the Helm at The Royce. Being my first time sampling David Féau's creation, I was excited for this dining experience (On the side note, I did the usual...Rushed to the restaurant last minute by weaving through crazy LA traffic. It's my style).

Amuse Bouche - Calf Liver, Pickled Concord Grapes, Sunchoke Soup, cajun spices, smoked herring "friend"

The Sunchoke soup was creamy and carried a subtle spice flavor to it, hearty but not hearty. The puff pastry was a nice bite: crispy and carried a nice subtle fishiness of herring, making the wet contrast with the crispy. The calf liver is the surprising part, tender, moist, and you can actually chew a bit. Along with the sweetness from the grape plays a nice symphony of liver and grapes.

Lobster Pomegranate - Slow poached lobster, Coleman's Farm butter lettuce, sweet onion, pomegranate hot & snow

A nice play of the nitrogen to make the pomegranate snow to go along with the lobster salad. The crispiness of the fresh lettuce, combines with the tenderness of the lobster, along with the pomegranate sauce, hot and cold (and the sweet seeds) brings a nice interplay of the sweet and simple, tender and crisp.

Cabbage Oyster - Savoy cabbage and oyster velouté, creme fraiche mignonette, domestic caviar

The soup here retains a lot of the freshness and sweetness of the Hama Hamas oyster, with the mildly flavored  cabbage wrapping around it. On top of it, the caviar extenuate the loveliness of the dish. This great soup plays a fine line along the fresh sea sweetness and its saltiness. 

Chef Feau came out to prep for our next dish....

Porcini Pear - Porcini and chestnut casserole "au four," parsley, kosui pear

This dish reminds me of a nice home cooked dish, sort of a mama's dish. The shaved pear provides a mild sweetness while the nicely cooked Porcini mushroom plays along with the subtly sweet chestnut, creating a nice textural combination/contrast.

Surprised dish

Scallop, Lobster Roe - seared diver scallop, lobster roe sauce, caviar, finger lime, braised endive, fennel

This dish came as a surprise as Chef Féau wants to show us this dish. The perfectly seared scallop plays nicely along with the lobster bisque and the caviar on top brings a nice balance of sweet and mild saltiness to the dish. The braised endive at the end provides a satisfying finish. For being a die-hard scallop fan, this scallop dish definitely rank as one of my top. 

Salsifi - Salsifi four ways, puree, braised, ash, fried

This artistic display of the Salsifi is a heart robber. The four way plays of Salsifi is a piece of art, as well as great flavor. The puree version provides a nice "mashed" texture while the crispy fried version provides a nice contrast difference. In addition, the crispy version is a bit salty and it goes well with the puree Salsifi. While the braised version provides a nice natural flavor and texture of the salsifi, the ashed version of the Salsifi provides a nice smoky flavor to the its natural version. All in all, the interplay here is mind blowing. 

Berkshire Pork, Date - apple cider braised pork belly, hallway dates chutney, carol potato

I love a nicely cooked pork belly and Chef Féau's version of it is does not disappoint. The pork belly, which usually is really fat, doesn't seem to be the case here, which I like personally. The tender belly, paired with a lot of sweets (the apple cider, dates chutney, and braised apple) combined to be a very nice and successful dish. You would think the dish is a sweet tooth's heaven. However, look can be deceiving, and this dish is surprisingly mild in terms of sugar. 

John Dory, Vent Basque - St Pierre fillet, à la plancha, black bread, iberico ham, gundillas bacalao sauce

The fillet of John Dory comes with a great deal of smokiness, while it retains its smoothness and juice. The Garlic and piquillo pepper on top adds even more seasoning to it, making the fish's flavor even more attractive. The potato with the iberico ham was actually a nice mix and provides a nice complementary to the John Dory.

