FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Most Overrated Restaurant
View Single Post
Old Jan 13, 2010 | 10:15 am
  #163  
Thalassa
2M
50 Countries Visited
All eyes on you!
20 Years on Site
 
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Finland
Programs: Almost anything with six to twelve steps...
Posts: 1,034
Originally Posted by gougoul
Sorry, was a bit late on that one.
I know some 3* starred chefs personnaly, so I assume I am somehow used to "very high end gourmet whatever places". As for the molecular cuisine, I have yet to find a place (beside Marc Veyrat, but it's sadly closed now and not really molecular) where it's used for something else than to hide an absolute lack of talent and taste.
It's usually a wow/Aha effect when you see the plate coming, but that's about it. Ingredients tend to be on the very cheap side, beside freezing and using potentialy unhealthy ingredients there is no technique to speak of. And then there's the taste. I really have to wonder who tries that stuff and says ok, let's do it (then again, I often ask myself the same question with movies).
The clientele is usualy also on the very cheap side, lots of upper-backpackers who just want to go to the "best restaurant in the world", so they're done with food. Fact is, it's like wine, art, cars or whatever else, you need to undertsand the whole culture to be able to appreciate something.
Service is not up to a 3* place, at all. Then again, it's very cheap, for all what that means...
As for what places I do like, i'd say Marc Veyrat was really good (even if somehow expensive), Robuchon @Galera & @Mansion, Michel Bras, Philippe Rochat in Crissier (outstanding), Lameloise etc etc.
While I have read some reviews that fault elBulli for being too far out and using some strange flavour combinations, I have never ever seen anybody claim that "there is no technique to speak of". With that statement alone you just completely undermined your credibility from my perspective.

If you are going to badmouth elBulli, at least try to do it credibly.

Cheers,
T.
Thalassa is offline