PassedTheEndorMoon
Mouseketeer
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2018
At this point, we took the chance to stand up and wander around. We watched the chefs at work and we noticed that one of the prep cooks working directly in front of us was from Pasadena, nearby where we live in Southern California. We were able to talk to him a bit about how he was liking life in Florida and what he missed about California.
These interactions were incredible and truly made the meal that much more of an unforgettable experience. The staff was professional, but incredibly friendly! When they were cooking, there was a quiet focus among them. This is not like the stereotypical kitchen where chefs are yelling over each other. In fact, the Executive Chef Aimee even told us that usually the guests dining at the Chef’s Table are the loudest people in the kitchen.
Then, the meat courses began with duck prepared two ways: a confit duck leg and a sous vide duck breast served with sweet potato and walnuts. This had all the winter/Thanksgiving flavors one could want, elevated to a fine dining course. Tory mentioned to Al that she is generally not a fan of duck, as it is generally greasy and tough, but that she loved this course. Al agreed that it really takes skill to prepare duck so well.
Next was game meat. We were served an elk tenderloin with a borscht consomme ribbon and huckleberries. This was absolutely my favorite course. The elk was perfectly cooked and had that gamey richness, and it pairs so well with the huckleberries. However, the addition of the borscht that they made into a soup and then turned into a ribbon was amazing! It was a beautiful plate and the beet played so well with the elk.
The wine pairing for this course, as with all the others, was phenomenal. We opted to just order one set of wine pairings so we could split it. We are not experts on wine, although we do love a good pairing! So we did a lot of nodding along as Al and Amy explained the different styles, but they really did pair amazingly well with each course.
At one point, Boris the matire’d came by to talk to us and we got to talking about wine. He said that they don’t have a need for Level 3 or Level 4 sommeliers at V&A, as they view wine as an accompaniment to the food, not the main attraction. He also noted that several years ago, a food critic came through, and upon leaving, told the staff that they would he happy with his review. The only critique was that there were too many Napa Valley wines in the pairing. Boris laughed and scoffed at this upon retelling it to us. How can you ever have too many Napa wines?
Then we got more bread! This bread was a truffle brioche with a truffle butter!
For our final meat course, we were presented Australian Kobe-style beef tenderloin with mushrooms and bone marrow pain perdu! I don’t think there are many things better in this world then well-cooked beef with mushrooms and red wine. This was a very classic preparation, but with those flavors, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The mushrooms and marrow were great accompaniments.
Before our cheese course, Al came by to ask us if we wanted coffee with our desserts. Tory, of course, obliged, and I opted for a tea. Al came back with a menu that had at least 20 tea blends on it. I got an herbal tea called Harmony, which was a blend of chamomile, peppermint, allspice, and orange blossoms.
Next up was the cheese course. I don’t know what I expected when I read the words “stilton cheesecake”. I was thinking it would be a cheesecake with some blue cheese thrown in for some funk. I was wrong, it was whipped stilton cheese formed into a cheesecake and topped with red wine soaked pears and whipped honey. This was the most playful and creative dish we had all night. It had the consistency of cheesecake but tasted like a stilton blue cheese. The funk/tang was cut perfectly with the pears and the whipped honey. Yes, whipped honey. Not just honey flavored whipped cream. It was denser than whipped cream but still looked like it. However, it tasted exactly like a floral honey, because it was! I had no idea how they were able to whip honey and so I was dying to ask. Al told us it was done with a little Disney magic. Later, when Chef Aimee came by, she hinted that their might be an acid in there, but still did not want to let us in on their secret. On anything else they were more than gracious to answer our questions, but on the whipped honey the staff’s collective lips were sealed. It was fascinating!
At this point, Al came back with a piece of glassware that looked like it belonged in a chem lab. They brew the coffee and tea in front of you by putting the grounds/loose leaf tea in the upper chamber of this hour glass shaped glassware. The water is added to the bottom chamber and a heating element is placed underneath. The water boils and travels up to the upper chamber where it mixes with the grounds and then slowly condenses and drips back down to the lower chamber. Tory and I stared in amazement. If you get the opportunity to go to V&A, get the coffee service!
During this course, Chef Aimee took some time away from the kitchen to come talk to us. She straight up asked, “What do you want to know?” We asked her how a woman from Puerto Rico gets into fine dining, and she then proceeded to tell us the amazing story of her life over a thirty-minute conversation. How she had a degree in finance (I think? We were quite a few glasses of wine in), but really always loved cooking. Her break came when her older sister and brother-in-law offered to pay for her to go to culinary school. She told us how she rose through the ranks of the culinary world. It was amazing and inspiring! Ater raving to her about the stilton cheesecake, she said she was glad, as she had three people send it back tonight. WHO SENDS BACK FOOD AT VICTORIA AND ALBERT’S?!?!? WHO HAS THE GUTS TO SAY THAT THEY KNOW BETTER THAN THE KITCHEN? I was appalled; Chef Aimee said it is fairly common, and that people either love the cheesecake or hate it. It was a polarizing dish for sure.