Guinea Hen, Caviar - Skinless roasted guinea hen, chestnut milk, domestic caviar, spinach leaves 

This guinea hen is probably one of the best guinea hen dish I've had thus far, and here's why. To start off, I tried the nice crispy hen with caviar on top. The crispy hen is juicy, great in texture and flavorful. The caviar provides a mild subtle saltiness, making the hen even more amazing. The "whiter" side of the hen, although less crispy, also comes with similar flavor, yet brings in more of the meaty texture. The chestnut gelatin provides a nice intermission for the chicken, making it a really good complement for this dish.    

Venison, Lychee - Roasted venison loin, red cabbage ginger-lychee compote, sweet potato, snap peas

This perfectly cooked venison provides a great texture and nice meaty flavor to night. The sweet pea puree, combined with the lychee provides an excellent flavoring to this dish. The puree was mildly sweet, which enhances the venison and not overpowering the meat flavor itself. Although I have to say, I can only taste a little bit of the lychee as the meat and sweet pea overpowers it by a slight margin. yet, it's still a very successful dish. 

Camembert, Coing - Salted crust Russian banana potato topped with camembert, quince confit

The cheese course is actually quite strong for me in here, as the Camembert cheese brings in a strong flavoring. Yet, with the sweet persimmon, it counteracts with the strong cheese, making it a very comforting dish. 

Chocolate, Black Currant - variation of chocolate textures

The soft chocolate Soufflé brings in a nice mildly chocolate and spongy texture, how a perfectly cooked soufflé is supposed to be. Along with the chocolate tuile, gelatin, black currant sorbet and chocolate ice cream. This combo would make any chocolate lover smile. 

MIGNARDISES

At the end of the meal, we were presented some small departing bites. A fruit tart, Crème brûlée in a mini chocolate cup and a queso cheese bite. Also, we have 3 different kinds of chocolate presented to us, milk, white and dark chocolate. The dark chocolate is surprising not as bitter as i thought it is. I usually am not a dark chocolate fan but this has rekindle my curiosity to explore that horizon.

After dinner, we were the only one left and we get to explore the entire dining room. The place is exquisite, I have to say.

We were also presented the opportunity to see the kitchen.

The loss of the dining room was indeed a tragic news for foodie, however, the renewed Langham Hotel with Royce is definitely a delightful addition. The food was superb, original, creative and fun. I have to add that Chef Féau has provided us an excellent dinner and I'll be looking forward the next time when I get to sample his great dishes. 

Maison Akira

After studying under the world renowned Joel Robuchon in Paris, and achieved success in Japan, Chef Akira Hirose moved his cuisine to Los Angeles and cooked in several successful establishment, including Belvedere in Beverly Hills. Maison Akira is his very own establishment dated back to 1998 and has been providing top dining experience for the Southern California foodie. His French cuisine is infused with Japanese influences and over the course of dining here, I understand why.

Seared Hokkaido Scallops

This scallop comes with a bit of saltiness and a moderate heat from the Sriracha sauce. A very interesting start for the night 

Hamachi & Ahi Tuna Sashimi Duo with Masago Wasabi

This is actually my first time having Wasabi Masago and, I must say, I prefer this over regular wasabi. Not only does it come with the wasabi flavor, the wasabi masage also bring along the saltiness, which I really enjoy. The Hamachi is quite fresh and it's at the thickness that I like, same goes with the Ahi Tuna. Along with the red round pepper, the combination of this dish balanced each other quit well.

Escargots de Bourgogne

This is another first for me: Traditional French style Escargo. The sauce is a bit buttery with a strong hinch of garlic and green onion. Going along the squishy, yet spongy texture of the Escargo. It was definitely a bliss.   

Foie Gras (with Toasted Brioche, Poached egg) 

The seared Foie Gras comes with a nice touch of sweet terrikayi sauce, which enriches the Foie. Along with a perfectly poached egg, this definitely makes the dish a hearty bite. However, the sweetness was a bit too much for me, but it was still a great bite.

