LudoBites 5.0

I’m only reviewing 5.0 so that I can add it to my lists.
But seriously…5.0 was my first time experience Chef Lefebvre’s amazing cooking, so there is a bit of sentimental feelings attached. I hate how I’ll probably never experience it again.

how lucky can a girl get… slipping into a reservation just one day before LudoBites 5.0 is history?! somehow my stars managed and little did i know what a treat i was in for.
his staff is genuinely friendly and accommodating. our dishes came orchestrated in perfect timing… never left us with a boring hum-​a-​dum-​dum moment awaiting our next course.
FAVORITES:
KING SALMON «a l’huile» Juniper Berries, Rainbow Carrot, Orange Ice, Pistachio — first off, isn’t this the prettiest arrangement ever? not only is it an art piece, but it makes me feel all summery! oh what detail, with the pristine flower embellishment and it is so refreshing. the ice, like a little bit of citrus snow, perfectly complements the fish and delicate seasoning. i love the texture the pistachio lends.
POTATO MOUSSELINE, Chorizo, poached egg. mmmm. it comes as a blanket of creamy potato over the egg and chorizo. first layer is the potato. mashed potato-​like but better, more refined texture i’d say. it’s that comfort food we all know, but kicked-​up a couple notches. then you delve into the egg and chorizo, giving it that POW! bold flavors and spicy kick, melded with yolk. again on the detail. Ludo has a way with the flowers.
*RAW WAYGU BEEF, Somen Noodle, Peanut Vinaigrette, Watermelon. WOW, what an app to remember. i could have had this as my sole entrée. the beef is absolutely DIVINE. and you’d be surprised by how the watermelon gives it a clean happy «POP». cool and lightly sweet. nice pairing.
somewhere around this time, my fellow foodie girl Tara decides to catch Ludo in action and snag a photo. he happened to be preparing our next entrée. while intent on his John Dory, he motions that he’ll come around the counter to greet us after finishing up the dish. so obligingly, he steps away from his craft, warmly greets us and takes a few photos. although he has a full on-​going circus in his kitchen, he is neither flustered nor annoyed, but happy to meet us. the great thing about Gram & Papa’s is the open kitchen. you can see everything, from the interaction of the entire staff, to the beginnings and endings of each and every one of our incredible edibles.
*CHANTERELLES, Peach, Black Garlic. wonderfully executed. a very delicate dish. the roasted garlic is tender and sweet. if you didn’t know of black garlic, you would’ve thought it were fruit. the chanterelles are scrumptiously savory and i loved its accompaniment of perfectly sweetened, yet firm, thinly sliced peach.
GRILLED OCTOPUS, Burnt Bell Pepper Polenta, Pineapple Aioli, Piment D’Espellette Gelee. my favorites on this were the octopus, tender and simply seasoned, and the piment gelee … mild spice, smoothly melts on your tongue.
*HOT FOIE GRAS DYNAMITE, Raw Tuna, Lychee. many of my favorite things all in one dish. mayo. fois gras. enough said. a combo that’s out of this world. Oooohh… the moans at the table!
CONFIT PORK BELLY, Raw Choucroute Thai Style, Mustard Ice Cream. glorious glorious gloriously fat fat fat! there was some meat on it to be chewed on, but mostly tender, almost melts-​on-​the-​tongue F-​A-​T. by this time, i was almost full from the parade of delicious appetizers. boy had i wished i weren’tll! i thought the choucroute was a good contrast to the pork. it was tangy, fresh, crisp, light and sweet… slaw-​like, against the pork’s heaviness… or shall I say FATNESS!
*MARINATED STEAK («Korean style»). Pickled Vegetables, Baby Corn, Crispy Bacon. this was the final entrée. the meat was a delicious, seasoned and med-​rare right on par. again, had i a fresher appetite, this would’ve been a bigger part of my meal.
DESSERTS:
*CARAMEL SOUFFLE. AMAZING! came right out of the oven, paired with grapefruit gelee and Fleur de sel Ice Cream. fluffed, light, STEAMY HOT, divinely pristine on my tongue. the gelee was sort of a marmalade, and the ice cream perfectly balanced the dessert with it’s richness.
*SUNDAE Pistachio Ice Cream, Bing Cherries, Hot Chocolate Sauce, Salted Pistachio. although everyone at the table was put off by its presentation in a paper cup, i figured… well what’s IN it!!! pure DELICIOUS in a cup. the bing cherries were chewy, kinda carmelized, and drowned with the rich chocolate and nuts. i’d say it was quite the perfect «finish me».
as we begin to wrap up, Krissy — Mrs. Cheffie herself, who has been busily bustling all evening, stops for a hello, again making us feel so at home. to top that off, Johnathan Gold walks in. now that’s a loud «Ludo5.0 ends tomorrow, I better grab it while I still can!!» straight from THE J GOLD! so i think that’s enough said. finally, mr. rockstar himself comes by for a group photo. thank you Ludo for an amazing, memorable evening, and signing my menu with that sweet word!
tendrement,
angela
p. s. confession. my regret. NOT having the chocolate cake with spicy olive oil. shame on me. Ludo, please include something of the like in 6.0! …i await.

