Eat and eat till you're replete

When I visited the French Culinary Institute a few weeks ago, they gave me a grand tour of the entire school, including their 5-star restaurant where their students cook up fantastic meals for the public. They invited me in for a meal for 2 (on them), and I happily obliged and promised them I would make a reservation soon. So this past Wednesday, Mallory (a huge foodie) and I had the privilege to dine and feast at L'ecole for free!

We went in expecting a good meal, but what we received was mind-boggling VIP treatment! There were so many moments when Mal and I just stared at each other in disbelief. We were placed in the corner window seat, treated with complimentary chilled Fiji water, and even though we had already chosen our 5 courses, they brought out additional dishes "on the house" for us to try!!! Oh, the joys of being "special guests of the school." ^_^

Their baguettes are considered the "best in the city," and Mal and I tried not to fill ourselves up with this amazing bread... Thankfully, they brought out a complimentary beef tartar for us to eat before our appetizers came out. Raw meat never tasted so good.

1st course: Appetizers
Gnocchi Parisienne with Fresh Peas, Grape Tomatoes and Parmesan Reggiano
Five-spice Marinated Duck Breast with Pickled Cherries and Goat Cheese (YUM to the max!!!!)

They also brought out an extra appetizer just for fun: Shrimp, Tomato and Basil Pizza (the shrimp were ginormous and super fresh!)

2nd course: Fish
Fillet of Bass with Creamed Corn, Fava Beans and Grilled Squid in a Spiced Lobster Broth
Sautéed Diver Sea Scallops with Oyster Mushrooms and Sweet Curried Carrot Sauce (the scallops were the biggest scallops I've ever seen in my life -- 2-3 inch diameter!)




3rd course: Meat
Beef Tenderloin with Pomme Fondant, Cremini Mushrooms and Red Wine Reduction
Leg of Lamb with Sweet and Sour Black Pepper Sauce, Potato Gratin and Baby Bok Choy



And..they brought out an extra vegetarian dish as well! Carrot ginger soup and a sandwich...




4th course: Digestive Salad
Arugula, Peach Sorbet, and Ricotta Cheese


5th course: Dessert + Coffee

All of the desserts looked pretty good, and I was indecisive about which one I wanted. I asked Mal, "Hm. If I say that I can't decide between two, do you think they'll just bring out both for me?" I gave it a go, and when the waitress heard my dilemma, she said "Why don't we just bring out both for you." O M G. We were both like O_O "SERIOUSLY?!" To make matters even crazier, she asked us if we wanted their "really good" coffee or cappuccino, "on the house, of course." We both ordered a latte, decaf. Yum.

Chocolate-Almond Cake with Lemon Cream
Fruit Soup with Vanilla-ginger Ice Cream (the ginger hits you afterwards!! =D )
Apple and Cherry Pie with Cherry Sorbet (Don't be fooled by the humble name. It's actually a "deconstructed pie". The apple was wrapped around this cream filling and you eat it together with their cherries and granola "streusel topping" -- BEST dish of the night)



All in all, we were both ridiculously satiated with food and we felt gluttonous for eating 14 dishes between the two of us. Hahaha... Thank you, French Culinary, for a wonderful meal and mind-blowingly awesome experience!