Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie: A Night With Chef Sebastian Torres

We are back in Madeleine Café and Boulangerie, this time not for breakfast but to try a 3 course menu prepared by their guest chef, Chef Sebastian Torres.

Check out my blog about their All Day Lazy Breakfast.

When I got the invitation, I was very excited to try what Chef Sebastian will offer for that day. Every day from the 26^th of August until the 6^th of September 2014, a special menu will be available for all patrons of the restaurant. And yes, everyday, it is a different set of menu.

[caption id="attachment_927" align="aligncenter" width="800"] Chef Sebastian Torres in Madeleine Cafe and Boulangerie, Dubai, UAE (photo credits to Madeliene Cafe and Boulangerie FB Page[/caption]

From the information that I got, Chef Sebastian Torres comes to Dubai from time to time to create a special menu for Madeleine Café and Boulangerie. This helps the restaurant offer fresh authentic French cuisines to its loyal patrons and first time visitors. So when he comes back, I suggest that you head  to Dubai Mall and visit Madeleine Café and Boulangerie. To get these updates follow them in their facebook page (they have a lot of promotions and competitions there also).

Ok, back to our experience. I came along with my friend Kay in the restaurant around 8pm and we were joined by two of our lovely 'couple' friends Angelo and Joana. On the board placed outside the restaurant, the special dishes  prepared by Chef Sebastian were displayed. These are:

[caption id="attachment_930" align="aligncenter" width="800"] CHEF SEBASTIAN TORRES' SPECIAL MENU FOR THE NIGHT[/caption]

Entrée

Boudin Blanc Truffé ausc Pommes

(chicken mousse, truffle, apple)

Main Course

Poulet Basquais

(chicken breast cooked with onion, pepper, tomatoes, served with rice)

Dessert

Tarte Tatin

(warm caramelized apple with vanilla ice cream)

[caption id="attachment_936" align="aligncenter" width="800"] BOUDIN BLANC TRUFFE AUSC POMMES = AED 75[/caption]

 

[caption id="attachment_938" align="aligncenter" width="800"] POULET BASQUAIS = AED 95[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_939" align="aligncenter" width="800"] TARTE TATIN = AED 35[/caption]

From the looks of it, we will be enjoying this meal ^^… I WAS INDEED READY FOR THE CHALLENGE ^^

Because the weather was good (tolerable now), we decided to dine al fresco to enjoy the view of the Dubai Fountain. All of us agreed that this is the best location to watch the musical fountain (show +  good food = perfection). For a food blogger, it was a bit challenging to get some good photos though, because the lighting was very intimate. Good thing mobile phones can be used as torch lights haha (snap!!)

Aside from the Chef’s menu, we also ordered some house specialties. Most of the menu items are in French but everything has an English description, plus you can always ask the waiters for some suggestions and thorough descriptions of each menu item (they were very helpful).

For entrées we ordered a Salade Nicoise, Fois Gras de Conard Torchon and Escargots. I love the fois gras. I have been looking for a good fois gras in Dubai for a long time since my first visit in France and I think I found it!

[caption id="attachment_933" align="aligncenter" width="800"] SALADE NICOISE = AED 65[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_934" align="aligncenter" width="800"] ESCAGOTS = AED 65[/caption]

The best thing about dining with a small group of people (aside from sharing stories) is that you can all vote for your favorite dish. For the entrée it was a landslide for the escargots (although I voted for the fois gras because I was biased with this). If you will order the escargots, I suggest that you ask for more garlic as the dish becomes more flavorful. We had ours and it was awesome…oooh I want it again now!

 

[caption id="attachment_935" align="aligncenter" width="800"] FOIS GRAS DE CANARD TORCHON = AED 95[/caption]

For the main courses, aside from the Poulet Basquais, we also ordered the Pavé de Saumon, Plateau de Fruits de Mer and the Filet Mignon (Steak).

The Poulet Basquais that Chef Sebastian prepared was interesting. It was served with rice and it tasted like a cuisine that we normally serve in the Philippines. At first bite I felt at home with this dish. As a seafood lover, I think our selections were perfect. The Plateau de Fruits de Mer , which is a mix seafood platter with romanesco dressing and the Pavé de Saumon (Salmon Steak) were both heavenly.

For this round, the winner was the Pave de Saumon!

[caption id="attachment_940" align="aligncenter" width="800"] MAIN COURSES POULET BASQUAIS AND PAVE DE SAUMON[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_943" align="aligncenter" width="800"] PLATEAU DE FRUITS DE MER = AED 155[/caption]

For our last course, we ordered the very French Crème Brulee, Profiteroles, Dame Blanche and the Chef’s specialty, the Tarte Tatin. We are all flan aficionados and for sure we will all be biased with the crème brulee so we removed that from the nomination of the best dessert (it was done perfectly though). Amongst the remaining desserts, I really liked the Tarte Tatin. The warm caramelized apple, topped with vanilla ice creams works perfectly to create a wonderful fusion of warm and cold sweet fantasy (haha). This dish was the winner in the dessert category.

[caption id="attachment_941" align="aligncenter" width="800"] CREME BRULEE = AED 30[/caption]

[caption id="attachment_942" align="aligncenter" width="800"] DESSERTS TARTE TATIN AND PROFITEROLES[/caption]

With the Dubai Fountain entertaining us in the background and tasting all the delectable French cuisines, it was an awesome night indeed. We left our table with our bellies full and of course with smiles on our faces. I can't wait to go back and the other dishes (and some of my favorites). Have you visited Madeleine Cafe & Boulangerie? Tell us your favorite.

 

Check out other photos in the gallery below:

[gallery link="file" ids="944,945,946,947,948,950"]

Madeliene Cafe & Boulangerie

Located at: Ground Level, Fashion

Avenue, The Dubai Mall, Dubai, UAE

Website: www.madeleinecafe.com