FoodDigger Dinner @ Ludobites at Royal/T (Culver City)

Ludobites @ Royal/T

Ah....has it only been three months when Ludo Lefebvre swept both the women AND men in Los Angeles off their feet with his ingenious and unique portrayal of his French cooking techniques at Ludobites Breadbar? Well, luckily for both you and me, Chef Ludo has returned, and this time at the Japanese cosplay cafe Royal/T in Culver City. The Ludobites at Royal/T event will occur for 13 days beginning on December 2nd, but luckily for me, I was able to try out new menu before its open to the general public, courtesy of FoodDigger!

Various shots for In Bed Together at Royal/T

Marshal of FoodDigger

Before the meal starts, Marshal of FoodDigger gave us a few words of wisdom and various updates involving FoodDigger. Again, as discussed in my previous FoodDigger dinner at Bond Street, FlavorMatch is something everyone should take a look at!

FoodDigger Ludobites dinner for 12/1/09



The coolest French Chef and Head of House duo, ever!



Best thing EVER for us bloggers. Thanks Krissy!

Before the meal starts, we were lucky enough to see Chef Ludo in action

1. Scallops Brown Butter, Pineapple, Black Powder

A wonderful preparation of scallops. Slighted "cooked" scallops topped with pineapples, "black powder," which was actually squid ink powder, in wonderful brown butter. Simple, yet complex. Refreshing, yet flavorful. The meal was off to a great start!

2. Bread Soup with Gruyere Marshmallow

When I saw the dish on the menu, I had no idea what to expect, and what I received was a creamy, yet nutty (slightly charred tasting) soup. Very, very nice. In addition, I truly enjoyed the perfectly cooked poached egg. The gruyere marshmallow added a nice texture and a temperature contrast to the warm soup. Quite an unique dish.

3. Foie Gras Beignet, Celery Roots Remoulade

2 oz of Hudson Valley foie gras packed into a beignet (pretty much fried dough). What an utterly, sinful goodness! The celery roots remoulade was a refreshing complement to the heavy, creamy taste of the foie. One warning I'll state though, I'd suggest you share this dish with another dining partner as it almost did me in on course 3! Nevertheless, I loved it!

4. Squid, Chorizo Oil, Kimchi Puree & Red Onions

Fantastic idea to follow this dish after the foie gras. The squid was tender, delicious with great complements of flavors from the chorizo oil, kimchi puree, and the pickled red onions. The eggplant skin added a nice touch to the dish. Very nice!

5. Veal, Udon, Kombo Dashi, Mushrooms,& Sesame Seed Miso

Since Royal/T is a Japanese themed cafe, Ludo decided to add a touch of Asian to his cooking repertoire. In this case, a veal udon soup dish with the essence of kombo (kelp, large dried seaweed) broth. Generally, veal could be a hit or miss for me, but the veal here was cooked perfectly. The kombo broth was quite nice with the udon and enoki mushroom and it all meshed very well. The sesame seed miso I used after finishing the udon and veal, and it added an interesting flavor to the dish. I can't say I'm in love with the miso, but some people may prefer to add it to the broth.

6. Wild Striped Bass, Garden Vegetables, Aioli

With any fish dish, it has to be cooked well. And in this case, it was on the spot. However, to me, the star(s) of the dish were actually the various garden vegetables presented on the dish. Colorful and tasty, it balanced the taste of the fish quite well.

7. Marinated Hanger Steak, Crunchy Escargot, Baby Corn, Bok Choy & Black Olive Mole

I really loved this dish. First of all, the steak, cooked perfectly to my liking, a perfect medium rare. The bok choy and the wonderfully grilled baby corn enhanced this dish, however the black olive mole was the star. I really enjoyed the mole that Chef Ludo learned from Javier's mom that I used it fairly liberally on the hanger steak (and this from a guy that doesn't like black olives). Finally, the crunchy escargot had a distinct flavor. I'm not sure I like the escargot cooked in this method, but it was definitely inventive!

8. Fourme d' Ambert Tourte, Red Pears, Honey Balsamic

As we rolled onto the cheese course, we were presented with a tart made with one of more ancient cheese, the Fourme d'Ambert. It was the first time I've had this particular cheese and I definitely enjoyed it. In fact, I thought it was thoroughly stuffed from the previous 7 course, I had to skip this dish. I was wrong. I gobbled up the tart without hesitation. In addition, the pear soaked in beet juice was a nice finish to the cheese course. Delicious!

9. Chocolate Cake, Coconut Sorbet, Caramel Coffee

I was afraid this would be a heavy dessert, but it was not. The coconut sorbet washed down the chocolate quite nicely, but it was the pink peppercorn that enhanced the chocolate immensely. This was quite a surprise, a good one at that.

After the meal we were able to chat with Chef Ludo and Krissy about the meal, the future of Ludobites amongst the many topics. What makes Chef Ludo popular is not just his awesome preparation of French cuisine, but it's also his welcoming personality, and eagerness to learn cuisines from other cultures. I wish Ludo and Krissy nothing but the best of luck in the next 13 days at Royal/T, but I have no doubt it'll be a successful run. I'm ready for a permanent location of Ludobites, let's hope we can make it happen in 2010!

Again, thanks to FoodDigger and its team for hosting such a fantastic dinner for us, and Brian and Will for a wonderful wine pairing as usual. Great work to Chef Ludo, Krissy, and the rest of the Ludobites team for a wonderful experience. Bon Appetit. Au Revoir!

Ludobites @ Royal/T
8910 Washington Blvd.
Culver City, CA 90232
310.559.6300
Official Website