Many of you have experienced the madness of trying to secure a reservation for Ludobites 5.0 and some of you, like me, were actually lucky enough to score one. For those of you who weren’t so lucky, my heart goes out to you. Having been to all of Ludo’s previous installments except for his 1^st one, I was not about to miss this one.
Having had some Ludobites experience under my belt, I knew my friends and I were going to have a long and amazing dinner, so I came prepared with my black tights and loose shirt. No, I am not kidding. What? Tights are the new and improved stretch pants!
1. vadouvan naan bread with salted coconut butter — The subtle vandouvan gave a mild Indian flavor that went wonderfully with the sweet and salty coconut butter. I wish I had a tub of this butter at home!
2. cheese cupcake, chicken liver chantilly, tangerine, cornichon — YUM. I am a big fan of liver so the chicken liver chantilly was quite delicious. The cake was a bit dry for me, but I adored the flavors of the liver with the tartness from the tangerine and cornichon.
3. raw wagyu beef, dried miso, somen noodle, peanut vinaigrette, watermelon — This reminded me of two Korean dishes in one, a noodle dish called bi bim neng myun and a raw beef dish called, yuk hwe. The sesame oil and egg was great with the fatty wagyu and totally nostalgic for me.
4. poached egg, potato mousselini, chorizo condiment — I’ve had the potato mousselini the last two times I dined at Ludobites and here I was eating it again. This is definitely one of my favorite dishes.
5. heirloom tomato salad, mozzarella ice cream, basil crumble — It was one of my favorite dishes of the night! The play in textures and flavors were spot on. The sweetness from the tomatoes to the savory, creamy mozzarella ice cream went beautifully with the crunchy basil crumble.
6. hot foie gras dynamite, raw tuna, lychee, crackers — The fatty foie gras was a great canvas for the spicy dynamite. The tuna and lychee chilled presence provided a nice counter-​balance to the heat in both temperature and flavor of the foie gras dynamite.
7. poached oyster in dashi, seaweed gel, shallot jam, dried bonito, oyster and shell butter — Even though I prefer raw oysters, I thought these were nice, especially with the delicious shallot jam, which added a hint of sweetness. I’d have to say the shallot jam was my favorite component of this dish.
8. grilled octopus, oregano, creamy hazelnut polenta, pineapple aioli, piment d’espellette — The octopus was extremely tender, while the polenta was wonderfully gritty, great texture. The pineapple aioli that accompanied the dish was fantastic.
9. green asparagus, morels, yellow wine, brown butter powder, parmesan snow — Another outstanding dish and yes, another favorite of mine! The aroma of the woodsy morels was amazing and well, just plain intoxicating. The asparagus was cooked to perfection and the combination of the brown butter powder and parmesan snow enhanced the flavors of the vegetables.
10. turbot ‘à la plancha,’ green tea matcha, shoyu, pink garlic-​spinach, fresh yuzu — The fish was nicely cooked, but the flavor of the green tea matcha got lost once I took a bite of the garlic spinach. The garlic was very pronounced in this dish, which I personally love, but one of my dining companions thought the garlic was overpowering.
11. confit pork belly, raw choucroute thai style, mustard ice cream — The pork was incredibly tender and I could not get enough of the choucroute or sauerkraut. The sour yet crisp flavor of the raw thai style choucroute with the spicy and pungent mustard ice cream went beautifully with the fatty and tender pork. Absolutely divine and another favorite of mine.
12. braised veal cheeks, goat cheese, candied black olives, black rice salad, cauliflower — The tender veal cheeks made my eyes roll back and the creamy goat cheese was especially delicious with the sweet, candied black olives on top. The black rice salad added nice texture and the cauliflower shavings on top was quite delicious.
13. caramel soufflé, blanco grapefruit, fleur del sel ice cream — I knew I had to order the «life-​changing» caramel soufflé, served with the tart grapefruit and salty fleur del sel ice cream. The soufflé was what you say like a mother’s touch — soft, sweet and warm. When eaten with the ice cream, the result was fantastic.
14. «sundae» pistachio ice cream, bing cherries, hot chocolate sauce, salted pistachio — Honestly, I cannot remember anything about this dessert because by this time I was in an intense food coma. My brain had shut down and was in sleep mode from all the food.
Zzzzzzz… Good night. The end!

I’m going straight to the rating the food, if you haven’t heard of Chef Ludo, LudoBites, etc… then you must have been locked in the closet… haha or you don’t live in the major foodie cities.
I came on the second to the last day of Ludo’s stint at Gram and Papa’s. Most diners ordered the entire menu, but for the two of us, we couldn’t eat everything, so we ordered:
01. POACHED EGG ($ 16) — 3 stars
potato mousseline, chorizo condiment
It’s like an amped up mashed potato with a poached egg tucked inside and embedded with chorizo. It’s quite yummy when you break the yolk and eat it with bits of chorizo and potato.
02. SAUTEED CHANTERELLES ($ 12) — 3.5 stars
peach, black garlic, breadcrumbs and parsley
To me, the pairing of peaches and mushroom is kind of odd. The peach provided a sweet, soft texture to the savory chanterelles. I like eating them separately though.
03. CONFIT PORK BELLY ($ 25) — 4.5 stars, a fav
raw choucroute thai style, mustard ice cream
You get a piece of crispy and flavorful pork belly, over the top is the raw thai salad. Eating it all together with a small dollop of mustard ice cream was yummy.
04. MARINATED STEAK ($ 25) — 4.5 stars, a fav
Korean style, pickled vegetables, grilled baby corn, crispy bacon
Thin slices of cauliflower cover the tender sliced steak. It’s like eating a nice Korean BBQ fancy style.
05. CARAMEL SOUFFLE ($ 14) — 5 stars, a fav
grapefruit gelee, fleur de sel ice cream
I love souffles! And this one was good. The soufflé had a slight crispy top and fluffy interior. Most of the soufflé you only taste a slight hint of caramel. But once you get to the bottom, there’s a thin sugary crust. *sigh*
Ludo’s food is yummy overall. A lot of the food has an interesting pairing. There’s somewhat of a theme I noticed: savory and sweet. All of the dishes are flavorful and bold. I wonder when and where LudoBites 6.0 is going to pop-​up.

