Boulud is a big name all over the world. In London I work just across the road from Bar Boulud, which serves up some of the best burgers in town. In New York, Daniel Boulud currently has seven restaurants, of which many have a Michelin star rating. The most prestigious perhaps is Daniel, which has the ultimate recognition of three stars.
Café Boulud is located inside the stunning Surrey Hotel on New York’s Upper East Side. It has become a staple for the smart mummies, businessmen and fashionistas of this area, but is a destination also worth travelling to. On a Friday lunchtime the stylish dining room was heaving with animated guests… we squeezed into a corner table and awaited Boulud’s brilliant food.
Hailing from Lyon in France, most of Boulud’s food has a strong French influence and elegance, though at this restaurant he confidently explores cuisines and traditions from further afield offering diners a wide range of international recipes to try. We picked options from different menus, despite the conflict of origin! The ‘Potager’ menu (inspired by the Farmers’ Market) provided our starters: Mushroom Veloute and Butternut Squash Fettuccine. Both were warming, comforting dishes, made with fresh autumnal flavours. The veloute, although a slightly unappetising marbled green and brown colour, had a wonderfully silky texture and wild woody taste. The fettuccine was irresistibly tasty, tossed with pumpkin seed pesto, chanterelle mushrooms and pecorino Romano and tasted like it had come straight from Italy.
The main courses were more typically French, Dry Aged Beef, spinach subric, crispy horseradish, Pommes Anna and shallot jus was the favourite. A grand meal with all the trimmings the beef was a lovely cut cooked slowly to conjure a depth of flavour. Seared chicken breast was a little dry but Sage Pain Perdue was a tasty herby addition and the sauce was caramelly and delightful, if only there was more of it!
Desserts were beautifully presented, my Coconut Delice was almost sculptural in appearance, a perfect white sphere of refreshing coconut sorbet with piercingly pink pomegranate gelee. Caramelia was a richer pudding, Peanut Dacquoise and salted caramel ice-cream with a contrasting Huckleberry Compote which I couldn’t quite decide on… the ice-cream was a dream but I found the compote a little overpowering.
A little basket of warm-out-of-the-oven mini madeleines was the lovely end to this exquisite Boulud meal. Walk off the calories at one of the nearby art museums, we did so at the Whitney.
More information and book here: www.cafeboulud.com/nyc
And information on The Surrey hotel here: www.thesurrey.com