Michelin Starred Chef Frédéric Bizat's Delectable Tasting Menu at Maison Flo, Until Jan 22

We have to confess that, as food editors, we have good and bad days. On the bad days you might get a somewhat unpleasant experience, gross dishes or even full on food poisoning (believe me, that happes more often than we would care to admit); and on the good days, everything in front of you gives you the feeling that you love this job, too much. Yesterday was definitely a good day for us, as we were lucky enough to attend a tasting session to give you a sneak peek of a meal prepared by Michelin Chef Frédéric Bizat at Maison Flo.

Born in mountainous Saint-Céré located in the southwest of France with spectacular views, Chef Frédéric Bizat perfected his culinary skills at one Michelin-starred Les Trois Soleils de Montal Hotel in the same locale, where he obtained his Michelin star in 1999. This is the second time that Bizat and his wife have traveled to Beijing to cooperate with Maison Flo, because their own restaurant closes for two months during winter. 

Frédéric Bizat prefers to use seasonal ingredients in combination with the sous vide cooking method, where food is put in a vacuum-sealed pouch and placed in a water bath or a temperature controlled steam environment for a longer period of time than usually seen in cooking (anywhere between 1 and 48 hours) to retain moisture and ensure even cooking.

This time, Chef Bizat carried 2kg of black truffles from the Perigord region of France to Beijing, and has created two different menus for Maison Flo. The tasting we had included some dish from both menus. We started with bites of foie gras. One had strawberry jelly coating, which gave some extra acidity and a bit of sweetness to balance the savory, while the foie gras bites were seasoned with white pepper and sea salt which gave a spicy kick to balance the fatty texture.

Surprisingly, Chef Bizat introduced some Asian concepts into his fine-dining French cooking: pacific scallops were transformed into a burger, poached and enhanced with celeriac cream. Each “burger” was covered with a slice of black truffle, adding some earthy flavors to the dish.

We particularly enjoyed the ravioli, which were stuffed with foie gras, and served in chicken broth. The umami from mixed mushrooms in the broth made it moreish. The New Zealand lamb was also recommendable: tender, soft, and seasoned with rosemary and basil, benefiting from garlic cream and aubergine, as well as pesto in baby onions on a dry and crisp eggplant boat (pictured at the top of this blog). This lively and colorful dish reminds us of French sunshine.

To round it off, we had a passion-fruit mousse in crispy tuille (a baked wafer made of egg). Mango and passion-fruit brought tropical flavors, and the airy coconut sorbet on top balanced that well. 

Chef Bizat will be serving his two especially created menus at Maison Flo until January 22, with two options – a Les Trois Soleils Menu at RMB 688 per person, and a Black Diamond Truffle Menu for RMB 988 per person with wine pairing.

If you can’t make it during Chef Bizat’s visit, Maison Flo is also putting on two secret festive menus for Chinese New Year (from January 24 to February 11): Champs Élysées Menu at RMB 499 per person, or Victor Hugo Menu at RMB 688 per person, and a special menu for Valentine’s Day at RMB 1299, 1899, and 2399 per person (including different sparkling wine or Champagne). Make sure you call up ahead to book (6595 5135), as Maison Flo gets busy during special occassions.

More stories by this author here.

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Photos: Tracy Wang