My wife and I went to L’Atelier at the end of the year. From start to finish it was an outstanding experience. We had mixed up the dates, we were 2 days early, but still they were able to accommodate. Whilst things were sorted out downstairs, we had a drink at the bar upstairs.
The atelier was like a bar where you could look and admire Joel and his team. The whole equipe was at full display, and the most surprising thing was the overall calm of how things were executed, even when the orders came flooding in. The whole crew was wearing black uniforms with red accents, a colour scheme repeated throughout the restaurant.
We settled for the European tasting menu, including the wines. The food, the sevice, the pacing (they even asked us if we wanted a little break, which was perfectly timed, were of the highest quality. Some very interesting wines (including a Burgenland from Austria and a Rivaner from Luxembourg) were served and they were all perfectly balanced with the food served. The Languedoc Mas Amiel desert wine with the chocolate desert was particularly good, and so was the Spanish Duerdo that came with the quail.
A good thing that we both love foie gras and truffles, they were given in abundance. Personal highlights were the foie gras with quince and clementine marmalade, where perhaps the lack of texture was more than compensated by the taste. The quail stuffed with foie gras was really fantastic and it worked on all senses, but also the truffle and chicory salad with apple worked really well as a refreshing, almost cleansing bite in the middle.
The staff was very attentative but not obtrusive, and even the chef took the time to chat to us. A fantastic culinary evening, can’t wait to get back to taste the razor clams that my neighbour ordered.