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

FoodDigger Dinner @ Bond Street (Beverly Hills)

The head chef of Bond St. Chef Brian Redzikowski

Bond Street, a restaurant unknown to me until I read a few fellow LA bloggers' review of the Beverly Hill's location earlier this fall (ie: this wonderful review by the lovely Gastronomyblog). However, when I was extended an invitation by the wonderful crew at FoodDigger, I was definitely intrigued to try the menu at Bond Street. Especially with the impressive resume Chef Brian Redzikowski had previously (Think Le Bernardin and Joel Robuchon in Las Vegas)

Courtesy of kevinEats

Before the meal starts, we were given an updated Flavor Match system that's been refined on the FoodDigger website. Even though we were introduced an earlier model of the Flavor Match system, the one presented during the Bond Street dinner was definitely more refined, and it's one of the nice system used to determine if you'd "trust" another reviewer's taste buds. There are 12 different questions to answer, so give it a try on FoodDigger.

Menu for the night (courtesy of kevinEats)



1. Prosecco Sangria (edible)

This was quite a nice dish, although I'm not sure the timing was something I'd agree with. The tart flavor was definitely a palate cleansor, but I'd probably prefer this more as a dessert.

2. Quail Egg - canadian chanterelles, parsley, prosciutto
Theo Minges 2007 Riesling Germany

This was quite a delicious and interesting dish. I definitely enjoyed the quail egg and prosciutto in this multi-layered "shot glass" of a dish. Similar to a hamachi shooter found in a Japanese restaurant, but much more complex. Quite nice!

3. Foie Gras - spiced rice crispy treat, yogurt in 3 forms
Palari Faro 2003 Spain

Although the foie gras wasn't the dominant ingredient in this particular dish (the rice crispy treat was), the foie gras was done in a way I've never had it before. Sugary, slightly tart from the yogurt chip, although not my favorite rendition of foie gras I've had, it's a quite good.

4. Alaskan King Crab - in its butter, preserved meyer lemon
Zuiyo Junmai Sake

I love all seafood, especially the crustacean variety, so of course, I thoroughly enjoyed this dish. The essence of the crab is definitely noticeable, and the hint of the meyer lemon adds a nice touch.

5. Santa Barbara Spot Prawn - ravioli, beets, ultra mini onion, red pepper jus
Le Grand Vallon Condrieu 2007 France

This dish reminded me of a shrimp wonton in chili oil (found often at Chinese restaurants). The shrimp tasted fresh and succulent, definitely a tasty dish. The onions accented the dish quite well.

6. Halibut - parsley, garlic, beurre rouge
Louis Latour 2006 Montagny Premier Cru France

Next, we were presented with a lovely halibut filet cooked via sous vide (made famous by Thomas Keller). The fish was tender and delicious, one of the better preparation of halibut I've had. The compressed eggs definitely added a nice creamy texture to this dish. I enjoyed this quite a bit!

7. Japanese Bouillabaisse - lobster, squid, uni rouille
Le Galantin Rose Bandol 2008

Wow, simply wow. Probably my favorite dish of the night. The red pepper based broth was pour upon a melody of seafood, what's better than that? This was a dish I heard of prior to my visit and I was glad I was able to enjoy it as well. Definitely a must order dish if you're heading to Bond Street.

8. "Vietnamese Sandwich" - baguette, pork, pickled carrots
Singha Beer

Vietnamese sandwich, aka banh mi is something I'm quite familiar with living in the SGV. Heck, even something I've enjoyed as an Undergrad student at UC Davis. While delicious, the version made by Chef Redzikowski wasn't memorable. Although I do give him a lot of credit adding this dish to our tasting menu. It shows he's willing to go outside his comfort zone to prepare new dishes for his clientele.

9. Sonoma Lamb Shoulder - potato puree, carrot-ginger "cappuccino"
Txakoli Xarmant Spain

The lamb, one of my favorites in terms of things to eat. In this preparation, it was done very well. The meat was tender and not gamey, which may bother some detractors of lamb eaters. The carrot-ginger foam added a nice touch to the dish and the potato puree completes the dish quite nicely.

10. Mochi Donuts - candied rhubarb, yogurt, coconut ice cream

If the Japanese Bouillabaisse was my favorite dish of the night, the mochi donut was definitely my favorite dessert of the night. I was lucky enough that Marshal of FoodDigger is on a diet as I was given most of his dessert (along with most of the tasting menu). The mochi donut could have been served alone, but with the addition of the coconut ice cream, it just made it THAT much better. A simply wonderful dessert. A must order!

11. "Mango Lassi" - tradition flavors

The mango lassi, one of the classic Indian drink made out of fresh mango and yogurt. In Redzikowski's version, he used mango chips, mango gelatin, in a yogurt based sauce. I'm not sure I enjoyed it as much as the previous dessert, but it's definitely more refreshing.

"Bazooka Joe" - on the rocks

This last dish shows off Chef Redzikowski's playful side. A drink that taste of bubble gum, very nice. A "curry" infused popcorn that was quite addicting, and inside the box was a Strawberry bon-bon. Very nice.

All in all, a fantastic night. Thanks again to FoodDigger and the great people that head it (Marshal, Brian, and Will). Also, a wonderful job by Chef Brian Redzikowski and staff for a great night and great job cooking the menu. With Redzikowski at the helm, I'm sure Bond Street will gain great acclaim over time in Los Angeles joining the big boys in town. I'll be interested in going back and trying some new dishes, as well as some of my favorites from the FoodDigger dinner.

For more pictures, please check out the slideshow below:



BondSt @ The Thompson Hotel
9360 Wilshire Boulevard
Beverly Hills, CA 90212
(310) 601-2255
http://www.bondstrestaurant.com/