4.5 stars if possible.
You have to come to Ludobites… you really really just have to. The happiest night of my entire week!
There’s really nothing like stuffing yourself full of the tasty rich food, and then eating some more. Just when you think you are physically unable, you somehow manage to find just a bit more room. Of course, you don’t have to quite order as many dishes as my boy and I did…8 total… don’t need to follow in our gluttonous footsteps… or well… just do it!
The service and atmosphere all night was nice and relaxing. Krissy and the servers, were perfectly friendly and informative altogether. Small place, Gram and Papa’s, but its nicely decorated and it’s pretty cool that the kitchen prep area extends out to the dining room so you can see what’s going on. Who’s making my food? Ludo? Mostly he was working the tickets but oh well.
My favorite of the night… the caramel soufflé! There are those of you who will say it doesn’t really count, but I’m a dessert girl so it does for me!!! A delicious dessert will rule over any entrée. This dessert was perfect… other than the grapefruit but I hate grapefruit anyways. My boy and I had never had a soufflé before so we ended up staring at it before deciding to pop it. Pop! Haha and the whole thing just deflated. The soufflé had a rich caramel flavor, that when combined with the fleur de sel ice cream… was just absolutely perfect. The ice cream itself was the consistency of whipped butter, which melted into the soufflé creating a perfect combo. Ou server actually caught me peeking into the dish hoping that I had missed a bite or two after it was almost finished. Hehe.
Okay and the rest… in order of best to last.
Foie Gas Dynamite-​The foie gras was seared to perfection and covered in spicy dynamite sauce. I love foie gras prepared this way… dynamite sauce went pretty well and was tasty to mop up. The tuna and lychee… good way to offset the spicyness and went well together. Thought it would be strange but not at all. Interestingly, they pureed the crackers.
Raw Waygu Beef-​Well seasoned and flavorful with delicate somen noodles to help balance it out. Peppery beef that didn’t taste like I was munching on raw beef at all, and then some watermelon to cool my mouth once the pepper built up. Mmmmmm…
Poached Egg with potato mousseline and chorizo-​The egg was poached so that the yolk and the white were indistinguishable in texture, the potato so finely textured… that it was hard to tell which from which. Add the chorizo… do I need to say more?
Confit Pork Belly-​I really don’t know how you can go wrong with pork belly unless you cook it badly. It’s fatty and crispy all at the same time and just so yummy. The papaya style salad it came with added some nice tartness and the mustard ice cream was pretty interesting also. It was a very light consistency and didn’t overwhelm the pork belly.
Crispy Veal Sweetbread-​2^nd time having sweetbread and it was good. There was a balsamic vinegar and maple syrup jelly that went with it, and then a roasted peach half with marscapone on top. Kept going back and forth btwn the 2. Sweetbread was crispy and deliciously soft in the middle, the peach sweet and salty.
Naan-​Basically reminded me of Chinese curry bread with the butter from the butter bread. Wish it had been a bit crispier.
Marinated Spanish Mackerel-​Ugh, I really wish I hadn’t ordered this and went with the octopus instead. I loveee spanish mackerel though so I couldn’t resist. Slices of sashimi with raspberry, ginger, and smoked rice ginger and shiso. The raspberry entirely overwhelmed the mackerel and it ended up tasting like slightly fishy raspberry.
Would I do it again??? Hmm… YES!

