La Truffe
La Truffe
August 15th, 2008
The buzz: “Ma du zi” (come and see) may be the name and tagline of the swanky hotel housing La Truffe, but it has an ironic ring to it, since walk-ins and stragglers are persona non grata here. Tasting talented young chef Nicolas Reynard’s cooking French cuisine is by reservation only.
The décor: Thai architectural firm August has created a space that flows yet offers privacy thanks to the striped marble floor flowing up into wide columns and the dark bookcase partitions. The use of noble materials like wood, leather and marble suffuses Maduzi’s clean-cut modernism with a palace-like lavishness. The dining room’s highlight is a gunmetal latticework on the uninterrupted bay windows, a nod to Jean Nouvel’s Institut du Monde Arabe, in Paris.
The cuisine: The pan seared duck foie gras with baby spinach, red Spanish onions and Xeres vinegar (B990) delivers textbook texture, a crispy seared exterior and luscious melt-in-your-mouth interior. For mains, Reynard roasts a French quail, stuffs it with foie gras and chops up some wild mushrooms and mashed potatoes (B1,450). Delicieux. Or opt for their tender grain-fed ribeye steak (1,200) with shallots compote. If you trust the French paradox, continue the orgy with the molten chocolate cake (B620).
The crowd: Friends of the owners, real-estate tycoons, well-connected, highbrow executives and ritzy couples.
The booze: The Gallic cuisine is well supported by a wine list designed by Maduzi’s general manager, who graduated in viticulture.
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