Le Bernardin

No, we did not see French executive chef Eric Ripert or pastry chef Michael Laiskonis. With that out of the way, let's get to the real reasons why 4 foodie friends and I dined at the highly-reputed establishment.

Smoked salmon spread served with thinly sliced toast

Le Bernardin is deliberately subtle, but at the same time that subtlety is all about mastery. I must have walked by the restaurant more times than I can count with both hands, but I had never noticed that it was right there. Walking into the main dining room, we were greeted by lofty ceilings, 19th and 20th century oil paintings tastefully hung on blue walls, and wooden finishings. The sunlight pouring through the French windows lining one side of the room made it all the more welcoming.

Once seated, we were brought water (in Riedel glasses I noticed) and the wine list but none of us were quite in the mood for a tipple that day so we gave alcohol a pass. Bread was served shortly after, and I must say that the salmon spread was a great way to start off the meal. It was smokey and rich - delicious.

Ultra Rare Scallop - Sake Nage; Lily Bulb and Shiso

We all ordered from the lunch prix fixe menu which came with three courses. The first course from either the "simply raw" or "barely touched" sections, the second course from the "lightly cooked" section, and desserts from a separate menu. I ordered the scallop, wild striped bass and langoustine, as well as a hazelnut-themed dessert.

The scallop was unlike any scallop that I've tasted - I don't think I've ever had scallop cooked this rare. There was no bite to the precisely-cut slivers. Every piece was so delicate and smooth. The broth and vegetables were very light as well, presumably so that the diner could enjoy the full flavours of the mollusk.

Baked Langoustine and Striped Bass

My main course was again light but done beautifully. The seafood was served with confit tomato agnolotti, and a consomme with curry emulsion. There was nothing on the plate that got in the way between my palate and the sweet freshness of the bass and langoustine. Every bite was a delight and the tomato-filled pasta was really quite refreshing. Quite truthfully, this was a dish that made me understand the philosophy at three Michelin-starred Le Bernardin. It's all about building flavours around the fish, and the most challenging part is how not to overwhelm the star on the plate. Kudos to chef Ripert.

Hazelnut - Gianduja Cream, Hazelnuts, Banana and Brown Butter Ice Cream

The last course was regrettably the most disappointing. HY and I had caught an episode of Iron Chef where Laiskonis squared off against Batali. In that episode, Laiskonis prepared an exquisite dessert that was served in an egg shell. Gimmicky maybe, but I would have loved to sample that. We saw the exact same dish being served to diners at the adjacent table, and upon asking our waiter informed us that it was part of the lunch tasting menu. Well, too bad for us. What disappointed, however, was that our desserts did not blow us away like we expected. Perhaps Laiskonis' accolades raised our bar too high. Nevertheless, the dish was still done well, just not amazing.

Mini Financiers

The meal ended with complimentary warm mini financiers (the cake, not the people at Wall Street) wrapped in a napkin. I highly recommend this establishment to anyone who enjoys the natural flavours of seafood. Visit not for ostentation but for the lack of it, because simplicity at its best is what really counts here.