At this point, our second bonus course arrived, which Tory and I are hazy on because we were eight courses, wine pairings and other alcoholic beverages deep, but it was a dessert course that contained some sort of mango sorbet. It was delicious!
When our official dessert course came, Chef Aimee came back and said her goodbyes before heading back into the kitchen. The dessert, as you can see, is absolutely beautiful. It was a chocolate tarte with mint cream and a black currant sauce. It tasted just as good as it looked. Again, classic flavor pairings, but executed perfectly and truly a highlight to end the meal on. I have been disappointed before in fine dining places where it seemed like they just phoned in dessert. It’s often not up to the standard of the savory courses, and that shouldn’t be the case. Just because it is sweet doesn’t mean it can’t be nuanced.
As the meal wrapped up, we were sipping on our hot drinks and basking in the magic of the evening as the kitchen was finishing up service. Al came by and asked us if we had any more room for food. I think we both shook our heads, but he insisted that they had one more special treat for us. He then headed over to the cabinet on the side of the room where a large box had been sitting all night emblazoned with the V&A logo. I had assumed it housed cutlery or plates. However when he opened it up in front of us, there was a gorgeous spread of truffles and chocolates.
It felt like a magic trick that it had been sitting there all night. Al explained all the flavors and asked us which we would like. I think we tried one of everything, but the standout was the chocolate cherry.
We were so stuffed, but Al kept asking if we wanted anymore of them as the whole box was ours if we wanted it. We politely declined, and he offered to put a few in a box for us. When Amy came back with the check, she also had a red rose for Tory and a bag that had copies of our menu and our box of truffles. Just stellar service and forethought! I was left speechless. Just when I thought there wasn’t any more to the experience, they brought my wife a rose!
I got to pay our tab via MagicBand, which seemed super silly, considering the elegance of the situation. We took our time taking a few more photos, thanking the staff and the cooks, and slowly waddling our way out of the restaurant.
From beginning to end, the food and service were impeccable. There were no missteps, no courses that we didn’t absolutely love, or any emotion from any of the staff that wasn’t pure happiness. It was an experience that we will never forget, and, as far as honeymoon splurges go, one that was worth every penny. We got back to our hotel after a short Lyft ride and laid in bed, basking in the joy of that night. We talked about our favorite courses and moments that we didn’t want to forget (something we still do, months later). In case you haven’t sensed this yet, if you have the means, V&A is worth visiting. It’s fine dining with Disney service and magic. Is there anything better?
STAY TUNED FOR THE FINAL DAY OF OUR HONEYMOON ADVENTURE!
These interactions were incredible and truly made the meal that much more of an unforgettable experience. The staff was professional, but incredibly friendly! When they were cooking, there was a quiet focus among them. This is not like the stereotypical kitchen where chefs are yelling over each other. In fact, the Executive Chef Aimee even told us that usually the guests dining at the Chef’s Table are the loudest people in the kitchen.
Then, the meat courses began with duck prepared two ways: a confit duck leg and a sous vide duck breast served with sweet potato and walnuts. This had all the winter/Thanksgiving flavors one could want, elevated to a fine dining course. Tory mentioned to Al that she is generally not a fan of duck, as it is generally greasy and tough, but that she loved this course. Al agreed that it really takes skill to prepare duck so well.
Next was game meat. We were served an elk tenderloin with a borscht consomme ribbon and huckleberries. This was absolutely my favorite course. The elk was perfectly cooked and had that gamey richness, and it pairs so well with the huckleberries. However, the addition of the borscht that they made into a soup and then turned into a ribbon was amazing! It was a beautiful plate and the beet played so well with the elk.
The wine pairing for this course, as with all the others, was phenomenal. We opted to just order one set of wine pairings so we could split it. We are not experts on wine, although we do love a good pairing! So we did a lot of nodding along as Al and Amy explained the different styles, but they really did pair amazingly well with each course.
At one point, Boris the matire’d came by to talk to us and we got to talking about wine. He said that they don’t have a need for Level 3 or Level 4 sommeliers at V&A, as they view wine as an accompaniment to the food, not the main attraction. He also noted that several years ago, a food critic came through, and upon leaving, told the staff that they would he happy with his review. The only critique was that there were too many Napa Valley wines in the pairing. Boris laughed and scoffed at this upon retelling it to us. How can you ever have too many Napa wines?
Then we got more bread! This bread was a truffle brioche with a truffle butter!
For our final meat course, we were presented Australian Kobe-style beef tenderloin with mushrooms and bone marrow pain perdu! I don’t think there are many things better in this world then well-cooked beef with mushrooms and red wine. This was a very classic preparation, but with those flavors, there is no need to reinvent the wheel. The mushrooms and marrow were great accompaniments.
Before our cheese course, Al came by to ask us if we wanted coffee with our desserts. Tory, of course, obliged, and I opted for a tea. Al came back with a menu that had at least 20 tea blends on it. I got an herbal tea called Harmony, which was a blend of chamomile, peppermint, allspice, and orange blossoms.
