A perfect Saturday lunch

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Hello Kitty was spending a couple of days wining and dining with the girls in Macau.  I was too busy at work to join her, but I figured I could possibly join her for a meal on Saturday.  Boss Jonas had pinged me to invite me over for a meal, and generously chose to extend the invitation to the whole party.

After failing to catch Kwuntau (罐頭) at Loja das Conservas Macau, Hello Kitty and I arrived early at Robuchon au Dôme.  I can't believe it's been a year since my last meal here.

Chef Julien Tongourian came over to greet us and also asked what we wanted for lunch.  While Hello Kitty and I are pretty easy-going, we immediately said "No" to the suggestion of beetroot... It is, after all, one of the very few things we don't eat.  He asked whether we wanted "light, or good"... which led me to ask him whether those two options are mutually exclusive.  I don't think he really wanted to answer that question...

Crispy waffle with scampi and sea urchin - always happy to start with these... A classic that I never tire of.

Le caviar: Impérial caviar and king crab refreshed with crustacean jelly and light cauliflower cream - while I've had this dish a number of times in recent years, it's been quite a while since I last saw this particular presentation... which is a lot more subtle than the recent version with all those cauliflower dots.

Underneath the top layer of cauliflower cream was the lobster jelly along with the caviar Impérial de Sologne from La Maison Nordique.  This was a timeless classic, and the flavors from the ingredients meshed together seamlessly.

Le Niçoise: Niçoise salad “new style”, slow boiled egg and tuna belly - I do love this re-interpreted version, which I first had a year ago.  The tomato concassé came with garlic, chili and bell peppers, as well as tiny little peas and little pearls made from carrots.  Garnished with some black olives and gold-specked Spanish tuna belly, and encircled by lettuce and turmeric dressing.

The green egg is the result of coating the soft-boiled egg from Yamanashi Prefecture (山梨県) with some lettuce coulis.

Le black cod: black cod and Malabar pepper sauce, bok choy and coconut foam - the famous black cod coated with miso glaze.  The Malabar pepper sauce came with some oyster sauce, and we've also got some coconut foam on the side to make it a little exotic.  Just can't go wrong with this.

Le bœuf: beef châteaubriand and foie gras "Rossini" style with vintage Port wine - I would have preferred something a little different, since I've had this beautiful dish a number of times in the last couple of years, but I figured some of the girls needed to try it.  The presentation in the lacquered Champagne box - complete with rising smoke - was as impressive as ever.  The execution was perfect, and both the beef as well as the foie were about as tender as could be.

Pommes soufflés

Mushroom broth

Mashed potatoes - how could I not have this, one of Oncle Joël's most iconic creations?

The cheese trolley was rolled over, and we took turns picking out our choices.  I decided to take it easy.

Saint-Félicien

Brillat-Savarin - I can never resist how creamy this is... and how it just melts in the mouth.

The ice cream trolley came and I just picked out one flavor - black cherry sorbet.  This was as delicious as I remembered.

The dessert trolley came, and once again I was pretty restrained.

Opéra

Chocolate tart

Japanese-inspired vanilla and cherry Swiss roll

The last trolley that came was the one with mignardises, and I picked out a few little things...

Yuzu chocolate -

Black cherry macaron

Canelé

Coffee tartlette

Madeleine, baked à la minute -

Boss Jonas very kindly chose a few bottles from the hotel's amazing collection of wines, and he knows very well what kind of stuff that really gets me excited.

Krug Grande Cuvée, 165éme édition, ID 416039 - very big and toasty nose.  Acidity was a little higher than expected.  Such a beautiful wine.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage Le Méal Blanc - very big toasty nose, which was lovely.  Really, really ripe on the palate, actually a little over-ripe, and ended up being a little bitter.

1975 Robert Weil Kiedricher Gräfenberg Riesling Auslese - beautiful and sweet on the nose, with honey, preserved lemon, and dried tangerine peel.  Not too sweet on the palate.

2010 Chapoutier Ermitage L'Ermite - decanted 1½ hours prior to serving.  First whiff was almost Bordeaux-like, with smoke but not much fruit.  Showed eucalyptus and a hint of black pepper, and was still a little sharp on the nose in terms of alcohol.

1934 Henriques and Henriques Malmsey - THIS was an incredible treat.  Showing Asian pear like Korean or Japanese nashi with the mineral notes, and interesting, exotic spices, really ripe prunes, and even a little savory notes.

What an incredible treat!  Many thanks to Boss Jonas for the kind and generous hospitality, Chef Tongourian for delivering a meal that was "good" but also on the "light" side, and of course the service team including Ray.