This would be my final visit to LudoBites 5.0, on its second-​to-​last night. Ludo likes to keep the menu constantly changing, so the menu has changed fairly significantly since my first visit on opening night. However, a lot of our favorites were still on the menu (including the wagyu beef over somen noodles and the potato mousseline). As a result, this would end up being my best LudoBites experience. Given the constant buzz and the fact that I’ve been here four times since May, I’m even surprised that I keep enjoying it more and more.
Some of the new dishes I enjoyed this time:
Hot Miso Soup, Cherry Tomato, Uni Black Panini — The panini is a metamorphosis of the foie gras croque monsier — the uni is much more subtle, though I could still pick out the briny flavor in each bite. The miso soup was a strong variation; the tomatoes weren’t even necessary to make this soup good, but provided a really vibrant flavor.
King Salmon «a l’huile» Juniper Berries, Rainbow Carrot, Orange Ice, Pistachio — This was a totally new dish, and it was excellent. Slices of raw salmon were complemented well by acidity and coolness of the orange ice, and the pistachio and crunchy carrots provided some great texture.
Heirloom Tomato Salad, Mozzarella Ice Cream, Basil Crumble — Some really sweet and ripe tomatoes were presented here in an interesting version of a caprese salad. The mozzarella was in the form of an ice cream, and the basil in a crunchy crumble. I loved how Ludo brought these three ingredients together in different textural elements. All of the flavors were distinctive and excellent on their own, though the tomatoes were the star for me.
Sauteed Chanterelles, Peach, Black Garlic, Breadcrumbes & Parsley — This was another new dish for us. The chanterelles were quite tender, and the peaches added a nice sweetness and brightness to the dish.
Santa Barbara Prawn, Cinnamon Beurre Blanc, Beignet, Shrimp Powdered Sugar — The shrimp were nicely cooked and the cinnamon beurre blanc — sounds kind of weird, I know — does really work. The beignet, however, wasn’t as light as others I’ve had, and didn’t add too much to the dish.
Hot Foie Gras Dynamite, Raw Tuna, Lychee, Crackers — Love the colors on this dish. The foie gras was covered with Ludo’s «Dynamite» sauce. The heat was tempered by the lychee, as well as the cool tuna. I could’ve used a bigger piece of the foie gras though, as it didn’t stand out as much amongst the other ingredients.
John Dory, Saffron Risotto, Chanterelles Mousse Emulsion — John Dory is a firmer white fish, and here it was cooked perfectly. The saffron risotto was excellent as well, providing a sort of «seafood risotto.» The chanterelle foam adds a nice flavor to this as well. I loved this dish.
Marinated Steak («Korean Style»), Pickled Vegetables, Grilled Baby Corn, Crispy Bacon — I think skirt steak was used here, and it was marinated and grilled «Korean style.» It was a really flavorful piece of meat, and the acidity from the pickled vegetables complemented the steak well.
Chocolate Cake, Spicy Olive Oil — Onto the dessert! The chocolate cake was not entirely special, but the spicy olive oil here really kicked things up.
«Sundae» Pistachio Ice Cream, Bing Cherries, Hot Chocolate Sauce, Salted Pistachio — Layers of pistachio ice cream, hot chocolate sauce, and bing cherries topped with whipped cream — how can you go wrong? You can’t. This dish seemed relatively simple for Ludo’s standards, and was excellent. I’m not really sure what it was, but the flavors were incredible together, and the salted pistachio bits on top added a very nice crunch to each bite.
Service was excellent, something that I don’t always see at «pop-​up» restaurants. In all, this was probably my favorite LudoBites experience of all of the five times I’ve been able to experience it. Ludo is able to wield creative and interesting flavor combinations together that, most importantly, work. I’m a little sad to see LudoBites 5.0 come to an end, but I’m already looking forward to 6.0 later this year.

I got a reservation at Ludobites 5.0 @ Gram & Papas, finally! I have been hearing great reviews from Unilocal and KevinEats. I got lucky on Opentable and reserved a party of 5, on 9÷3÷2010 at 6:30pm. I invited one my of my favorite clients and the owner’s wife =) and another good friends of mine. I was also excited because I got an email that Ludo’s Fried Chicken truck will be in front of Gram & Papas @ 8pm. We all were happy that we can try all his food at one sitting. Are you ready, this is what we ordered:
Hot Miso Soup, Cherry Tomato, Uni Black Panini — our whole party loved this dish. The uni black panini was simple and dipped into the miso soup made the panini taste like a grilled cheese but with uni. I love uni. i hope ludo makes a uni ice cream or dessert one day.
Salmon «a l’ huile» Juniper Berries, Rainbow Carrot, Orange Ice, Pistachio — this was an okay dish, the taste was simple with citrus flavors with soft textures from the raw salmon and the crisp carrots. this was not one of our favorite dishes.
Heirloom Tomato Salad, Mozzarella Ice Cream, Basil Crumble — I really love heirloom tomatoes! all of us liked this one too, I could ate a whole bowl of this by myself. This is like a play on Caprese, which I love, but this was very different with so many flavors.
Raw Waygu Beef, Somen Noodle, Peanut Vinaigrette, Watermelon — this was a good dish too, we all liked it. this was simple with lots of good flavors and no component was over over powering the waygu beef. waygu any style is yummy.
Poached Egg, Potato Mousseline, Chorizo Condiment — this was another delicious dish. the poached was cooked perfectly and complimented the potato and chorizo. it was creamy and a great side dish.
Grilled Octopus, Oregano, Burnt Red Bell Pepper Polenta, Pineapple Aioli, Piment D’s Espellette Gelee — I love grilled octopus, this was good if not better than the one at Osteria Mozza. Great dish!
Santa Barbara Prawn, Cinnamon Beurre Blanc, Beignet, Shrimp Powdered Sugar — Beignets were good the prawns were really small but really sweet. this was an okay dish too.
Hot Foie Gras Dynamite, Raw Tuna, Lychee, Crackers — this was an amazing dish, I wish i had this plate to myself. Oh my goodness the foie gras was cooked perfectly. the spicy mayo went so well with the foie other components to this dish. we all loved this one! this is one of my favorites! Yummy!
John Dory, Saffron Risotto, Chanterelles Mousse Emulsion — this was also another one amazing dish. The John Dory was also cooked perfectly, with the savory saffron risotto, mousse emulsion, was simply flavorful and the most tastiest risotto I’ve ever ate. This was one my favorites!
Roasted Sonoma Saddle of Lamb, Goat Cheese, Candied Black Olive, Artichoke Salad, Mint Pesto — we all didn’t really like this dish.
Marinated Steak «Korean Style», Pickled Vegetables, Grilled Baby Corn, Crispy Bacon — This was a good dish, but for me it was a little more rare than i liked. But good flavors and great korean marinade.
2 Caramel Soufflé, Grapefruit Gelee, Fleur Del Sel Ice Cream — I would have to say this Soufflé was the best I’ve ever ate. I want to learn how to make this at home! This was amazing, the caramel flavors with the fleur del sel ice cream and the salt flavors was so delicious. This was the last dish of the night and ended on a great note.
But before the souffles came out, my client knew one of the workers for Ludo’s Fried Chicken truck, and she brought us some samples to try. the fried chicken wings and the fried chicken chunks were good. anything fried is good. i liked the wings over the chunks, but both were good. the honey mustard sauce and bbq sauce were good.
i am so lucky to have reservations for the last night of Ludobites 5.0, also to have good friends to enjoy the meal with, got to try all of Ludo’s concoctions, and met Kevin of
. If I could go again, I would order the John Dory, Foie Gras Dynamite, Uni Panini, Grilled Octopus, Poached Egg, Heirloom Tomato, and Caramel Soufflé. I can’t wait for Ludobites 6.0. I know where and when he’ll cook again, i just hope i can get reservations!
Thank you to Chef Ludo Lefebvre & Krissy Lefebvre for an amazing meal and for taking care of me and my party. I will love to come back again and look forward to 6.0. Merci Beaucoup!!!

