Dear viewers, dear viewers, above all, the journalist in charge of writing this article loves to eat, but is not a food critic. (Even though I preferred the winning menu!) After a final culinary test and fourteen weeks of competition, Hugo Riboulet, 24, won season 14 of “Top Chef” on M6. Philippe Etchebest’s blue brigade candidate put an end to chef Hélène Darroze’s series of consecutive victories, winning 54.81% of the vote against Danny Khezzar, whose exceptional career was highly praised on the show. .
20 minutes, who had been invited to the dinner of the final recorded last December at the Four Seasons George V, in Paris, had acclaimed Hugo’s menu. We come back to this great tasting:
The menus
The entrees
Entry A (Danny) : From shadow to light, gambero rosso, cauliflower, railfort
As soon as it arrived on the table, the beauty of the plate conquered the public. What a surprise, when the army of waiters explained to us that the dish would change color after spraying (yes in perfume bottles) with a vinegar sauce. Unfortunately, the magic didn’t work. And the end of the sauce was quite beefy. Special mention to the prawn croquette, a pure delight.
Entrance B (Hugo): Leaf by leaf of the undergrowth and cappuccino of 8 hours
AMAZING mushroom cappuccino. This warmth, this comfort. We are total fans. It was unanimous on my table. Even if my leaf-to-leaf was less beautiful than that of my neighbour, it is just as good with crunch, softness and acidity brought in particular by the foie gras and the apple.
Match result: Victory of entry B for my taste buds.
The dishes
Dish A (Danny) : Green lake char, shellfish, shiso and root chervil
I simply devoured this dish. The sauce was very tasty. The cooking of the fish was just right, delicate and not overcooked. Finally, special mention to this fishbone in vegetable charcoal, slightly spicy but the ultimate touch of an excellent dish.
Dish B (Hugo) : Golden scallops, green cabbage cake, juice from scallops in red wine
Heavier than dish A, dish B had a lot of advantages: three large, delicious and well-cooked scallops, hazelnuts that add crispiness, a discreet citrus fruit gel, but the cabbage was a bit tight. Separately everything is excellent, together there is an overflow.
Match result: I clearly preferred dish A, so it’s all going to come down to dessert… I’m not a big fan of chocolate, but it’s “Top Chef” so I’m going to let myself be surprised.
The desserts
Dessert A (Danny) : Chocolate soufflé tart and Mont Vanilla Brulee
First of all, we don’t have instructions during the services, so I hope everyone who ate the seaweed that was with the nitrogen is doing well. The pie crust was very good. The effect of the small soufflé worked well and even if it was only decorative, that of the nitrogen was sympathetic. The vanilla mount did not transcend me but the touch of bergamot – I believe – gave it some pep.
Dessert B (Hugo) : Chocolate veil, savory, Timut pepper
What a delicate dessert with this little veil, which turned out to be light, a little soft but very good. The tile was excellent. I was very surprised by the acidity and especially the herbaceous side. It was really a sweet and greedy dessert.
Match result : Less chocolatey, dessert B was more pleasant in the mouth. But a puffed pie is cheeky.
The notation
If some and some of my classmates had very clear-cut opinions, I found the two proposals really interesting, so the dessert helped me decide. And it is menu B that has collected the most points. Congratulations to both candidates for all their hard work!