Wife N and I are down here from Portland OR for a week stay at Paradisus La Perla for our 25th…read moreAnniversary. We decided on a whim to switch a reservation from one of the (generally great) property restaurants to Passion, having heard and read a few great things about it.
Glad we did.
This is a formal restaurant, and so we "dressed up" for our special night. We arrived at M Bar (their entry holding bar) and ordered a couple martinis--both were fabulous. After about five minutes, they called us forward.
We were seated and a procession of servers arrived. There were no less than eight types of water from which we could choose, four regular and four fizzy. NOTE: it's not apparent, but each one is about US$10 and will be added to your bill--we found that out at the end. We weren't offended, but it is something to note if you're on a strict budget for the evening. That Voss isn't included.
After the introductory water course (there's a process for everything here) we were presented with not one but two amuse bouche courses. The first was a quartet of small bites including an "egg ball" which had liquid (dashi?) in it. Very cool. The other tiny bites were a fried cheese ball, a tartar, and a marinated watermelon disc. The second amuse bouche came in shot-sized frosted glasses, a peach gazpacho.
The dinner started. We were presented with five different butters, and told which ones went with which courses, and were instructed to try each one only with its appropriate course. We complied.
Soup course: mushroom and puffed quinoa, served in a complex dashi broth. The dashi was excellent--this wasn't just your basic bonito and kombu; it had mushroom and a number of other complex flavors added.
First: A caramelized mille feuille (layered) of smoked salmon, fois gras, and tart apple. Wow. Okay, now you have my attention! These unlikely partners in taste combined perfectly!
Second: a salty plate of tomato, sardine and nitrogen-frozen cheese crumbles in a gelled olive and pickle juice. Of all the plates, this was the one we liked the least--it just went too far into the "weird zone". No one's perfect.
Third: small cubes of roast pork with huitlacoche (an earthy Mayan corn fungus), foam, and pickled baby corn slices. Eating all the ingredients together, this was fantastic.
Fourth: Totoaba (fish) with a false fennel risotto, tempura squid, curry and coffee air (foam). Oh...emm...geee!! One of the finest fish preparations I've ever had the pleasure to taste.
Fifth: Short rib cubes with apple and pineapple puree, fois gras toast discs and capers. Cooked sous vide to a perfect mid-rare, this was another dish that was just flawless. Some of the best I've ever had.
Sixth: the first dessert course, Basil sponge, celery sorbet, melon and cucumber, in caipirinha and gin. Very refreshing and palette cleansing, vibrant. Art on a plate.
Seventh: second dessert course, Allspice ice cream on a chocolate brownie, rum ice crushed, and cocoa macarons. Wonderful.
And a surprise at the end! A beautiful plate of tiny dessert bites and gelled dessert balls with "Happy Anniversary" scrolled in chocolate.
The entire meal was fantastic, and truly a culinary experience. Chef Martin Berasategui (Spanish, 8 Michelin stars) is a master of molecular gastronomy (little gelled caper balls, glass, foam, etc) and his skills paint a cohesive picture through the entire meal. Lasting about three hours, this is no place to dine if you're in a hurry. This will be a long night, and you'll get a "just right" amount of food, a couple small bites at a time.
Everything bordered on ostentatious--we got our first hint of formality when they wouldn't let me carry my drink from the bar to the table--no, here a finely dressed and gloved server will take your drink on a platter and carry it for you to your table, where it is meticulously placed in front of you. Getting up from the table to use the facilities prompted the mysterious and instantaneous appearance of servers holding the tablecloth aside so we wouldn't brush it on the way out from the table and an escort to show you the way. It's as if servers materialized out of nowhere. I suspect it felt the same in the dining hall at Downton Abbey.
The cost starts around US$90 a person for the food alone. Add another $80 if you want to have a paired glass of wine with each course (we opted out; living in Portland affords us the availability of myriad thousands of wines from around the world almost at our doorstep).
Dress is "resort formal"--they are very specific and up-front about this. But even if they weren't, it's a $90 a person restaurant so, obviously, put on your $90 thinking cap and dress appropriately.
There are perhaps twenty dinners I've eaten which will go down as the ones I'll remember. This will definitely be one of them I'll be savoring for years to come. Highly recommended.