Chef Ludo, you never fail to amaze me with your cooking. From L’Orangerie to Ludo’s Fried Chicken, to now LudoBites 5.0, your food always leaves me speechless! Thanks for another amazing meal!
Everything we ordered was delicious. I don’t think there is anything on there that is not good.
CHEESE CUPCAKE: The foie gras, even though only made from chicken liver, was super silky smooth. And, it didn’t leave that usual yucky taste chicken liver normally leaves behind. This was a classic Ludo dish.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD with MOZZARELLA ICE CREAM: Everything complemented each other so well. The sweetness of the tomato, the savory flavor of the cheese, with the crunch of the basil crumble. Simply delicious!
RAW WAGYU BEEF WITH SOMEN NOODLE: The beef was of excellent quality, tasted like eating sashimi. The watermelon added just enough sweetness to bring out the flavor of the sauce and the beef. Too bad there were only three tiny pieces of watermelon when there were more than three bites to the dish.
POACHED EGG WITH POTATO MOUSSELINE: Remember to burst the egg yolk to get the entire flavor with the dish. They told us the key to this dish was having both the egg yolk and white have the same texture. That way, its a consistent texture but a burst of flavor!
GRILLED OCTOPUS: I never knew octopus would taste this good! It was grilled to perfection, and not overcooked and chewy. The polenta was really good as well.
HOT FOIE GRAS DYNAMITE: A perfect bite consist of a piece of foie gras, a piece of tuna, a piece of lychee, and a little scoop of the butter. No words can describe this dish. MUST HAVE for foie-​gras lovers and a MUST TRY for those who never had foie-​gras!
WILD STRIPED BASS WITH GRILLED CORN: The fish was cooked to perfection. But I think the star of this dish is the corn. The corn was super sweet and the salted butter powder provided the savory flavor to bring out the sweetness. The best part is that because the butter is a powder instead of the usual butter, your hands won’t get greasy when eating the corn.
PORK BELLY: Pork belly can never go wrong… but pork belly can not always be amazing. For Chef Ludo, his pork belly was even better than amazing! Cooked perfectly to enjoy the taste of this fatty piece of meat. The mustard ice cream and the thai style slaw made this pork belly taste light and not feel overly fat and heavy.
CARAMEL SOUFFLE: This DEFINITELY brought back memories of his L’Orangerie days. This is how a soufflé is suppose to taste like, light and fluffy! The grapefruit and the ice cream added a touch of savoriness to it for the balanced bite. I would recommending ordering two, so everyone gets to enjoy this dessert heaven!
Service: Not superb but not disastrous. The waitresses did keep bringing the next table’s orders to our table. We had to tell them several times, and they still made the mistake. But besides that, everything was amazing.
Chef Ludo was charming as always, we got to talk to him a bit and he even signed our menus for us and took a picture with us! LOVE LOVE LOVE him and his cooking! Can’t wait for 6.0!!!

YES! We were able to snag a (very coveted) spot!
They were running ~10 min behind schedule, no problem. Waited around and took our seats near the front of the joint. The menu is the Asian-​style Ludo, which I have to admit is not my favorite. Overall, this one was better than the one at Royal/​T. Is there some sort of warning we can get as to which menu he will prepare?
I don’t think there’s any more praise I can give to chef Ludo that has not already been sung. And re-​sung. Overall the dishes were excellent. My compliments to the chef.

