Dude, where's my abalone?

Pin It

It's been a while since I last had the chance to grab a drink with Saffron Bae, with him globetrotting for events and visiting the new restaurants in his fast-expanding empire. He finally managed to find an open slot, and it seemed like the right time to bring out a certain bottle to share with him.

It's Saturday night and, of course, Caprice is reasonably busy... especially when the Chef's Table gets booked out by a big brand for a few days straight. I took my seat at the Caprice Bar, and soon Victor came over and noticed that I had brought along an interesting bottle. As I said, it's a terrible vintage for a terrible chef...

But first things first... Anyss came over and poured me a BIG glass of Champagne...

R. Pouillon Grande Vallée, dégorgée 2e trimestre - very fresh on the nose, floral and fragrant. Nice with good complexity on the palate, and I thought I tasted the meunier. With time the nose became more caramelized, and the wine became more alluring.

Tonight wasn't meant to be a tasting of new dishes like our last session so I was offered a "small starter" before taking the main course, which I had preferred over a burger.

L'ormeaux façon carbonara et pata negra - arguably my favorite dish from all the ones that Saffron Bae has ever served me since I first tasted his cuisine over 11 years ago, and it has evolved over the years with a few different versions since 2015. Tonight we're back to abalone, and we've got plenty of black truffle chiffonade.

This was as stunningly beautiful as ever. Friends who know me well know of my love for carbonara, and I even have a special fondness for the one from Spaghetti House... This, of course, was pure genius. The shredded abalone came with a satisfying bite, accompanied by the creamy richness from the carbonara sauce - made even more satisfying thanks to the raw yolk of a quail egg. The jamón pata negra brought its distinctive fragrance, trying its damnedest to announce itself with a note or two above the loud chorus of the black truffle. There was an occasional 'hello' from the Parmesan discs, and the sweetness of onion compote ensured we had balance overall. Oh, we also mustn't forget those finely diced chives for their subtle contribution to the perfection of this dish.

Unlike many journalists I know - whether talented or not - I very seldom resort to using such flowery language. Neither my palate nor imagination is talented enough for me to write passages - after sniffing a glass of wine - where I tell of "stepping into a sun-soaked garden in full bloom while hearing the song of bluebirds", or some such shit. But this dish - which was fit to be served at my wedding - deserves all the praise I can heap on it.

Racan pigeon pithivier style, cocoa sauce - I don't think Saffron Bae has ever served me pithiviers, so when it was offered as an option, I immediately jumped on it. Stingy bastard only gave me a quarter, though... Well, at least he offered three wafers of black truffle to go with the radish on the side, accompanied by a raspberry and cocoa sauce.

BUT WAIT! There's something missing... Yes, I know we've got the Racan pigeon and foie gras inside, and this was pretty damn delicious and all... but WHY IS THERE NO ABALONE IN MY PITHIVIERS?! This guy stunned me with his abalone carbonara TEN YEARS AGO, but why has he been sitting on his hairy ass for the last 10 years and not done diddly-squat about putting abalone in pithiviers or pâté en croûte ?! SHEEEEIT, even his buddy Vicky Cheng had the balls to do that like, FIVE YEARS AGO! Time for him to get some pointers from his friend...

Since a quarter portion of pithiviers was clearly too small, I was only too happy when Saffron Bae asked for some cheese.

Époisses au lait cru - Saffron Bae took pains to point out that this was not from Bernard Antony, but rather from a small producer. It was salty and pungent as Époisses should, but alas, it wasn't as ripe as I would have wanted.

Comté, aged 36 months - can't go wrong with this...

Tarte aux marrons et crème chantilly - this was a fantastic new dessert. I've loved chestnut desserts since I tasted my first Mont Blanc at the age of 3, so I was always gonna be a fan of this. The tart came with a chestnut-flavored chantilly embedded with chunks of marron, and topped with chestnut ice cream highlighted with mandarin orange - the latter lending its citrus fragrance to elevate the flavors to a lighter, more ethereal form. I realize marron can sometimes be too intensely sweet, but I can't see myself getting tired of eating this.

Well, about that bottle of wine I brought for tonight...

1981 Silver Oak Cabernet Sauvignon Napa Valley - started drinking around 15 minutes after opening without decanting. Surprisingly big and lively both on the palate and on the nose, with lots of coconut and plenty of sweet fruit hanging around after more than 40 years. This was such a classic Cali cab, with leather and a bit of smoke thrown in. After about an hour the nose had really opened up well. The bottle was in excellent condition, as evidenced by the immaculate labels and a level that was into neck. Drinking very, very well and I would never have guessed this was more than 25 years old.

Since I only brought one little bottle, Saffron Bae was left a little thirsty... So even though I wasn't suffering from a cough tonight like I was the last time, I got a dose of cough medicine regardless. This glass of chartreuse was pretty nice, although I didn't ask for the specifics on this dram...

This was a nice evening out, and I'm glad I just had some nibbles with Foursheets at happy hour and waited for this. Grateful for his hospitality as always, and the chance to catch up and share some stories. Wishing him continued success in his quest to become the next Monsieur LS!