J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorain has been one of the leading restaurants in fine-dining artiness in Bangkok. The delight that J’AIME constantly brings to gastronomes is the diligent results of Chef Amerigo Sesti and his team, as well as the unique family recipes of the Lorain. This month, Chef Amerigo has introduced a few new dishes to J’AIME’s a la carte menu and created a splendid 6-course tasting menu that further confirms the irreplaceable position of J’AIME as one of the leading fine-dining restaurants in Bangkok.
The unconventional upside-down concept and the Asian touch that J’AIME intentionally expresses on each dining table suggest an atypical dining experience – a kind of joyful dining experience that J’AIME would like Asian gastronomes to enjoy. Such Asian touch is prominently pronounced by the elegant lazy Susan and a pair of Chinese chopsticks.
The indulgence of the sumptuous 6-course tasting menu began with my all-time-favourite at J’AIME – fresh, homemade bread basket, among which potato croissant is always my first choice! It is soft and always served warm with a mild hint of sweetness and aroma. Bread is served from time to time throughout dinner.
Before the 6-course tasting menu, I was spoiled by Chef Amerigo with some amuse-bouche and a new dish just added to J’AIME’s a la carte menu.
A Platter of amuse-bouche
The two kinds of single, bite-sized hors d’œuvre were of distinctive taste, smell and mouthfeel. Truffle cream on toast carried a smooth creamy mouthfeel with a strong aroma from the slice of fresh truffle on top. It was a total satisfaction to both senses of taste and smell. Another one was premium parma ham on a crispy, thin piece of bread, which suggested a crisp, flavourful mouthfeel and taste.
New dish in a la carte menu: Frothy cream of frog’s legs with wild mushrooms and asparagus
This soup is not included in the 6-course tasting menu, but I personally love the wonder it gave to my taste buds. This soup was one of the signature dishes by Chef Jean-Michel Lorain. It is a unique family recipe of the Lorain that has been receiving compliments from diners. Chef Amerigo made this dish exceptionally well. When tasting the frog’s legs, one may mistake it as chicken at first bite. However, as Chef Amerigo was skillful enough to control all elements while cooking, one will then easily discover it was not chicken. In additional, the rare fragrance of morel mushroom enhanced the taste of the soup to its next gastronomic level.
First course: Special Gillardeau oyster with leek Vichyssoise and seaweed butter toast
This course is the first course of the tasting menu and is also one of my favourite courses at this dinner. This dish successfully excited our appetite through visual culinary art. The colours of all ingredients matched very well, not just to itself but to the tableware on the dining table.
Gillardeau oysters are a brand of edible oysters that are produced by the Gillardeau family and their small private company, which was founded in 1898 in Bourcefranc-le-Chapus in France. It is regarded as the “Rolls-Royce of oysters”. Excitement exploded inside me when seeing this name of oyster in the menu. This oyster was plump, flavourful with a smooth mouthfeel and satisfying aftertaste. It was my very first time tasting Special Gillardeau oyster, but I already wished to have more. The Vichyssoise made of puréed leeks, tasty stock and other ingredients gave an extra flavour of land to the precious harvest from the sea.
Second course: Foie gras royal served with Gac fruit declination and almonds
This may look very ordinary in your eyes, but by the time you cut the orange thing into half, you may immediately wonder how Chef Amerigo makes this dish? How is a scoop of creamy foie gras wrapped so perfectly inside the soft, thin gac fruit skin? This may require investigation in Chef Amerigo’s Kitchen, but it was indeed another impressive dish in this menu!
Third course: Pan-seared scallops served with truffle and “cul noir” pork ravioli, mâche purée and apple foam
This is another incredible dish that has put me totally in awe! It was a perfect dish with freshness, balanced, rounded taste. The apple foam suggested a hint of mild sweet-and-sour enhancement to the whole dish! I would recommend you to eat a bit of scallop with some apple foam and mâche purée! You will love it!
Fourth course: Ginger-scented heart of veal sweetbreads with pearl onions, rhubarb and young radish
This veal was perfectly cooked to its best tenderness! It felt like melting in your mouth with juicy flavour! I highly recommend you to eat every bite of the veal with the raspberry-flavoured foam, whose sweet-acidic savour reinforces the tastiness of the veal!
Fifth course: Pan-seared Kamui beef fillet with confit potato garnished with beef cheek and bone marrow, eryngii mushrooms and parsley emulsion (from a la carte menu)
To me, this is the highlight of my dinner! Kamui beef is a strain of Japanese Angus raised like Kobe Wagyu. It is also regarded as a kind of black Angus that truly with unprecedented flavour. I can tell that the Kamui beef sourced by J’AIME is of high quality with beautiful marble. This medium-rare Kamui beef was cooked to its perfection. Because of the marbling, the beef was so tender that it melted in my mouth with very nice, fine texture and unforgettable aftertaste! I just love it!
Sixth Course: A platter of dessert – Mille-feuille “Napoleon”, Peanut and milk chocolate parfait and Blackcurrant soufflé
I chose to savour the blackcurrant soufflé first. My very first bite melted my heart for J’AIME. The aroma of blackcurrant filled the nostril with soft and light texture. Really delicious! The peanut and milk chocolate parfait was sweet. Its intense chocolate taste did quiet my taste buds for sweets. I would recommend enjoying this parfait at the end of your dinner with a cup of aromatic, mild green tea or an Earl Grey. The mille-feuille ‘Napolean’ was another crush I had on this platter! It was not very sweet, the puff pastry blended so well with the silky whipping cream. If it is served at a buffet, I will definitely grab a dozen of pieces.
Ending my dinner with a cup of peppermint tea. It is always relieving to a full stomach with a cup of hot peppermint tea!
Overall speaking, my dining experience was of the best. Standard of service remains professional, attentive and friendly. At this dinner, I witnessed further advancement of Chef Amerigo’s culinary skills. On the day of our visit, J’AIME was quite full and denoted a very busy night for Chef Amerigo. However, every single dish served to me was better than my expectation.
This 6-course tasting menu is now available at J’AIME at THB 3,199 net excluding beverages. For those who would like to push your dining experience to a higher level, you can also enjoy this 6-course degustation menu with their exclusive wine pairing at THB 1,850 net.
Don’t forget to try their new dishes in their a la carte menu. They are another awesome reason why you should visit J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorain!
We highly recommend J’AIME by Jean-Michel Lorain to you all. A must-try!
J’AIME by Jean Michel Lorain
Address: 105 Soi Sathon 1, Thung Maha Mek, Sathon, Bangkok 10120
Phone: +662 119 4899
Opening Hours: 12:00 – 2:30 pm, 6:00 – 10:30 pm
Sunday brunch: 12:00 – 3:00 pm
Email: reserve@jaime-bangkok.com
Website: http://www.jaime-bangkok.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/JMLBangkok
Follow us on Facebook (English): Gourmet Bangkok
Follow us on Facebook (Chinese): 曼谷美食雜誌
Follow us on Twitter: Follow @Gourmet_Bangkok
Follow us on Pinterest: Gourmet Bangkok
Follow us on Instragram: gourmetbangkok
Follow us on Weibo: 珞颐介绍曼谷美食