Dear Boyfriend,
This is my break up letter to you. Why am I breaking up with you?
Well, I just discovered Chef Ludo’s ridiculously amazing, mind blowing, and orgasmic Pork Belly. I’m not a fan of pork, but O-​M-​G this pork… If I had to pick one dish to eat for the rest of my life, this pork would be at the top of my list. The flavors! The texture! I can’t stop thinking about it. I loved it so much, I had to order another one.
What can I say? Everything else I ordered was equally delicious. I’m sorry, but I have to leave you for Chef Ludo so he can feed me delicious food.
Sincerely,
Joanna
P. S. It helps that Chef Ludo is one good looking chef with a sexy accent ;) But ladies, he is married.

In the adventure of the LudoBites, I’ve jumped on the bandwagon late (My first few experiences were with 4.0). I’ve been a fan, or as Krissy says, a groupie since finding the LudoBites truck.
I was fortunate to go to 4.0 more than once. The best part of visiting was discovering how nice both Chef Ludo and Krissy are. I looked forward to 5.0 with great anticipation. I was one of the many that crashed the servers each time they opened up reservations for 5.0. Despite all my efforts I didn’t get a table as I had hoped. My wish to eat at 5.0 seemed ended and I accepted defeat.
It shocked me when I got a very late email from Krissy asking if I would like to fill in for a table of 4 that cancelled at the last minute. It didn’t take a minute to say yes, and contact 3 other friends before I confirmed that I would be going that day!!! I never thought I would be at Ludo during the first week. It made my Monday.
Previously I’ve gone for a party of 2 and another time for a party of 6. I think the perfect number for a LudoBites experience is 4 people. It spreads out the $, it allows perfect bites of the dishes, and it allows you to order more off the menu. I highly recommend getting the entire menu with one or two omissions. Go with foodie friends who have an open mind and are willing to try something new and creative.
As Chef Ludo frequently does, he changes his menu. That’s part of the appeal of his popup restaurants. The entire menu went through a makeover. Some similar ingredients. some similar sounding items but a totally different spin. Chef Ludo is an amazingly creative chef with a passion for cooking. He offers up some interesting spins on classics, some whimsy, some version of fusion that is definitely influenced by So Cal. If you appreciate creativity and flavour, you will appreciate LudoBites.
On the whole I found the menu for 5.0 a little heavier than 4.0. Some dishes didn’t seem as bright as I recalled from before. I think I wanted some more acid in some dishes. But for me it did not distract from my experience. I dine at LudoBites knowing I am tasting the food Ludo envisions and presents. Not all may hit high marks but they are all interesting, fascinating or challenging.
Following that stream of thought, I would point out the savory cupcake we tried was the most interesting and challenging. A cheese cupcake with chicken liver mousse frosting with cornichon. I didn’t hate but it was hard to wrap my mind around it. I could see what he was trying to do.
Other dishes that I really enjoyed but I found some of the flavours or combinations a little familiar. I would blame it on having some dishes from 4.0. I still enjoyed the flavours and appreciated the art that is Ludo.
The grilled squid w heirloom tomatoes; striped bass w blk garlic gelee; steamed duck with lemon verbana; and foie gras hoisin bbq sauce were all dishes I truly enjoyed. These were all 4 stars in mind.
The dishes I would really recommend to diners are:
Waygu beef w noodles + quail egg; potato mousseline w poached egg and chorizo jus (how can you go wrong THAT!?!)
The grilled octopus was absolute perfection. So tender and flavorful. I could eat this all day.
The goat cheese soup with bacon, lardo, apple, tofu and frisee salad was just beautiful to look at as well as eat. A fascinating dish of taste and textures.
The confit porkbelly with mustard ice cream and thai choucroute was just obscenely good. Our party of four were trying hard to be polite and not horde the porkbelly. So succulent and juicy. I was dying for a roll so I could eat this thing like a banh mi. (I even nudged G&P owner and Chef Ludo to get it on the G&P menu. LOL) I would’ve ordered another plate of this if we had time.
Chef Ludo makes a beautiful soufflé and desserts. 5.0 did not fail with the caramel soufflé and fleur de sel ice dream with grapefruit. Just get it.
Have an open mind and a willing palate ~ you will enjoy. Be flexible in what you get and how you get it. Expect the small tapas servings, if you’re new to LudoBites. Bring a little vino (corkage is $ 8) and you’re in for a good night. Our party of 4 ordered the entire menu, except the cheese plate and smores. Our bill including tip came out to $ 70 (tip the servers… they work their asses off as well as the sous chefs behind the glass).
I’d love to go again… I know within a few weeks much of the current menu will definitely change just because of what might be fresh at the market and because, well, Chef Ludo just feels like it. Damn French!
—-
Best quote of the night:
Michael C: «Wow, Chef Ludo is really hot. He is good looking»
(Chef Ludo must’ve heard because he froze with a blank stare at our table from behind the kitchen. HELLOOOO AWKWARD.)

