Christian Le Squer is an excellent chef, and his food has been already reviewed here when he was at the helm at Ledoyen. Now at Le Cinq, he trained his kitchen brigade well, and they are able to reproduce his classics day in and out. Assisted by a very professional and courteous service team under the direction of Mr. Baumont who is a well-known wine expert, there is no doubt that the restaurant deserves its Michelin three stars rating. Some of the Le Squer classics, such as large Breton langoustines served in their shell with a warm sabayon and tomato tapenade; sea bass with buttermilk; gratinee Cevennes onions with a rich meat jus-parmesan-bone marrow sauce; oven baked spaghetti with truffle, ham, and Parisian mushrooms in a creamy morel mushrooms sauce; and his sweetbreads in an acidified herbal sauce, are all very accomplished dishes. Overall, the chef is a great saucier and his dishes taste complete and well thought out. In addition, even his more complex dishes are not devoid of focus.
My favorite dish here is the signature pasta dish mentioned above. Calling this just a pasta dish is like saying Messi is a fine football player, an understatement. Just as Messi has redefined the possibilities for a forward player, Chef Le Squer’s rendition of “Spaghetti Debout en Gratin” pushes culinary boundaries in its own right. It is actually a timbale in a rectangular shape. The rectangle is formed by vertical strands of spaghetti mixed with a good dollop of butter and parmesan. It is stuffed with very tasty ham and mushrooms infused with rich cream. On top of the rectangle case stands another layer of pasta garnished with crispy ham sticks and truffles. The dish is presented with a mushroom infused cream sauce. It is an incredibly rich and soul satisfying dish which is, miraculously, not heavy. I don’t know the secret, but what I know is that, when the dish is cut open, it does not fall apart and holds its shape. This can be seen from the second photo. So, the pleasure of devouring this dish lasts to the very end.
There is also one signature dessert that I adore: “Croquant de Pamplemousse Confit et Cru”. There are successive layers of confit grapefruit, raw grapefruit infused with vanilla and lime, and also sorbet of grapefruit, in this amazing dessert. The texture and the balance between sweet, tart and herbal (basil) are extraordinary.
I have one qualm though. Le Squer seems to be rarely present in the kitchen, unlike when he was at Ledoyen. At Ledoyen he used to prepare some seasonal surprise dishes. Another problem is that since the spaghetti timbale is in the tasting menu, even if one orders it à la carte, one is served a small portion size. This is a half portion and not a full portion. I guess the house does not want guests to order this dish à la carte, and the portion size has suffered as a consequence.
Too bad! Hence I am giving Le Squer a half point less than last time.
EVALUATION: 18/20
Totally agree re the spaghetti dish; it’s really an exceptional dish that I will never forget. It’s been a few years since I’ve been (pre-Covid), but at the time, I do not remember the dish being half a portion. Would be a shame if they have reduced it. Having said that, i could have had another serving of the full portion 🙂
At a meal last year, I was happy to see Le Squer was still adding new dishes. I had a sepia dish with some kind of dairy component that was delicious. Something Le Squer cooks esp well is sweetbreads, and Vedat I’m sure you remember his sweetbreads dishes from Ledoyen. I’m not sure how often Le Squer is in the kitchen, but he was there that night. And the wine list still has gems. The grapefruit, of course, is a classic.
I ate the spaghetti box in 2018, a few days after running into you at Sacha in Madrid. It was stuffed with toothsome chunks of early-season black truffles. Such hedonism! The rest of the meal never hit quite as high. Does not seem right to have reduced the portion size so much. Perhaps a mistake from the kitchen?