Dinner at Denis Martin

Menu "Evolution"

Chrysalide Bellota
Cornet Hollywood
♥
Rösti virtuel
Retour d'Asie
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Lingot d'or
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Langoustine, concombre à la coriandre et émulsion curry
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Sorbet sardine, framboises, estragon et faux pain
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Truffes noires, endives, yaourt à la livèche et bouillabaisse
♥
Qui l'eût cru
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Birchermuesli de foie de canard
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Rocher Granit - Argent de Boya
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Mojito, clémentine et lard torréfié
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Soufflé de merlan et cryo d'escargots
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Le pain à la tomate
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Rien
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Crevette dans l'amer
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Sourire
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Paysage Vaudois abstrait
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Choucroute garnie
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Brouillard et avalanche sur l'alpage
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Bicolore d'oeuf cassé aux truffes
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Filet de boeuf cuit & crû
♥
Improvisation
♥
Cône Woodstock
♥
Chocolat blanc et cacahuètes torréfiés

This was the menu we enjoyed last Saturday at the restaurant Denis Martin in Vevey.

Denis Martin's theme is au plaisir de faire plaisir, and a lot of pleasure he had given us. It already started with the table, which was set with plates in primary colours (cutlery was provided when needed) and two colourful toys with a cow on top, which mooed if you turned them (see below). Not exactly what you expect, when you enter a restaurant that has been awarded with 2 Michelin stars and 18 Gault Millau points.

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But before I come to the food I have to praise the waiters. Spotless service, charming and attentive yet unobtrusive (and not to forget quite handsome too).

Now to the food. If you look at the menu above, there were about 25 courses. This is not a tasting menu. Each item is a course in its own right. Just not in American style feed-the-beast dimensions. I mean, they are small - just enough to explore taste and texture. Talking about taste and texture, Denis Martin provides unexpected contrasts of flavour, temperature and texture. You never know if it really is what it seems, which is sometimes provoking, but always surprising and very delightful.

Below is the course Lingot d'Or (gold bullion). It has to be eaten à une bouchée. But unfortunately I have completely forgotten how it tasted. Another à une bouchée dish was a raw cube of tuna with a waver of white chocolate in Thai spices. This one was a thunderstorm in the mouth. My mouth had never gone through more tastes in such a short time.

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The next picture shows truffes noires, endives, yaourt à la livèche et bouillabaisse. The bouillabaisse is the small cube on the stick. The smallest soup I've ever eaten.

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I forgot to take a picture of Birchermuesli de foie de canard. Yes Birchermuesli is the popular breakfast cereal. But here the cereal had been substituted with duck liver and the fruits with tiny taste bombs that kept exploding in your mouth.

Also I don't have a picture of Rocher Granit - Argent de Boya. This had a piece of fish, which was coated with silver before it had been fried. Soufflé de merlan et cryo d'escargots was another fish with iced (cryo) snails (escargots). The snails were the white balls at the bottom.

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From the beginning we were wondering what Rien might be, since this is the French term for "nothing". Now I know that nothing tastes of dill and tomato (see how nothing looks like on the picture below). Another dish, which made us curios just because of the name was Sourire (smile). It was impossible to eat that dish without having a smile on the face afterwards no matter how grumpy you try to look. Denis Martin put some squid ink so cunningly on the spoon that when you ate the dish it painted a smile onto the lips.

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Sauerkraut was also served...

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...followed by fog and avalanches on the alpine.

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At the end you did not wonder that the steak was raw and cooked at the same time and served with a dill sauce and caramelised peanuts.

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A mind and tastebud boggling experience. This was a brilliant idea by Pilar, Thierry & Carlos who had invited us. They had promised us a dinner in a relaxing atmosphere. They more than kept their promise.