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Day 46 was the final day of Phase 5 of our adventure (1: Amsterdam; 2: Iceland; 3: Dublin; 4:Ireland; 5: Paris). We spent the day separately seeking that last gift, last croissant, last gelato, and last photo before our friends depart tomorrow.
The only thing on the agenda was dinner. And what a dinner it was.
We knew some sketchy details about the evening but that was all. We knew it had to do with a MasterChef winner. In his apartment. Exquisite food. That’s it.
It was an easy trip from the condo as we got on the 8 line and exited 12 stops later in the Marais district. We found the coolest arch in the middle of nowhere and snapped a photo. We proceeded 2 blocks down the street and turned left to stop at #74. No sign. No glass in the door. Nondescript to say the least (see the photo below).
I tentatively pressed what appeared to be a doorbell. After a few moments we were greeted by an effusive, energetic man who said, “Welcome to my home!” As we entered he said, “I have a special surprise for you. I closed the dinner to everyone else; this will be a private dinner just for you.” That took me by surprise to say the least.
He led us down to a cozy wine cellar that had been converted into a dining room. Then the evening started.
But let me back up. I was looking for an unusual dining experience in Paris when I ran across Jean-Yves Vuong and his gastronomic dinner. It was advertised as an adventure of traveling through food. The concept relied upon his being born in Vietnam, escaping on one of the final planes out of Hanoi, and growing up in Paris. He blends ingredients, cultures and techniques to form a magical dish. He described his process as “seeing colors that represent food that make up a painting.” It was spectacular.
Back to the dinner…
We started with a champagne cocktail that had been infused with a leaf of an Asian plant. The scent was that of rice. Yep, rice flavored champagne and it was incredible. At the bottom of the glass were some small spheres that contained lychee juice giving a sweet taste all around.
I won’t be able to describe all the courses because they were so complex. But the appetizer was a dish that we had specific instructions on how to eat. Pop the cylinder (Asian radish, beef, sauce, wrapper) in as one mouthful. Then eat the cucumber and mint as a palate cleanser. Then go for the endive with crunchy seaweed accented with 3 kinds of sesame seeds: toasted, black, and wasabi. Those simple wasabi seeds gave a great kick.
The next course was an Asian raviole floating in a gluten-free sabayon sauce made with egg yolks, white wine, and olive oil. Sitting beside the raviole was a combination of 3 kinds of mushrooms and truffles. Accenting the whole dish were some feathery strips on the end of the dish. They were dried extruded mushrooms fashioned to look and taste like beef jerky. Jean-Yves said that’s how the monks eat them.
The entrée was next: a beautiful vista of smooth sweet potato puree on one end with small roasted eggplant on the other. In between was a warm molded coconut and mustart seed flan and duck breast with Yakitori sauce on it. Capping the whole dish as a tuille-ish parmesan plank accentuated with gold dust. The duck had been prepared by roasting it at 135 degrees for over an hour to cook it thoroughly, leaving a warm pink center without any trace of blood.
The dessert course topped off the evening. It was the dish he made to win the MasterChef competition. It was a large macaron with a cantaloupe and pear cream filling, an apricot sauce and homemade saki to accompany it. We got educated in the identification of a good macaron: there has to be a ridge below the curve of the top and bottom halves, and the top should be soft, not crispy (see photo). It’s clear why he won!
At the conclusion of dinner we took a few photos with Jean-Yves. The one with our hands up is in honor of his muse. You can see her in the photograph over the mantle behind us. She appears everywhere in his home.
You can see how much fun the 6 of us had in the photo of Lynn, Ashlea and Mae. It was a fast 9 days together.
On the way back, we decided to stop at the café where we had our first Paris dinner and nearly every breakfast. It’s also where I have gone early every morning to write and post this blog. We got off at the Commerce stop so that I could take a last evening shot of the church at the base of the road and the landmark for our being home. Of course someone had to ruin the shot (thanks Brad😊).
We closed the evening with a celebratory drink before walking 100 feet to the condo for final packing and bed before Lynn and Dave’s 7AM pickup. Brad and Ashlea leave at 11AM. We begin our 6th and final stage of the journey tomorrow.
Stay tuned…
