Cuisine

During our last trip there, despite having lost the letter E on its sign, Cuisine certainly hadn’t lost its touch in the kitchen! That’s because the classy izakaya owned by Benoit Simon (ex-Chateaubriand) and Takao Inazawa (ex-Verre Volé) is still in top form, decked out like a 1970s Milanese joint by Federico Masotto (burgundy melamine, geometric mirrors, noise-reducing padded décor). The night we went, we opted for a series of delightful Japanese small plates: cleverly smoked mackerel and Albacore tuna tartare with white miso; two beautiful monkfish liver medallions covered in chilled, grated daikon and a dash of soy sauce; incredible veal sweetbreads with shiitake mushrooms, grilled over binchotan charcoal and paired with an eel sauce; alchemistic mackerel chirashi dotted with salmon roe, shiso and nori; incredible karaage-style breaded pigeon; before tofu cross-dressing with peach and apricot almonds. Don’t miss the impeccable prix-fixe lunch menu either – eg.: baked eggplant and miso; mapo tofu; toasted green tea floating island…

Lè Cuisine on Neugasse in the 4th district, with just ten seats, remains one of the most exciting destinations for Chinese cuisine in the city. Owner Jasmine Liu, originally from Shanghai, stays true to her successful concept: only her personal favorites from everyday Chinese home cooking make it to the table. Orders placed via iPad are served promptly. For a cold starter, the «Mouth-watering chicken» arrives: finely poached, thinly sliced chicken in a well-balanced broth of chili oil, sesame, and vinegar—spicy, cooling, and beautifully balanced between heat and acidity. The Szechuan wontons, plumply stuffed with pork and shrimp and dressed in chili oil, also delight. The spare ribs, glazed in a sweet soy sauce, are wonderfully tender, though served alongside somewhat bland Chinese broccoli. The steamed «Jiaozi» dumplings, usually a menu highlight, fall short of expectations due to their bland filling, while the «Dong Po» (braised pork belly) lacks its signature melt-in-the-mouth quality and proves rather tough. The braised beef, however, is much better: incredibly tender and simmered in a robust broth with notes of cinnamon and cloves.

During our last trip there, despite having lost the letter E on its sign, Cuisine certainly hadn’t lost its touch in the kitchen! That’s because the classy izakaya owned by Benoit Simon (ex-Chateaubriand) and Takao Inazawa (ex-Verre Volé) is still in top form, decked out like a 1970s Milanese joint by Federico Masotto (burgundy melamine, geometric mirrors, noise-reducing padded décor). The night we went, we opted for a series of delightful Japanese small plates: cleverly smoked mackerel and Albacore tuna tartare with white miso; two beautiful monkfish liver medallions covered in chilled, grated daikon and a dash of soy sauce; incredible veal sweetbreads with shiitake mushrooms, grilled over binchotan charcoal and paired with an eel sauce; alchemistic mackerel chirashi dotted with salmon roe, shiso and nori; incredible karaage-style breaded pigeon; before tofu cross-dressing with peach and apricot almonds. Don’t miss the impeccable prix-fixe lunch menu either – eg.: baked eggplant and miso; mapo tofu; toasted green tea floating island…