Holy French butterballs, Batman!
LudoBites was a last-​minute opportunity for me today, and it was like karmic payback for something I did right! When Ciara G. called me early this morning to tell me that her dinner partner canceled and she needed a +1, I nearly fell over my own tongue saying YES I WANT TO GO!!!
Because of my Unilocal-​sent angel Ciara, I had the brain-​busting intense pleasure of eating:
FIVE APPETIZERS:
1) Tartine Plate «Warm Baguette» Honey-​Lavender Butter & Smoked Lard ($ 4): the lard was like melty butter in texture, lightly smoky and very mild in taste. The freshly baked, warm, crispy-​chewy baguette was salted on one side, so it added a much-​needed saltiness to the lard.
When you added the honey-​lavender butter, the sweet/​salty/​fatty/​chewy played off each other in an other-​worldly kindof (super-​rich) way. The lavender was fragrant and the sweetness of the honey went perfectly with the flowery essence. The baguette was an exquisite vehicle for either spread, or even both together.
Very rich, and very several-​levels-​above THE best bread and butter!
2) Brie Chantilly, Honey Comb, Frisee Salad, Balsamic syrup ($ 7): two small, painstakingly shaped scoops of the richest cream brie sat atop thin slices of toasted bread, with a polite leaf of dressed frisee as crowns. The dabs of honeycomb and balsamic syrup alongside were meant to be swiped up with your fork, so all the elements hit your palate and melted together.
The honeycomb was not only amazing for its sweetness and taste, but for the chewy comb texture!
3) Scallop, Spinach, Yogurt-​Curry, Spring Garlic, Violet Flowers ($ 14): The brothy curry sauce was the best part of this dish for me — it sauced the spinach leaves underneath the scallops and soaked the spring garlic and violet flower garnish so much more completely than the scallops, that the veggies were my fave part!
4) «Paris» Ham Soup, Bread, Swiss Cheese, Radish, Cornichon, Guiness foam ($ 12): one mouthful gave me creamy and light soup with barely a split pea texture, the taste of ham, and a chewy-​crispy croûton with an ending of cornichon from the julienne at the bottom of the bowl. I think this was my fave thing of the evening!
5) Black Foie Gras Croque-​Monsieur, Cherry-​Amaretto Chutney ($ 29): a generously thick slice of foie gras, between squid ink-​dyed bread, crunchy and panini-​press-​indented — add a smear of the chutney dabbed on the side of the plate, and I got all the textures and flavors and richness of high brow comfort food!
TWO MAIN COURSES:
1) Black Sea Bass, Fresh Peas, Yuzu, Spring Onion, Lettuce ($ 26) — perfectly cooked sea bass in a French butter-​finished sauce that glazed the fresh peas and tiniest baby caperberries underneath. The tart yuzu pudding-​thick sauce on the side created the glue for a powdery pile of SOMETHING warm and dusty to stick to the fish if you dipped it. The lettuce and spring onions were tender and dressed perfectly on their own.
2) Rack of Lamb, Fresh Goat Cheese, Dried Bonito, Artichokes, Potato Mousseline, Mint ($ 26): a rare lamb chop made salty-​smoky with the essence of bonito flakes, alongside a borderline of rich goat cheese, a smear of the freshest mint sauce ever, two slices of artichoke, and a bowl of potato mousseline (that must have had a WHOLE stick of butter in it!). All the flavors together were classic, yet put together in a fabulously memorable way.
TWO DESSERTS:
1) Dark Chocolate Soufflé, Vanilla Whipped Cream, Hot Chocolate Cream ($ 13): Ludo himself came over when he saw us taking pictures, and urged us to eat this before it fell! After cutting the center and pouring the bittersweet chocolate and whipped cream into it, he let us dig in. Tt was THE lightest soufflé I’ve EVER MET!!!
2) Strawberry, Macaron, Lemon-​Verbena Meringue ($ 12): Fresh, ripe strawberries, pink French macarons, and POP ROCKS! underneath a bowlful-​sized pile of ethereal whipped meringue (that I actually thought was whipped cream). Like a summer fruit explosion in my mouth!
With an iced tea, a soda, a coffee and a single espresso, dinner came to about $ 75 per person (without tip). Super cool LudoBites tees were $ 22 extra, and a MUST to bring home (in addition to leftovers) for bf :).
Throughout he evening, Ludo came out to talk to diners and you could just FEEL his sense of humor and passion for his food creations and love for his crowd when he walked by. His super sweet (and obviously wearer-​of-​many-​hats) wife Krissy was constantly greeting, meeting, clearing tables, serving food, and helping wherever she could.
Talk about a dynamic duo!
Food-​wise, it could qualify for a last meal on Earth!
Service-​wise, the care that went into everything — by our East Coast cutie waitress Emily, and everyone else behind the scenes felt tip-​top!
Venue-​wise, the open kitchen, brick walls and pop-​up status created a warm and lively atmosphere!
The food and the Ludo & Krissy influenced vibe really made this meal a brag-​able experience!

