Oysters, seaweed and evidence
It was during the recent tasting of Armel Bedouet’s latest gourmet menu at the Michelin-starred restaurant L’Aparté that we melted with pleasure over one dish among many, to the point of wanting to isolate it, to tell its story, so much was the pleasure in tune.
A Cadoret oyster from the open sea, worked with almost meditative precision: shucked while preserving its adductor muscle for hold and chewiness, stiffened for just a few seconds in its filtered water, warmed without ever being rushed. Around it, a salad of fresh wakame and kombu, seasoned with sesame oil, rice vinegar and soft, enveloping Portuguese black olive oil. Green parsley oil adds a chlorophyll vibrancy, while candied and blended Buddha’s hand muslin distills a silky, noble bitterness.
The vintage Sturia caviar, more refined and deeper, rests on a fine charcoal tile. As a counterpoint, an oyster tartare mixed with sea lettuce, lemon and fresh wasabi, punctuated with daikon pickles, trout roe and oyster leaf, completes the ensemble. A dish of balance and relief, seaworthy without being brutal, technical without ever showing off, where every gesture seems guided by taste above all else – and that’s precisely where the pleasure takes hold, for good.
