Michelin-starred Weekend at Le Pré Lenôtre

This weekend at the Sofitel is the last chance to sample the gourmet cuisine of visiting Michelin-starred French chef Julien Machet of Le Fracon restaurant in the French Alps. Our roving dining correspondent Emily Young got the chance to try out the creative menu.

The sample four course gastronomic treat began with a green pea soup, refreshed with raspberry sherbet and parmesan cheese sticks. The refreshingly-cold red sherbet provided a distinct contrast of color and temperature to the warm velvety-green puree.

Followed was roasted codfish with chorizo scales, taro kernels and mussel juice. The codfish was perfectly cooked, breaking apart at the slightest pressure. Foamy mussel juice added a nice hint of the sea.

The next offering was a chunk of slow-cooked suckling pig served in meaty gravy. The juicy, lean meat was covered with a nice layer of slightly seared pork fat, comforting and satisfying, and balanced with beetroot and polenta on the side. Made from ground yellow cornmeal, polenta could be regarded as a staple food, and beetroot cubes flavored with radish and hawthorn bestowed a subtle sweetness and sourness.

Dessert was a naughty ending of hay sherbet. The distinctive flavor of the hay tasted smoky and herbal, which complemented the roasted grapefruit and crispy peanuts.

Chef Julien Machet’s four course menu costs RMB 588+15%, or a six course set at RMB 888+15%.