Le Gray's Indigo Hits It Out of the Ballpark, Again
When it comes to knocking things out of the ballpark, five-star property Le Gray nestled in the heart of Beirut is unmatched. It’s no
surprise I’ve blogged about its prestigious dining venue, Indigo on the Roof, no
less than six times over the course of the last three years. Here is an
institution that takes gastronomic pleasure rather seriously, which couldn’t be
more evident than now, with the introduction of a dozen menu items by
the hotel’s newly appointed Executive Chef Nicolas Herbault.
Hired toward the end of last summer, the French culinary
master didn’t waste a moment in brandishing his flair at the Sunday lunch
buffet, as we noticed several months ago from both the artistic setup and
dessert display. The former emphasizes the sheer lavishness of the food spread,
while the latter points to the chef’s heritage, with delicious novelties like
the Saint Honoré, macarons, and mini
moelleux in the mold of Cannelés
Bordelais. I remember rejoicing at the mere sight of these beauties. Paris
has finally caught up to me here in Beirut, I grinned.
Last Friday, we had the privilege of being the first to
sample Chef Herbault’s glamorous dishes, counting a dozen spanning the
categories of entrée, plat principal, and dessert. Some are a lesson in art,
for which Le Gray is famed in its “food is art” philosophy. Others are
a cultural mash-up, like Norwegian salmon gravlax decorated with falafel tots, which
really challenged our taste buds. And yet others are an absolute revelation, namely miso cod and scallops on quinoa risotto, urging us to come back promptly as
soon as the unforgiving scale allows.
Here is a survey of some of my favorite plates.
La Verger Salad. The menu description calls on “forgotten
vegetables,” and in essence, this is a compilation of produce you’d find in
your fridge begging to be channeled into something inspirational. Enter this
salad, a bed of carrot puree suspending wedges of heirloom tomato, radish halves,
and edible flowers. Goes to show that even your 5-a-day can come dressed to the
nines!
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| Yes, this is a salad! |
Atlantic Lobster Salad. Here’s
another celebration of colors. Succulent lobster crowns a delectable nest of celery
and apple remoulade massaged in
kaffir lime and soy vinaigrette. The contrast of textures and brilliant reworking
of celery and apple into a noodle-like composition are mind-blowing.
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| Atlantic Lobster Salad. |
Beetroot Cured Salmon Gravlax. Who would ever think to concentrate
salmon, quail eggs, and tiny falafel nuggets onto one plate? Chef Herbault has
no difficulty thrusting us out of our comfort zones and immersing us in a whole
new hybridized world of tastes and flavors.
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| Beetroot-cured Salmon Gravlax with Falafel Tots. |
Pan-seared Scallops. Anthony Bourdain heralded them as the “filet
mignon of the sea,” and scallops truly form the ultimate fruits de mer. In this dish, they come beautifully marinated and
seared, resting in a cradle of quinoa risotto, proof that trendy and
traditional can go hand in hand.
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| Pan-seared Scallops. |
Pan-fried Miso Cod Fillet. This dish has all the majestic
makings of a Michelin star. Celeriac puree, lemongrass emulsion, a tender hunk
of white fish sporting a golden armor…faultless in every respect.
 |
| Miso Cod Fillet with Celeriac Puree. |
Squid-ink Pasta with Seafood. Black-tinted food tends to be
off-putting, but the chef cleverly caches thick strands of fresh pasta dyed
noir beneath plump scallops, shrimps, calamari and mussels. I’d take this over
paella any day of the week. There’s something pleasantly umami about this dish,
as it merges seafood with fresh al dente pasta ever so seamlessly.
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| Squid-Ink Pasta with Seafood. |
Farm Chicken Breast.
Who said a chicken dinner had to be humble? The poultry is presented bone-in, very
much akin to confit de canard, flanked
by braised red cabbage, fondant potatoes fashioned into cylindrical cups
brimming with tomato salsa, and a foamy emulsion.
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| Farm Chicken with braised red cabbage. |
Pesto Linguini. Whenever I see or hear the word “pesto,” I
melt. But Chef Herbault’s version is not your characteristic jarred blend of
basil leaves, olive oil, and pine nuts. In fact, it’s visible that he’s
decomposed the “sauce,” if you will, into its constituent elements, and gently
massaged it into the linguini. What you taste are distinctly fresh herbs,
Pecorino cheese flakes, and sweet, juicy tomatoes.
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| Pesto Linguini. |
Dessert Finale. An ethereally light millefeuille framboise piped with clouds of vanilla bean crème Chantilly.
A sea urchin-like rendition of Pavlova with meringue kisses and a refreshing nucleus
of passion fruit sorbet. An East meets West concoction of kashta ice cream, crushed pistachios, and a baba au rhum lookalike evidencing
Oriental flavors of what perhaps might be karabij
Hallab. That’s merely confirmation I need to go back to Indigo on the Roof
to tantalize my taste buds and educate my gourmet self!
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| Millefeuille framboise and macaron |
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| Pavlova with a core of passion fruit sorbet |
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| Kashta ice cream, crushed pistachios, and what might be a Baba au rhum-inspired Oriental cake |
Whether you have an occasion to toast to or simply want to
feel like royalty for the night, Le Gray is your unparalleled destination. With
Chef Herbault now at the helm of the culinary operation, this hotel is readily
poised to snatch many accolades for its robust inventiveness and excellence in
pushing boundaries.
Downtown Beirut
+961 1 972000
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