Louisiana Reborn!

Even if you dont know the background, the changes to Louisiana, the Hilton's Creole-Cajun reworking of Beijings oldest steakhouse, are remarkable. If you do know a little history however, Chef de Cuisine Dan Segall's transformation of Louisiana into the hottest ticket in town makes it something of a miracle. A sort of culinary resurrection.

Ten years ago Louisiana opened with appropriate fanfare, and was the first place in the city where you could get a good steak exactly how you wanted it "with all the fixin's". This was a popular development in Beijing's dining options, and over the next ten years there were many who copied the concept.

With collective memory of this story, the editorial team of Beijing This Month sat down on the 20th of May to welcome our Copy Chief Charles J. Dukes back to Beijing. A "Southerner", we wanted to make an impression on our colleague and treat him to a traditional 7 course  Creole meal reserved for big occasions like homecomings. We called ahead to ask Chef Segall for his advice, and arrived to find our menus bearing the ominous-sounding heading:

Semi-Non-traditional Creole, "7-Course" Meal

Chef de Cuisine Dan Segall, recently of "Canteen" in New Yorks SOHO district, is well known for putting quirky touches to his food and explained the tradition lay with the style of the dinner and the order of the courses. We sampled his creations and can now insist that he has created a menu that has all the hallmarks of simplicity, grace, and style for which Classic Creole and Cajun cooking is justly world-famous.

The dinner was wildly successful, the wine selections a huge credit to the talented sommelier Sunny Chang (on loan to the Hilton Beijing for a short time), and the service well above average. The decor is neat and unostentatious. And thats just a summary. Here's a bite-by-bite description of the seven courses we enjoyed:

"Not-Turtle Soup"-spiny lobster fricassee, morels and fava beans. Rich, creamy and utterly delicious, the morels floated like tiny ambrosia and the beans were firm and perfectly cooked.

Antoine's Oysters Rockerfeller and Suzette. Brilliant "stoplight" duo of delicately cooked oysters, one with green suzette reminiscent of a soft pesto, the other brilliant red tomato-based  lifting flavour.  As in traffic, we recommend "Go"! before "Stop"! A feast for the eyes as well as the mouth; a simple idea perfectly executed.

Pave of poached Atlantic salmon - purple asparagus, sauce nantua. A natural lozenge of salmon covered in a delicate mustard sauce. The asparagus was rare and complimentary.

A 2001 Sandalford's Xanadu Semillon accompanied first three courses from Western Australia. Sandalford have produced impressive whites in recent years, and this Semillon doesnt disappoint with a creamy and fruity complexity nicely tamed by what in a lesser wine would be too much oak. 

"Mint Julep" Sorbet. A spicy (but naughty) palate cleanser, this was a variation of a Dan Segall signature dish: the Tabasco sorbet! The only drawback was it leaves you wanting more.

Australian Lamb cooked two ways - spring squash and pommes maxim galette. Superb. Tender cutlets and sweet, rich, dark cured lamb. Rewarding. Galette "stack": crispy, light, a neat "surprise" after the lamb.

Sweet Emma's Warm Duck Confit Salad - green grapes, sauce paradis and greens. The easy-finish of rich duck was enhanced by the sharp combination of salad greens, the sauce floating the taste to all parts of the palate. This dish deserves an article of its own. Superb, Dan.

Two "main" courses accompanied by a Californian 1998 Concannon Vineyard Petit Sirah. This red is an award-winning compliment to dishes that are a mix of sweet and sour, see above. A medium-bodied blend that combines the rich plum kiss of the Petit Sirah with a complex mix of underlying "harder" flavours for balance. Well aged.

Finally, for dessert, a truly Southern "Take 2 bites and pass" dessert parade that featured pecan pie with ginger ice-cream, warm chocolate cake with cashew ice-cream, lemon meringue with chardonnay cream, peanut butter chocolate icebox pie, bananas foster with vanilla ice-cream, and bread pudding with strawberry soup. The descriptions of the desserts surely qualifies as boasting: We each tried them all and were well combined and not oversweet. These are like principal dishes, not merely a sweet afterthought.

Overall, we enjoyed a meal of welcome, both for our colleague and for the new Louisiana. It was a superb feast and fine dining experience. Louisiana is back, and a truer story of redemption will be hard to find.

Booking is highly recommended to avoid disappointment. Call for reservations: 010 6468 6699 ext 5050.