What You Eat at a Michelin-Starred Restaurant

To celebrate our anniversary Rémi and I recently dined at Restaurant David Toutain, which, in 2015, attained its first Michelin star. I took a photo of every course (admire me for my bravery or cringe at my crassness!) so I could share the kind of things one eats at a Michelin-starred restaurant.

Restaurant David Toutain

The sixteen course degustation was accompanied by five glasses of wine and a glass of cider. You might notice that in some photos I had already commenced eating the course — admittedly, it became harder for me to remember to first take a photo with every drained glass!

From left to right, top to bottom:

• Salsify root and white chocolate;
• Parsley and juniper tube;
• Balls of chargrilled beetroot and avruga. Rémi commented, “Nothing I’ve ever burnt has tasted this good”. Me neither.
• Egg, corn and cumin whipped together into liquid airiness, served with rustic bread and salted butter. Obviously I swooned at the adorable bird’s nest.
• Saint Jacques (that’s a scallop for us anglophones) in its shell with whey;
• Risotto with celeriac and chestnut;
• Carabinero prawn with aillet and what I believe to be verbena;
• Callebaut with rapini, a slightly bitter vegetable that looks like brocolli, but isn’t;
• Potato boulangère with fresh walnuts and colonatta lard (you might be interested in listening to this BBC Food Programme podcast about fats — “A Fat Lot of Good”; there’s an interesting segment about the comeback of lard, which, like butter, may not be as bad for us as we thought).
• Smoked eel with black sesame sauce;
• Pigeon, sweet potato gnocchi and quince;
• Four ingredient mousse-like dessert of cauliflower, vanilla, coconut and a hint of white chocolate;
• Milk crisp with niaouli honey;
• Coriander, avocado and grapefruit icecream;
• Mignardises: chocolate truffles, churros and something green and glutinous that I didn’t catch but seemed very Asiatic.

We enjoyed each of the courses immensely, and found the innovative use of ingredients inspiring and flavoursome. It was easy to see the thought and creativity David Toutain put into texture, time and temperature; into creating both balance and contrast; into sourcing high quality ingredients; and into honouring the classical while also shunning it in the most delicious and innovative of ways. The plating was also admirable: black on black, white on white, farm-to-table accents and evergreen beds — such charmingly simple things we don’t dare do at home.

Some Michelin-Starred Dining Advice

• The formality differs from place to place, so check ahead. These days its very common to find Michelin-starred restaurants that could be defined as something like “casual elegance”. David Toutain’s was on this scale of things.
• What you eat at a Michelin-starred restaurant depends upon the establishment. Each chef has a signature style that is usually derived from a number of influences, and their restaurants are the canvasses for applying these. Do some research on the chef, especially if the dishes are set, to establish whether they like what you like (for instance, Toutain worked for Alain Passard, did a stint in Spain and is a big fan of seafood, so those who like a focus on vegetables, a Spanish flair and seafood are wise to go here).
• Just because a restaurant doesn’t have a star does not mean that their food is rubbish. Many chefs have actually dropped out of the Michelin star system, or have asked that stars be removed from their establishments, as the pressure of trying to maintain these ratings is too much for some. (I get it. Sometimes you just want to make great food without all the fuss.)
• Don’t expect the best meal you’ve ever had. Expect a superb meal, a creative meal, a beautifully presented meal, and a meal made from quality ingredients, but you might find that the best meal you’ve ever had is your mum’s coconut-crab, or your wife’s chèvre and beetroot tart, or your boyfriend’s quiche. This doesn’t make you stupid about food. It just makes you honest about your preferences, and also perhaps a tad bit sentimental. There’s nothing wrong with that.
• Despite the meal not being the best you’ve ever had, the service, aesthetics, innovativeness and quality is still oh-so worth it. The delicately plated dishes and unthought of ways of combining ingredients will inspire you. You will see that while taste is important, texture, temperature, time, aesthetics and the quality of the raw ingredients are foundational. The way you look at cooking will broaden, and you will know with all conviction that art can be made in a kitchen.

About the Michelin Guide

You’ve probably heard of Michelin Tyres. Well, it’s with the same company, founded by two brothers, that the prestigious Michelin Guide all began. In the early 1900s, the brothers commenced making free guides for motorists to encourage car sales (and therefore increase demand for tires). It featured what you’d expect in a motorist guide: lists of mechanics and petrol stations, hotels, tire changing and repairing advice, maps. It also featured a restaurant section which eventually became very popular.

In response to growing demand, the brothers began charging for the guides, and bolstered the guide’s restaurant section by recruiting a team of reviewers (called inspectors) who would visit restaurants anonymously. The guide has since continued to evolve into what we now it to be. (It’s kind of funny how the most prestigious restaurant award is derived from a tyre company’s free motorist’s guide/marketing effort, right?)

Like most things, the Michelin Guide has come under scrutiny. Disgruntled employees have claimed of chef favouritism, of a preferable bias toward certain cuisines and dining standards (namely French), and a lack of restaurant inspections due to there not being enough inspectors in employment. Regardless, the Michelin Guide can either make or destroy a chef, and remains to be the most highly esteemed and trusted means of assessing a restaurant’s quality.

The 2016 Michelin Guide was unveiled in Paris on Monday, February 1.

This guide is also found on Gourmanderie. Stay in touch through my newsletter, here.