Michelin Sage at Sofitel: One Day Remaining!

Rene Meilleur, the brains behind the two Michelin-starred restaurant La Bouitte, located in the French Alps, is in Beijing, cooking at the Sofitel’s Le Pre Lenotre restaurant until tomorrow (June 29). He’s prepared two set menus for his stint at the French fine dining restaurant, each featuring his signature dishes – with only one day to go, you’d best get on the phone and book a table if you’re keen to test out what Meilleur has to offer.

I sampled three of the featured dishes, all of which perfectly reflect Meilleur’s cooking philosophy: to maximize the virtue of each ingredient. The subtle sweetness of a potato, the rare tenderness of sea bass, the mild herby flavor of basil – all are delivered with the simple application of a few complementary ingredients.

Due to the application of almonds and milk, the potato puree is evenly emulsified, creamy and smooth, accented with slices of French black truffle. Crisp potato chips add texture, the black truffles provides aroma, and drops of herby olive oil enrich the potato flavor.

As a fat-free fish, sea bass is rarely as tender as cod, but Meilleur’s perfect timing made this an exception. Imported from France, the fish is especially succulent and soft. The crispy breadskin makes it a kind of salubrious version of crispy pork belly. From green pea coulis to beetroot and dried beef kernels, down to the fish itself, no element on the plate is heavily flavored – that’s how much confidence the chef has in the quality of the products he’s working with. This is perhaps the first dish from which I can say that I truly know the taste of sea bass.

As refreshing as it sounds, the basil sorbet was a true summer ice treat, which melted quickly and turned into an ideal sauce for Italian buffalo mozzarella and fresh frozen strawberries. Imagine the strawberries as a replacement for tomatoes and you could say this is a dessert version of Caprese.

With his roots in the Alps, Meilleur has spent the past 40 years exploring all the varied flavors of vegetables and herbs he can find in the mountain range. The chef says: “Every single kind of plant has its own characteristic taste, which will differ significantly due to varying levels of salt. Like grapes for wine, the taste of any given vegetable or herb can be totally different when grown in different soil or in a region with a different climate.” When asked where his inspiration comes from, he smiles, “Walking and resting my mind among nature. I would choke if I stayed in the city for too long.”

That’s your taster: now grasp your last chance to taste the fruits of Rene Meilleur’s culinary wisdom, served in Le Pre Lenotre’s customarily large portions.

Event link: http://www.thebeijinger.com/events/2011/May/TWO-MICHELIN-STAR-CHEF-AT-SOFITEL-WANDA-BEIJING