Duo of Oyster Flan & Hamahama Osyter with Salmon Roe 

There's two parts to this dish: One is the Osyter Flan, the other is a bacon wrapped oyster. (warning: if you're not a fishy person, you may stop here and move on to the next dish, otherwise, please proceed) The Oyster Flan can be described as "taste of the ocean", it is comparable to the flavor of Uni, since it's a concentrate of Osyter. Along with sea urchin sauce, this dish is a very heavy dose of fishiness. The bacon wrapped oyster is a delicious, "I can eat all day" delicacy. Its sweet and smoky flavor definitely makes this dish complete.

Matsutake Mushroom & Shrimp Bouillon

This broth can be best explained by imagining a nice home cooked broth. Everything came together in a harmonious way. Yet, to my disappointment, this broth come with a lot of ginger and it's a bit bitter.

Miso Marinated Grilled Chilean Sea Bass with Grilled Ratatouille & Quinoa

This is Chef Akira’s Signature Dish, served to the Emperor & Empress of Japan during their visit to Los Angeles in 1994. The seabass is perfectly cooked, with a nice crispy and a bit fatty skin. The Ratatouille is served on top of a bed of Israeli couscous, which brings in a subtle flavor to this dish.

Pear Sake Granité

Very light, sweet and clean. A very nice palet cleansing sorbet. Definitely a good break. from all the heavy food.

Grilled Snake River Farm “Kobe“ New York Steak in a Cabernet Sauvignon Sauce

This nicely cooked kobe beef is tender, moist and juicy. Bringing in a lot flavoring and extenuating the beef's natural flavor.

Brown Turkey Fig Compote, with Vanilla bean ice cream and roasted almond

What I really like about this dish is the nice fig's texture. A little caramelized, yet, keeping its natural flavor in tact. The addition of Vanilla bean ice cream definitely make a great complement to this dish

Grand Marnier Soufflé Classic, strawberry sorbet

This perfectly cooked souffle contains a nice fluffy spongy cake texture, in addition of the vanilla flavor, makes this a very nice ending for the night. The strawberry sorbet that follows has a natural sweetness of the strawberry to go with it.

All in all, I'm satisfied with what I've experienced here. The food is consistent and subtle. You can't go wrong with this place. Yet, perhaps I was looking for more creativity in the food, I wasn't satisfied. However, I do hope that Chef Hirosh will bring in some interesting dish in the future that could knock my hat off, and I'm sure he can do that.

Ludobites 6.0 @ Max - Round 2

I was lucky enough to be invited by Fellow Blogger Darin from DarinDines to taste the Ludo's Dish. After going on the beginning day, I have a certain expectation of what I'm getting, and I would have to say, Ludo always prevail and surprise.

As always, the LudoBite menu is always a good description of what to anticipate for my belly. 

Warm Baguette, Baratte Smoked Butter, Sardine - Laughing Cow Cheese

As always, the bread at LB is warm and fresh, with the addition of Sardine Cow Cheese, which carried a bit of fishy taste, is always an excellent start of the night. 

Hamachi, Vietnamese Style

This Hamachi is actually the same one I've eaten on the first day at LB 6.0. Same dish, great flavor. Yet, I like this dish better this time because it has less concentrated taste from the fish sauce and a little more focus on the Yellow Tail and it's excellent texture. 

Escargots, Brussell Sprouts, Red Mole, Corn Ice Cream, Marinated Tofu

This is actually my very first time having Escargots and I have to admit, it has a funky texture and taste. It's soft but chewy, and the taste of the sauce reminds of a nice bbq curry sauce. My taste bud is definitely playing games with me.

Marinated Mackerel, Leche Del Tigre, Baby Leeks, Verdolagas Leaves

This well cooked Mackerel comes with a thin crispy skin, combined with a drizzle of fish sauce. Also noted is the texture of the meat, it's actually really moist. This definitely created a little party in my mouth.

