- 整體 2
- 食物 3
- 服務 2
- 氛圍 1
I have loved Atelier in the past, so I was shocked at our poor experience last night. It was a Valentine menu, seven courses, which was maybe our first mistake. But they charged $300 per person, before alcohol, so we had reason to expect an exceptional experience. We didn't get one. First, the menu: 1. Japanese milk buns with matcha butter: unremarkable. 2. Hamachi crudo: this was a highlight. It was tasty and well balanced with a cool presentation. 3. Lobster bisque: this was a low point. It was flavourless in the extreme, unseasoned — embarrassing, honestly. Did anyone even taste it? 4. Manchego mouse with Iberico ham, truffle, brioche, PX glaze: this didn't work. The texture was pasty and I had to force down my last bite. The flavour was also dull (no discernable truffle, for one thing). 5. Herb crusted tenderloin, foie gras butter, celeriac, beet, brussels sprouts, pomegranate: pretty good! This was tasty, surprising and well balanced. 6. Helium sugar balloon with orange blossom and cranberry string: this was fun and tasted fine. 7. Sour cherry dome, amaretto caramel, tonka genoise, mascarpone: The main dessert seemed interesting, but wasn't remarkable, as one expects from Atelier. Meanwhile, the room we were in (upstairs beside an apparent staging area) is best described soul sucking. I get that Atelier is stripped down, and that's never bothered me. But there was nothing to be excited about in the ambiance — nothing to suggest warmth, conviviality or that we were being treated to a special experience. The last straw for me was when I visited the rest room and the walls were very much in need of cleaning. There were splatter streaks of... something, clearly built up over time. It was pretty gross, and not what one reasonably expects during an $800 dinner. We were deeply disappointed and kind of shocked.