what am i eating, again?

the other week i had the privilege of attending something called “secret dining”. my friend peter found out about it, and told me that it’s a sort of pre-fixe menu, cooked by a chef in his or her home (with wine pairings, bien sûr). obviously, i was in. i wanted to do something like this when i was in berlin, but i missed my opportunities. all i have to say is that it was transcendant. i loved everything but the very first course, but i chalk that up to the fact that i personally don’t have a taste for liver.

the amuse bouche - a roquefort infused cookie/pastry of some sort and prosecco

the third course (after the liver) - a filet of sole with mussels and some green vegetable i don’t remember. this was mindblowing. so light, but so extremely flavorful too. i couldn’t believe it. paired perfectly with a really interesting white from a small winery in france - tasted more like sake than wine.

the “main” main course - quail with (fava?) beans. godly. no words. so good. this was paired with a red from another boutique french winery - really robust and not fruity at all, just how i like my reds.

and, last but not least, dessert. a baked apple-covered yellow cake sort of item, with toasted almonds on top, all surrounded by a passionfruit coulis. wow. 

i had the most fantastic time enjoying this gourmet meal with four good friends of mine and five strangers who also signed up for the experience. luckily, we all spoke english but came from very different walks of life (and different eras). three of the attendees were older australians, and the other two were a young couple from oslo. what interesting conversations we had, running the gambit from beards and tattoos to marriage to japanese food. i felt so much wiser and worldly walking out of mrs lunch’s* apartment building. if you’re headed to paris, i definitely recommend you look her up and jump on the secret dining cart.

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*every secret chef needs an alias, right?