The Empire of Taste: L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

When she inherited the throne, she was only 18 years old. The sparkle in her eyes overshadowed her crown and jewelry, and it was a manifest declaration of her confidence. The expression on her lips almost found voice to say she had such power; enough to make the best of her reigning. In fact, she was in full control of the country within a short period of time and her name was on everyone’s lips. Breaking a record with her 64 years of sovereignty, Queen Victoria also left behind a saying to describe her country which was at the peak of its power at the time. The phrase was: the empire on which the sun never sets.

                                                                    

When Joel Robuchon went into a kitchen at the age of 18 and his special talent became apparent before the eyes of the people, it was the harbinger of the Robuchon Era in the gastronomy world, much like it was for those back in the Victorian Era.

 

His restaurant “Le Jamin” has made Robuchon a popular name in Michelin corridors as being the first restaurant to receive 3 stars in 3 years. On top of that, he was bestowed “The Chef of the Year” in 1987. Following that, he received the title “The Chef of the Century” in 1990 and this way he rose to the occasion.

 

Until now, he has received 25 stars in all. Waving his culinary flag over a vast geographical area that extends from Las Vegas to Taipei, from Macau to London, from Singapore to Paris, and from Monaco to Tokyo. We can say that he reigns an empire on which the sun never sets.

 

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon

 

When he reached 50, he was sort of bored by the perfectionist policy of Michelin and announced his retirement. Since it's a fact that  “the Chef of the Century's” early retirement  into seclusion would disappoint everyone, he preferred to say “Bon Appétit Bien Sur” before the cameras and privately continue to keep up the spirits of all gastronomy lovers. After exploring many cuisines around the globe for 10 years, the chef was impressed by the “tapas bar” of the Spanish and Japanese cuisines. Having been inspired by these, he had finally found the idea that would lay the groundwork for his comeback to the gastronomy world. This idea came to life in two restaurants; both called “L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon,”; one in Paris and the other in Tokyo. Later on, he expanded his empire by spreading the concept to the rest of the world.

 

The concept of these workshops is relatively different from the rest of the restaurants of Joel Robuchon. For example, we don’t see in these restaurants the splendor of the chandelier made with Swarovski crystals, nor the elegance of the illuminated wine cellar, like we’ve seen in Macau.

 

Mostly designed with the colors red & black, the main feature of the concept is that the chefs are cooking and presenting the food behind the American counters right before the eyes of the visitors. Like a breath of fresh air to the restaurant business, such a practice created a friendly and interesting environment.

 

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon St.Germain

 

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at St. Germain is one of the places that I frequently visit on my business trips to Paris. So far, ithas been awarded with 2 stars and voted 31st  in the list of “The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.” The first thing that attracts our attention when we step into the restaurant is the red-leather bar seats in a dim-lit atmosphere.

 

The seats are facing the kitchen in the middle of the restaurant where the chefs are hustling to cook the food. If you picture the chefs cooking their delicious foods on a hugetappenyaki iron griddle right in front of your eyes, you can easily say that this is a modern grillroom where you can taste modern French cuisine.

 

I usually prefer to eat in spacious places like Ristorante Italia di Massimo Bottura where the tables are not that close to each other. But L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon makes its new concept attractive to us somehow. Because it is just impossible to be a part of this intimate atmosphere and not to enjoy the concept, whether you are alone or with the  company of your family or friends.

 

The menu consists of small tasting plates, entrées, fish or meat dishes, and cheese plates.

 

Our first dish was lomo and choriziopatanegra ham, which the restaurant has been serving as an amuse bouche for 6 or 7 years. The ham is produced by Joselito, one of the best in this industry and is exported from Spain. It’s made from the meat of pigs that both graze and feed on acorns, and it goes through an aging process in a cave for 2 to 4 years. Although I usually don’t like pork, I wouldn’t say "no" to such a great starter.

Following that, we ordered carpaccio, something that actually is not listed on the menu. It has a wonderful taste, as a result of its ingredients: olive oil, lime juice, red pepper and black pepper. Just like the one I cook at home, only I use fresh coriander instead of chives.

 

Pizza Soufflé was served in a dazzling plate and it brings you a simple but profound taste. The combination of mozzarella, tomato, thyme and fresh basil on top of soufflé batter felt like a taste explosion gone off in your mouth.

 

Originally a Chinese dish but popularized in Japan, “gyoza” is similar to dumplings which are filled with vegetable and meat and fried on one side after being poached. At Robuchon, Chicken gyoza is served on a bed of hibiscus syrup, flavored with sesame. It tastes as great as it looks.

 

Cod fish is marinated in “misu” which is a Japanese drink made of various grains fermented anywhere from 5 days to several years. It is flavored with “yuzu,” a kind of Japanese fruit resembling a combination of lemon, tangerine and grapefruit. Despite its ingredients, the combination also reflects the Mediterranean style and it actually made for a great taste.

 

After cod fish, beef bone marrow with its elegant serving style took me back to my childhood. Beef bone marrow was one of the meals that my mother frequently cooked for us. Here it was served with pieces of crouton and some edible flowers. Making me all nostalgic for my childhood, the dish left a nice taste on my palate as well as a warm smile on my face.

 

Another dish not listed on the menu was spaghetti with truffle sauce which was served with Perigord’s black truffle. Although I always prefer Alba truffle for pasta, the taste of the spaghetti was as scrumptious as you’d expect from such a restaurant.

 

Lamb cutlets were as tasteful as the ones served in Turkey. Exported from Southern France, the lamb cutlets were served with onions, thyme and some mashed potato. This mind-blowingly delicious dish was the best of the night in my opinion.

 

When we’re done with the meal and started on our dessert course, the first choice was ganache with chocolate cream that came with a golden circle drawn upon it. This cake was made of intense Araguani chocolate as well as chocolate mousse, chocolate pieces and Oreo crumbles. It was the best choice for chocolate lovers like us.

 

For those who would like to have something lighter as a dessert, I recommend the soufflé made of passion fruit and served with an exotic sorbet or a vast variety of ice cream. This will end your feast with a refreshing touch.

 

Greetings from the Chef

 

Chain restaurants get a lot of stick over the fact that the chef does not stand over his crew and the restaurant is thought to create the food like in a factory.

 

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon at St. Germain is only one of the other seven cooking workshops. Its concept is radically different, which means it would be wrong to seek the artisan tastes that you might get from a starred restaurant in the little village Baiersbronnof Germany or in the town San Sebartian of Spain. Because when the products these village restaurants use can be found in their vicinity which means their food has zero food mile (a term to describe the kind of food locally produced and consumed). But when they are carried away from their homelands to be used by the other restaurants, they lose their value. But again as I mentioned above, when I would like to eat something not listed in the menu and the sous chef brings my recipe to my table successfully, then it means that it is definitely a refined restaurant.

Today I bring you the greetings of the chef through the great dishes his crew successfully served to us. I absolutely recommend you this restaurant because be it either taste or serving, it always provides its customers with high quality service.

 

Bon appétit and enjoy the taste of life!..

 

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon StGermain

5 RueMontalembert, 75007 Paris, France

+33 1 42 22 56 56