L'étoile, home to Michelin-starred chef Christian Têtedoie, is famous even in a tranquil place surrounded by the greenery of OCT. L'étoile was named one of the "Top 10 New Restaurants in Shenzhen in 2016" by That's PRD, and French companies, including Citroën, have come to charter events for their outstanding and authentic French cuisine. L'étoile was founded by Frenchman Jean-Michel Weiss, who has been named one of the top 10 sommeliers in France, is a Knight of the Order of Wine of France and Vice President of the Association of French Imperial Chefs in Asia Pacific.
Chef Christian Têtedoie has a stellar resume, having been awarded the title of "Best Craftsman in France" in 1997, his first Michelin star in 2000 and the Chevalier de l'Ordre de l'Ordre de l'Ordre de l'Ordre Christian Têteoie studied with legendary French chefs Paul Bocuse and Georges Blanc, and was the President of the Élysée Palace Presidential Dinner. Thanks to the chef's resources and connections, the restaurant is often visited by Michelin-starred chefs. However, Christian Têtedoie himself is not often at L'étoile, so if you want to get a glimpse of the chef, you are advised to call ahead of time.
L' étoile's aperitifs are worth mentioning, with bread flown directly from France to Shenzhen in 10 hours, just to bring diners the most authentic French flavors. For the appetizer, we recommend the classic pan-fried foie gras with apples, using the remaining oil from the fried apples, to fry the foie gras over a high heat until golden brown, and then squeeze the apple juice and other mixed juices into the pan to reconcile the taste. Crispy and creamy in the mouth, foie gras is rich and non-greasy in the mouth, making it a dish that the French can be proud of.
For the main course, you can choose Burgundy beef with roasted mille-feuille potatoes. The beef is made up of beef shank and beef cheek, the former chewy and the latter extremely soft and elastic, and the combination is amazing. The beef is first fried in butter, then stewed with seasonings, and finally drizzled with gravy. The melaleuca potatoes are baked for 3 hours, and the cheese on the outside of the potatoes is cut with a knife. Marinated cumin salmon with cocktail sauce is also a good choice. The salmon is marinated for 12 hours and then thinly sliced, with a salad dressing in the middle, Heinz sauce and chopped dill for a special flavor and tender meat.
Among the desserts after the meal, the queen rice pudding is worth trying. This is a Southeast Asian-style dessert with a pudding made of orange juice and orange peel on the surface, and if you look closely, you can see that the orange peel is finely crumbled. The pudding is covered with rich cooked French rice, but this rice has a harder texture and is mixed with a hint of rum, making it a dessert that needs to be chewed. In addition, French tiramisu is also a good choice, sweet but not greasy, fragrant and delicious.
It is worth mentioning that the owner of L'étoile has his own wine cellar, with exclusive import and agency rights for wines and spirits from more than 300 wineries in 10 regions of France, and the wines offered by the restaurant are affordable, with prices ranging from 300 yuan per wine to the nearest 300 yuan, and a corkage fee of 100 yuan if you bring your own wine. The restaurant is also the sole agent of Richard, the number one coffee brand in France, and the coffee quality is excellent.
L'étoile covers an area of nearly 1,000 square meters, but the overall decoration is not outstanding, and the refrigerator and counter next to the door are not stocked with food, ingredients, etc., giving people the feeling of being idle for a long time. Although the restaurant is spacious, there are not many tables, the table spacing is reasonable, and the white tablecloth and plastic chairs without armrests are used, and the dining atmosphere is much worse than most restaurants. L'étoile also has 3 private rooms, and the decoration and decoration only use simple curtains such as the Palace of Versailles and the Arc de Triomphe, and there is basically no design to speak of, and the low cost ranges from 5,000 to 8,000 yuan. L'étoile's service is relatively considerate, but judging from the details such as the liquidation and withdrawal, the professionalism is insufficient and no service fee is charged.
