Alain Ducasse - a TC field trip

I agree wth Jason, it's awe inspiring to walk into a place like Ducasse NY. I really did have butterflies in the tummy as I heaved back the large door and walked into the 'drawing room' where we had a 'cheeky one' before the main proceedings. The dining room was incredible, we were indeed surrounded by beautiful things, dripping with Viennese or Roman opulence. This room reeked of quality, all shining sliverware and Czech crystal. I plumped for a slightly different meanu to Ace, he had the 'Aquatic Flavours' taster, while I went for the Summer Flavours menu:

-Mosaic of selected vegetables, crisp and tender, natural dressing
-Carpaccio of Hawaiian escolar, avocado and Granny Smith kaffir lime, Caspian Sea Golden Osetra caviar
-Duck foie gras terrine, white peach chutney/salad basil leaves, toasted baguette
-Maine lobster, steamed haricots verts, sugar snap/English peas, fava beans
-Roasted and glazed milk fed veal, wild mushrooms/asparagus "fricassée"
-Cheese, perfectly matured
-Napoleon og griottes, kirsch ice cream, chocolate chantilly













I couldn't fault anything...I particularly enjoyed the foie gras and the veal (being the land-lubbing carnivore I am) but the escolar was really good, as was the lobster, if slightly overcooked. I had a fabulous slab of Stilton afterwards, (I've eaten this since I was a kid in England) and dessert, coffee.

We both decided to let the knowledgable sommelier take us on a journey of wine (after all, the wine menu was quite daunting and not my area of expertise if I was honest) and he did so with gusto. He described the wine, it's virtues, it's relevance to what we were eating etc, and this was one of the best aspects fo the meal. The service is wonderful, not snobbish in any way, and even though we were paying 'through the nose' to get into this place, I loved it. A great experience nonetheless, and one which I may never be able to afford to do again!

As is tradition, the evening ended at Satsko with some prohibited sake bombs.