Russian Four Hands

In my opinion, the best type of guest chef menu is one featuring somebody from a restaurant that I have never tried and often at a place difficult or tricky to go otherwise, either that be somewhere impossible to book, or impossible to reach. Guess this time for me, it’s a bit of all which is why I was particularly eager to try. I am talking about the restaurant Selfie in Moscow, and its chef Anatoly Kazakov, who was recently in town to do a series of four-hands menu with Chef Maxime Gilbert of Ecriture on top of the H Queen Building in Central.

I have never been to Ecriture before but I certainly had tried Chef Maxime’s cooking previously when he’s at Amber; and call me ignorant if you might, I have not heard of Selfie nor Chef Anatoly before I received the kind invitation from Ecriture’s PR team for the special lunch tasting. But with the team of White Rabbit behind the restaurant and that the place was recently ranked 70 at the World’s 100 Best Restaurant is good enough to stir up my curiosity to check it out, especially when the commute is just a short ride to Central not a long flight to Moscow.

The original event was held over two evenings with a 10-course menu being offered featuring dishes from both restaurants and chefs, and what we had at lunch was an abbreviated version, with all but one dish prepared solely by Chef Anatoly. That worked just fine with me, given it’s probably one of the rare chances I can try his food without having to set foot in a faraway country.  We kicked off the afternoon with a couple canapes bites, first the pommes dauphines topped with caviar, followed by crab and young almond milk custard served in a paper cup. I found that interesting with the delicate flavor with subtle vinaigrette acidity in the espuma-like custard.

The rest of the menu was served in tasting portion, beginning with raw scallops wrapped in a slightly poached cabbage stalk and served in a fermented honey dressing and pine nuts. There’s a clear smoky flavor in the dish – probably from the smoking process done on the thinly sliced scallops which was lightly cured – and it matched well with the mild fermented taste from the sauce. Then it’s the simple combination of soft sheep cheese, shaved cauliflower and chopped black truffles. It’s a rather unusual choice to pair black truffles in a lukewarm dish but it worked well with that kick of the pungent cheese somehow complemented that from the truffles.

After that we have the only dish that was prepared by Chef Maxime. The giant Kuro Awabi (black abalone) was cooked and brought out to show, then it’s carved and served with thin slices of ham, aubergine broth and the liver sauce on the side. A bit of Japanese influence I am sure (to start, the abalone was an import from Japan), and I thought it’s well executed with great textures and flavors.

We then went back to a few savory dishes by Chef Anatoly, including the crab millet with Poshehonsky Cheese, halibut and then pigeon. I know nothing about Russian cheese but we did have a few dishes using cheese as a major ingredient, and apparently the Poshehonsky is a soft aged rennet cheese that’s common in the region. Next was the halibut, also coming from Russia (in Murmansk, near the Arctic) and it’s paired with an apple espuma and a broth made with fermented kohlrabi. The fish fillet was well poached then seared for the charred skin, and the combination with the tarty apple puree with a hint of acidity was eye-opening. In comparison, our pigeon main course geared more towards the conventional style, with the pigeon legs and breast poached and roasted, and served with Jurusalem artichokes puree, lingonberries and cep powder. It was delicious.

A few desserts were served at the end. One might mistaken from the menu description of White Mushrooms, Koumiss and Black Chanterelles as a savory course but that was actually our first sweet course of the evening. On the plate was a quenelle of icecream made of white mushrooms, then it’s dressed with koumiss sauce (horse-milk) and on top, a piece of black chanterelles that’s been candied. This is seriously avant-garde and I thought he executed that well for a nice surprise. Then it’s another dairy-based dessert, this time, a green sorrel panokota served with Ryazhenka (something similar to yogurt) and tarragon. Finally, the petit fours went back to something more traditional – with a piece of Kouign-amann to share among the few of us, slices of honeydew melon, and then, Ecriture’s signature chocolate tart. All were excellent, and it’s almost 4pm when we finished our last bite of the meal.

Throughout the long-table meal, a few wines were served to pair with the dish, starting with a champagne, then a Chablis and then a classic Bordeaux for the pigeon. A pretty safe choice. I enjoyed the experience of trying something different, and I did find the interior and setting of Ecriture decent and comfortable. Will definitely come back to try Chef Maxime’s cooking more properly in my next visit, and hopefully soon.

(Meal was by invitation and based on a special menu featuring a guest chef. More photos can be found here: https://www.flickr.com/photos/g4gary/sets/72157707761608554)

When? March 22 2019
Where? Ecriture, 26/F H Queens, 80 Queen's Road Central, Central
Menu Highlights? Murmansk Halibut, Peeled Apple and Fermented Kohlrabi
Drinks?
Champagne Francoise Bedel Cuvee Entre Ciet et Terre NV
2011 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis
2004 Chateau Meyney
Web:
Ecriture: http://www.lecomptoir.hk/ecriture
Selfie Moscow: http://selfiemoscow.ru/en/