 

Salmon "a l'huile" Somen Noodles, Carrots, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Grilled Salmon Roe

This dish is definitely complex, yet elegantly. With salmon Roe bringing in the salty flavor, combined with a drizzle of vinaigrette and Somen noodle, brings a horde of hard to distinguish flavor in your mouth. Another interesting dish coming from Ludo.

Scallop, Celery Root Remoulade, red Port, Walnuts, Dried Fruits

One of the dishes I didn't get to try in my last adventure here. This perfectly seared Scallop, with a tiny bit of crisp on the skin, definitely didn't disappoint me. It is nicely seasoned, perfectly crisp on the outside, combined with a nice red port sauce, creates a great combination of flavor and taste. The most surprising component is the celery root. A bit crunchy and chewy and the red port sauce made it even more appealing. 

Hot Boudin Noir Pudding "Parmentier", Apples Mustard Tapioca

The coolest thing here is that the sausage is turned into a pudding or a moose (it's located at the bottom, the brown stuff). You can still taste the flavor of the sausage, combined with sliced of apple. It definitely doesn't leave me thinking I'm fat. A very creative dish.

Oriental Mussels Veloute, Heirloom Tomato, Small Fries

This dish is actually the same as last time, yet, the color of the soup is yellow in this one. Prompting a suspicion of what's in it. Yet, after digging in, the flavor of the mussel soup is still here. It's creamy, flavorful and you can taste the mussel in it. The fries is also great, whether dunk it in with the soup or by itself, it serves as a nice compliment.

Poached-Roasted Foie Gras, Acacia Honey, Autumn Fruits, Rose Flowers

This dish is an excellent combination of the two styles of cooking Foie Gras: Poaching and Roasting. The outside of the Foie Gras seems fairly typical, but once you bite into it, the poaching Foie Gras flavor is right there. Combined with the mildy sweet honey and an assortment of fruit. It brings in a fruity flavoring with the Foie and a new sensation of flavoring is created. Definitely one of the most original dish from Ludo tonight.

John Dory, Potato, Herbs, Brocollini Flowers, Green Jalapenos Nage

This is also the same dish I had a few weeks ago. The earthiness of the broth brewed from the herbs and Brocollini flowers carry a nice earthiness and draws out the natural flavor of the John Dory. This time, however, I can really taste the Jalapenos, which to my delight, is an excellent addition to this dish.

Half Chicken, Poached Egg, Chanterelles, Chorizo

This chicken is very hyped up by one of my friends, who claimed this is one of the BEST chicken she's had thus far. After tasting it, I can understand why. This chicken is marinated with chorizo, which brings a nice salty flavor to the chicken. On top of it, the chicken is perfectly cooked, thus, the meat is moist. Combined with a nicely cooked 68 degree egg, this dish is definitely dreamy.

Marinated Korean Steak, Crispy Kimchi, Bone Marrow, Shiso

This nicely cooked steak, combined with a young Kimchi, definitely brings a little bit of sour and spicy flavoring to the meat.The bone marrow on top is also a good compliment to the protein.

Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffier Lime Oil

I'm usually not a carrot cake fan and I have to say, I'm surprised by how much I like this carrot cake. The cake is infused with a little bit of coconut (which brings in a little chewiness in the cake), and the addition of lime oil brings a nicely mildy sweet flavor and lime onto the cake. Eat with the mango sorbet. Definitely a nice dessert to have.

Creme Fraiche Panna Cotta, Caramel Caviar

This Creamy Panna Cotta brings a refreshing, yet, creamy flavor to the dessert. Combined with the saltiness of the Caviar and the sweetness of the caramel. Definitely a great way to end the night!!

Even though I have a certain expectation before coming in, Ludo still brings in a nice surprise to my dining experience. The creativeness that is needed for the foie gras is definitely mind blowing, along with all his other dishes. All in all, I left very satisfied, very happy and a bit of anxiousness to see what Ludo can bring in the future. I vaguely remember reading an article comparing dining at Ludobite to a dream date that comes only once a year, or two. Well then, that sort of sums up what I think Ludobite this time around.