Next up was the cheese course. I don’t know what I expected when I read the words “stilton cheesecake”. I was thinking it would be a cheesecake with some blue cheese thrown in for some funk. I was wrong, it was whipped stilton cheese formed into a cheesecake and topped with red wine soaked pears and whipped honey. This was the most playful and creative dish we had all night. It had the consistency of cheesecake but tasted like a stilton blue cheese. The funk/tang was cut perfectly with the pears and the whipped honey. Yes, whipped honey. Not just honey flavored whipped cream. It was denser than whipped cream but still looked like it. However, it tasted exactly like a floral honey, because it was! I had no idea how they were able to whip honey and so I was dying to ask. Al told us it was done with a little Disney magic. Later, when Chef Aimee came by, she hinted that their might be an acid in there, but still did not want to let us in on their secret. On anything else they were more than gracious to answer our questions, but on the whipped honey the staff’s collective lips were sealed. It was fascinating!
At this point, Al came back with a piece of glassware that looked like it belonged in a chem lab. They brew the coffee and tea in front of you by putting the grounds/loose leaf tea in the upper chamber of this hour glass shaped glassware. The water is added to the bottom chamber and a heating element is placed underneath. The water boils and travels up to the upper chamber where it mixes with the grounds and then slowly condenses and drips back down to the lower chamber. Tory and I stared in amazement. If you get the opportunity to go to V&A, get the coffee service!
During this course, Chef Aimee took some time away from the kitchen to come talk to us. She straight up asked, “What do you want to know?” We asked her how a woman from Puerto Rico gets into fine dining, and she then proceeded to tell us the amazing story of her life over a thirty-minute conversation. How she had a degree in finance (I think? We were quite a few glasses of wine in), but really always loved cooking. Her break came when her older sister and brother-in-law offered to pay for her to go to culinary school. She told us how she rose through the ranks of the culinary world. It was amazing and inspiring! Ater raving to her about the stilton cheesecake, she said she was glad, as she had three people send it back tonight. WHO SENDS BACK FOOD AT VICTORIA AND ALBERT’S?!?!? WHO HAS THE GUTS TO SAY THAT THEY KNOW BETTER THAN THE KITCHEN? I was appalled; Chef Aimee said it is fairly common, and that people either love the cheesecake or hate it. It was a polarizing dish for sure.
At this point, our second bonus course arrived, which Tory and I are hazy on because we were eight courses, wine pairings and other alcoholic beverages deep, but it was a dessert course that contained some sort of mango sorbet. It was delicious!
When our official dessert course came, Chef Aimee came back and said her goodbyes before heading back into the kitchen. The dessert, as you can see, is absolutely beautiful. It was a chocolate tarte with mint cream and a black currant sauce. It tasted just as good as it looked. Again, classic flavor pairings, but executed perfectly and truly a highlight to end the meal on. I have been disappointed before in fine dining places where it seemed like they just phoned in dessert. It’s often not up to the standard of the savory courses, and that shouldn’t be the case. Just because it is sweet doesn’t mean it can’t be nuanced.
As the meal wrapped up, we were sipping on our hot drinks and basking in the magic of the evening as the kitchen was finishing up service. Al came by and asked us if we had any more room for food. I think we both shook our heads, but he insisted that they had one more special treat for us. He then headed over to the cabinet on the side of the room where a large box had been sitting all night emblazoned with the V&A logo. I had assumed it housed cutlery or plates. However when he opened it up in front of us, there was a gorgeous spread of truffles and chocolates.
It felt like a magic trick that it had been sitting there all night. Al explained all the flavors and asked us which we would like. I think we tried one of everything, but the standout was the chocolate cherry.
We were so stuffed, but Al kept asking if we wanted anymore of them as the whole box was ours if we wanted it. We politely declined, and he offered to put a few in a box for us. When Amy came back with the check, she also had a red rose for Tory and a bag that had copies of our menu and our box of truffles. Just stellar service and forethought! I was left speechless. Just when I thought there wasn’t any more to the experience, they brought my wife a rose!
I got to pay our tab via MagicBand, which seemed super silly, considering the elegance of the situation. We took our time taking a few more photos, thanking the staff and the cooks, and slowly waddling our way out of the restaurant.
From beginning to end, the food and service were impeccable. There were no missteps, no courses that we didn’t absolutely love, or any emotion from any of the staff that wasn’t pure happiness. It was an experience that we will never forget, and, as far as honeymoon splurges go, one that was worth every penny. We got back to our hotel after a short Lyft ride and laid in bed, basking in the joy of that night. We talked about our favorite courses and moments that we didn’t want to forget (something we still do, months later). In case you haven’t sensed this yet, if you have the means, V&A is worth visiting. It’s fine dining with Disney service and magic. Is there anything better?
STAY TUNED FOR THE FINAL DAY OF OUR HONEYMOON ADVENTURE!
Wow. Just wow. That's all
