I’ve always been a fan of Chef Laurent Quenioux and enjoy his culinary creations since the Bistro K days. Soon after the closing of Bistro LQ, he had collaborated with the staffs of Starry Kitchen for special pop up dinner events known as LQ@SK, which take place at Starry Kitchen at Downtown. Last Wednesday (March 21st) was the last night of LQ@SK , and we were there!
The pop up dinner showcases an interesting 5 courses prix fixe menu for $45 with an optional cheese course. The reasonable price plus the BYOB reminded me of the good old days of Bistro K.
Amuse bouche- Pretzel bite, Vienna Sausage, Mustard Greens artridge
1st course: Hamachi, Lemon Curd, Black Sesame Cremeux, Soy Gel, Avocado Smear, Tobico, Uni Air
It’s an interesting dish with lots of ingredients and flavors. The Uni foam and the black sesame cremeux (at the bottom of the fish) surprisingly compliment the Hamachi. The soy gel (a condense soy sauce?) and avocado bring in additional flavors.
2nd course: Skate Fish and Chips, Chyote, Argan Oil, Epazote, Chorizo, Lime, “La Ratte”
The breading of the fish was crispy and the chopped chorizo was a nice touch. It’s probably my least favorite of the night. Not that it’s not tasty, just that it’s less surprising and interesting than the others.
3rd course: Rabbit Albondigas, Teriyaki Foie gras, Miso Dashi Broth, Red Tosaka, Ramps Tempura
The picture was taken before they pour the dashi broth in. This is incredible, my favorite dish of the night! It’s a foie gras dish that tasted light and Japanese.
4th course: Oxtail, Comte Grilled Cheese, Pickled Vegetables, Tarragon
The main meat course is oxtail. The meat was very tender. It’s hearty but not heavy. My 2nd favorite of the night.
5th course: Tonka bean Tres Leche, Cajeta, Guava Gel, Blood Orange Sorbet, Serrano Lime Thai Basil Seeds
refreshing!
We opt for the Cheese cart for 3 cheese. The girl who’s in charge of the cart picked three for us. Our favorite was the blue cheese. It went so well with the truffle honey that’s part of the condiments.
Complimentary macaroon.
Overall we all had so much fun and enjoyed this interesting and creative meal a lot. Too bad this is the last LQ@SK pop up dinner. Hopefully it won’t be the last collaboration between them and I’m looking forward to what Chef Laurent Quenioux will do next!
I know most food critics/majority of foodies out there championed the whole “few ingredients + simple = good food” thing , how you don’t need so many ingredients in one plate, less is more etc etc. Yes that is very true, I believe and appreciate simple food myself too. However, it’s also nice to experience a meal like this once in awhile. There’s a sense of surprise and always a fun experience, for both the chefs and diners.
This Sunday Jon and I will have the opportunity to check out a special and secret (shhhh) Weed+Chinese Herb collaboration dinner from Chef Laurent Quenioux’s + Starry Kitchen’s Chef Thi Tran. We’ll see how it goes!
[…] cooking. Bistro LQ was fun, whimsical, misunderstood, perplexing, blah blah, blah blah blah; LQ at SK was all kinds of CRAY — the sweetbread corn dog is still lost on me. But Chef LQ’s menu at Vertical Wine […]