The Ludo Crew.

Ludobites 6.0 @ Max

So here's the story....Just like most people...I DIDN'T get a reservation.

But mother nature + good friends are on my side that night, I got a tip from my friends saying that walk-in  had available space on opening night. So I drove about 100 mph (at least i think I was) + weaving through traffic from the big I to Sherman Oaks..and my compulsive & dangerous behavior was rewarded.

It was that kind of night..Insane? No...Hungry? Definitely.

(Just saying this in advance, I didn't have my camera and these are iphone pictures as that was the only camera I had with me. Both KevinEats & DarinDines have the better picture. Please refer to them)

As always, Ludobite have their very original, cute design menu. I really like this format. 

Mexican Mojito

This Mojito is gorgeous. Not too sweet, not too mild. It has the right mix of Tequila and mint flavor. 

Black Trumpet Mushroom Cappuccino, Creamy Butternut Squash

The soup has an excellent creamy squash flavor with "cold" black trumpet mushroom paste, which creates an interesting mix of flavor. The most interesting thing about this dish is that the mushroom paste is a bit cold, combined with the warm soup. As such, it creates a nice sensation in your mouth. Excellent start for the night.

Hamachi, Vietnamese Style
This Vietnamese style Hamachi is best described by thinking of what a nice Vietnamese Eggroll is without the lettuce and, instead of eggroll, a nice thick slice of Hamachi sushi. Nice Asian flavor combined with an excellent texture of the fish. My favorite is the lotus root. It provides that little bit of crunchiness. Another very successful dish from Ludo.

Barely Cooked Squid Noodles, Pad Thai, Prawn, Tofu
The squid is nice and tender, with a mix of grounded peanut. The flavoring is just flawless. The most interesting thing about this dish is the little white Miso paste. It doesn't carry too much flavor but it carries a "hidden" heat in which it hits you about 3 seconds later. Leaving you wonder where the heat comes from.( I actually spent some time digging for the heat)  - definitely one of my favorite dish of the night.

Poached Foie Gras, Green Lentils, Miso Broth, Turnips & Radish
This is actually my first time having Poached Foie Gras and it's definitely a different experience for me. My very first bite impression of this dish was totally different from my very last bite. And here's the story - The Foie Gras, just by itself and on my first bite, was really gamy. However, as I take more bites, the mixture of lentils, miso broth, radish and turnips creates a whole different set of flavor. I couldn't taste the gaminess at all as the Foie Gras blends in with the other ingredients. At the end, I really enjoy this dish. bon travail!

Mussels Velouté, Green Peppercorn, Pineapple, Fennel, Potato Paille
This is actually a very interesting dish as the mussels is turned into a soup with chunk of peppercorn and pineapple. The soup itself is creamy, yet light, but very flavorful. My seldom bite of pineapple with the peppercorn creates a very complex flavor inside your mouth. With the addition of the potato Paille (think of it as super thin potato fries) creates a nice complimentary flavor and texture in your mouth.

John Dory, Potato Herbs, Brocollini Flowers, Green Jalapenos Nage
The well cooked John Dory with the very earthiness flavor from the broth creates a semi-mommy's cooking and refined natural flavor in my mouth. My every bite of this dish reminds me the fresh ingredients and the great nature we have. Although I couldn't taste the Jalapenos, it is still a great dish in the absents of it. Absolutely delicious. Definitely one of the strongest dish of the night.

Pear, Hot Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea Broth, Mint
The poached Pear mixed really well with the Matcha green tea and mint. A bit light compared to the other dishes but serves a very good ending to this dinner. A very precise ending to such a great night of food.


Although I wasn't able to try the other dishes, however, judging from the dishes I've had, it serves as a very convincing evidence that Ludo has, once again, met & exceed some of my expectation. I'm looking forward to another visit and sample Ludo's creation. But for now, I'll need to run a couple more laps in preparation for that.