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How soon is too soon to post up on a new restaurant? Say if you had dinner on the second night? And the restaurant is not even really open to the public, but is in soft-opening? It’s probably too soon to make any critical judgments one way or the other, but perhaps a few general observations are acceptable. 

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I will not bore you with my usual diatribe on why I don’t review restaurants. You can refresh your memory here and here. I do not take pictures of my plates as I find it distracting (though I did record my single meal at elBulli in 04 and will be happy to post those if anyone has interest). The restaurant is in soft-opening so I will not post the menu as it is still a work-in-progress.

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I had dinner at Atelier last Thursday. Eight courses, three desserts. I’ll limit my remarks here to some dishes that seem to appear on all the Atelier menus world-wide.

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La Tomate is gazpacho served in a glass over ice. It’s smooth and almost creamy, garnished with a few drops of olive oil. There’s a single drop of balsamic vinegar floating on the surface, along with a few julienned threads of fresh basil leaf and tiny brioche croutons made crisp with clarified butter and savory with garlic.

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La Langoustine is a langoustine tail wrapped, along with a single basil leaf, in pâte à brik, and deep-fried to a crunchy gold. Alongside is a small pool of basil purée. Each bite a started with a light and salty crunch that gave way to hot, sweet and soft langoustine, with a delicate herbal undertone.

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La Caille is quail roasted à point with foie gras, accompanied by a quenelle of that famous purée de pomme de terre and black truffles. It is every bit as luxurious as the media has led you to believe.  

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Every plate was presented with an eye toward lean minimalism. There was not a single superfluous garnish or flourish to be found. Everything on the plate was thus to eat and amplify the flavors. All items were cooked with classic methodology. There is nothing molecular or technological in his kitchen.

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As for the plates themselves, you will not see them elsewhere, as Robuchon has commissioned Japanese artisans to make them for him alone.

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Two thoughts ran through my mind that evening. One: this is old school cooking. By that I do not mean a dusty Escoffier recipe – I mean the hard-core classic techniques of French cooking. It is exactly the reason why cooks should go to school and stage in the great kitchens. It’s a reminder of the potential greatness of the classics, and why they endure. 

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My second thought: when am I coming back to eat again?