As part of the the four-day Taste City Fusion event, Amuse Restaurant on Dawson Street hosted a “Paris to Tokyo” evening that featured a five-course tasting menu along with dessert, petits fours, and two amuse-bouches. The evening can only be described as a truly unique dining experience. The idea behind the Paris to Tokyo evening was to fuse French and Japanese cuisine, and it did just that. From start to finish, each dish contained elements influenced by both cuisines. Conor Dempsey, head chef and owner of Amuse Restaurant, carefully orchestrated the fusion of the two completely different flavours and styles of cooking.
Shortly after we arrived, one of the sommeliers came to take our drinks order. Opting to go for a red, he suggested one that would go well with everything on the menu. We decided on a Bourgogne Passetoutgrains, which was an extraordinary blend of gamay and pinot noir. Upon the first taste, it was a voluminous red, but the after taste resembled that of a dry white. The wine paired well with both the fish and the meat on the menu.
We were served two amuse-bouches, a small appetizer served before the starter to stimulate the palate. The first amuse-bouche had four parts to it, two French and two Japanese. Róisín’s favourite was the raspberry and beetroot macaron infused with a smoked mackerel cream. I enjoyed the cauliflower mousse with medjool dates, pickled cauliflower, and a sprinkling of cocoa on top. The flavours complemented each other nicely. The second amuse-bouche was an oyster served on a bed of sea salt with horseradish, seaweed paper, and lychee. Although it was salty, the lychee purée added a sweetness to the dish that really brought it to another level.
The highlight of the menu for both of us was the fourth course: venison with black sesame, black fig, yellow courgette, seaweed paper, coconut paper, and jerusalem artichoke complemented by a Japanese soy sauce.
We were then served the first of the five-course tasting menu, which was razor clams, mussels, black garlic, sudachi, seaweed, and mussel foam. The fusion between the mussels, commonly associated with French cuisine, and the seaweed, sesame, and sudachi, a Japanese citrus fruit, highlighted the saltiness of the traditional seafood ingredient in a unique way. The second course was loin of yellowfin tuna with ginger, horseradish, tuna tartare, pickled radish, preserved lemon, and timur pepper. We both agreed this dish was the most potent, as it had many strong elements working together to awaken your taste buds after the saltiness of the previous dish. The complexities and potency of the dish required the bergamot palate cleanser served with it before continuing to the next course. Atlantic cod with sushi rice cream, yuzu, and kamebishi soy was next on the menu. The cod was cooked to perfection, and the puffed sushi rice on top of the cod added a delicate crunch.
The highlight of the menu for both of us was the fourth course: venison with black sesame, black fig, yellow courgette, seaweed paper, coconut paper, and jerusalem artichoke complemented by a Japanese soy sauce. The dish was beautifully executed, and displayed a perfect fusion between French and Japanese cuisine. Next on the menu was a mango dish, which acted as a pre-dessert to cleanse the palate after the venison. It almost resembled a cheesecake as it had a praline base and a smooth mango top. A refreshing mango sorbet completed the dish.
The fifth and final course was a delightful fusion of coffee, chocolate, almond, bergamot, medjool date, and lime jelly. This course, along with the venison, was one of my favourite parts of the evening. The dessert’s aesthetics and flavour profile showed off the chef’s finesse. The lime added a contrasting taste that was refreshing and worked well against the coffee.
To finish off, we were served a selection of petits fours, ending the evening on a high note. The petits fours included pistachio and raspberry macarons and passion fruit and raspberry jelly. These macarons were even better than the renowned Ladurée ones. The petits fours were served on a bed of cacao nibs, which was a nice change to serving them on a plate like most places. On the side came a little bowl of homemade marshmallows that had a lovely rosewater scent. They were incredibly light, and almost melted in your mouth.
The entire meal was faultless, and the fusion between the two styles of cooking was carried equally throughout.
We left Amuse on a high, and are determined to return. The Paris to Tokyo event was thoroughly enjoyable. The food was exceptional and especially unique, and the customer service was unparalleled. The entire meal was faultless, and the fusion between the two styles of cooking was carried equally throughout. I don’t know anywhere else in Dublin where you could find such a unique blend of two cultures pulled off so seamlessly.
