La Français Soirée: Le Cinq***

by Kyoko Nakayama @ 27 Jul 2018

With a culinary history dating back half a millennium, the French cuisine contains an immense wealth of techniques and practices steeped in tradition. France has been a central hub in culinary training and development for centuries, with culinary guilds dating back to even the Middle Ages - now, for many, it’s one of the top food destinations in the world. Travelling across the country, I visit some of its most established restaurants to see where this culinary powerhouse stands today.

Le Cinq is the signature restaurant of Hotel George V, a historical ‘Palace Hotel’ in Paris with an impressively warm and sophisticated service. Since taking the helm in 2015, Chef Christian Le Squer has led the kitchen to the 3 Michelin stars it proudly possesses today. His elegant touch elevates even the humblest of ingredients to a meal worthy for royalty.

Their trademark ‘Parisian style’ gratinated onions is a reconstructed onion gratin. The crux of this dish is the onions, even with no other luxurious components involved, it remains one of the much loved dishes served in the restaurant.

Similar to a classic onion gratin, the base is made with sautéed onions that are thinly sliced. Parmigiano-Reggiano is mixed in and the mixture is shaped and baked like a round cake. It is then topped with onion soup using a spherification technique. The sphere is replicated with small ‘onions’, filled with warm onion soup inside. The dish is usually paired with vintage port wine, which complements its caramelized onion flavor very well.

line-fished sea bass caviar / buttermilk from my childhood

The desserts in the restaurant are done by Chef Maxime Frédéric. He makes a dessert of cultured cream mousse and ice cream. Natural yeast is added to the Brittany cream and fermented for 45 minutes. This results in a toasty aroma and a slightly “mochi” like texture.

Adapted from the Jul Aug 18 issue of Cuisine & Wine Asia.

La Français Soirée: Le Cinq***

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