Respect for food is a respect for life, for who we are and what we do.
The above is my all time favorite quote. It was said by none other than the God of food himself Thomas Keller. But my Ludo Bites meal tonight encompassed all that that quote is.
Krissy and Ludo–
Your passion and love for what you do shines through in complete pureness and makes for a truly humbling dining experience. My meal tonight exceeded beyond all expectations. I was blown away by the creativity, love and thoughtfulness that was put into each dish. Thank you again for taking the time out of your busy night to sit down and chat and sign all my propaganda. I can not wait to frame it and hang it up in my home. It was a true pleasure to meet you.
Your team kicks @$$!!! The kitchen rocked it tonight and everything was delicious and paced perfectly.
EMILY– our AWESOME east coast server you were truly WONDERFUL. Your great service sealed the deal of an incredible meal.
The food… oh where to begin with the food. Incredibly creative mind blowing creations that left me speechless and overloaded with butter but I wanted nothing more than more, more more!
Since the menu changes daily I do not think that you can possible go wrong with anything you order.
The show stopper tonight was hands down the «Paris» Soup.
Ham and Swiss Cheese Soup topped with the most perfect croutons I have ever had and garnished with thinly sliced Radishes, Cornichons and Guinness Foam. There is no way I will be able to describe this dish to you in words other than it was blissful perfection. It really did taste like a ham and swiss sandwich but in soup form. I know it does not seem possible but it is. Ludo made it possible and it was truly incredible.
All of our other eats were truly amazing but I will not go into detail via writing since i know for a fact I will totally hit the character max per review. Check out the mouth watering pics that came out pretty stinkin clear via iphone in the dark candle lit dining room thanks to Lucy Y’s Chinese man mini key-​chain purse flash light.
Get on the wait list for whatever night you can. This is a meal that is not to be missed.
Ludo Bites 4.0– Merci beaucoup as it was a true pleasure to dine with you.

WOW. just wow!
first, awesome concept of the travelling restaurant! a change of scenery is always good!
second, very unique dishes:
— brie napoleons with honey, balsamic, and frisee salad
— baguette with smoke lard & honey lavender
— carrot salad with saffrom sauce and blood oranges
— black croque monsieur with foie gras
— ceviche with heirloom tomatoes and lemon paste
— steak&escargots with eggplant purée
— rare lamb with potato mousseline
— squid carbonara with poached egg
— chocolate soufflé with whisley ice cream
everything was so delicious! my faves were the squid carbonara, ceviche, lamb, and croque monsieur! oh and of course the dessert
the chef came by our table and said hi. kudos to you!

Gastronomical orgasmically deliciously phenomenal. To say the dishes blew our minds away is the least.
On top of that, all for $ 50 pp. Saaweeeet.
APPETIZERS:
1. Tartine plate «warm baguette» honey-​LAVENDER butter and smoked LARD: I never thought I’d be smearing lard on bread but there I was, and loving it. The honey-​lavender was sweet and saffron-​like, setting the palate for…
2. Brie chantilly, honey comb, frisee salad, balsamic: a dot of balsamic on one corner, a dip of honeycomb across the way, with two yolk-​shaped bries nestled on crispy crostinis. The babies were whipped for 2 hours. This is partly why I don’t cook and why I love Chef Ludo.
3. Carrot salad, saffron anglaise cream, pearl onions, blood orange, orange powder: Soft paper-​thin reams of white and orange carrots layered between silvered blood orange halves and cuts of pearl onions.
4. Seabream ceviche, heirloom tomato, jalapenos, red onions, meyer lemon paste, olive oil, cilantro flower: A delicious medley of all the above in a softly piled order, laced with the namesake tangy-​ness.
5. Black foie gras croque-​monsieur, lemon turnip chutney: holy macafoie… it’s good. Get it.
MAINS:
6. Squid ‘carbonara’, pancetta, poached egg (63 degrees), parmesan snow, chive flowers: The sliced squid mimicked flat asian noodles; the poached egg, which was cooked to 63 degrees so the yolk and whites would reach the same texture, was mixed by us; the chunks of pancetta and powder of cheese… everything in all creamy awesomeness came together.
7. Hanger steak, escargots red butter, shallots jam, roasted eggplant, carrot slaw: Medium rare seared. It was really great, and the escargots were buttons of flavor, but I would have loved more eggplant ;)
8. Rack of lamb, fresh goat cheese, dried bonito, artichokes, potato mousseline, mint: The mashed potatoes, essentially, topped with mint — I wanted to lick the bowl. The lamb was a little more rare than I would have liked it, but one of us even contemplated gnawing the bone.
DESSERT:
9. Dark chocolate soufflé, vanilla-​whiskey ice cream, hot chocolate cream: POOF. I was going to pass out and then comes this ramekin overflow of chocolate. With ice cream that had liquor I could actually distinguish. Rowr.
The end.
Well, no, I had to say Hi to Chef Ludo, whom I’ve been a fan of since his days at Bastide. P. S. due to the nature of Thailand’s politics, he no longer has plans to go there. P. P. S. this means we just might have a few more opps to dine and revel in his talent.

Thanks to Shauna D. for offering me a spot on her reservation. I couldn’t say better than what Shauna had said. We ordered 14 dishes that were on the menu list, apparently that night he didn’t have Foie gras sandwich that I was looking for and the Jidori Chicken.
However, here are some of the highlights based on what I liked.
Brie Chantilly Napoleon — Normally I don’t eat cheese, but this brie was amazing, it’s like melt in my mouth when I took abite of it. Topped it with a frisee salad on a bread, just simply delish. Nice way to start the menu.
Tartine Plate — the lavender butter was surprising to me, I didn’t usually like a smell of lavender, but this actually had a nice taste to it that I forgot it was made with lavender.
Carrot Salad — I’m with Shauna, I hated carrots, but the presentation and the combination of red onion, pear, made the dish so edible.
White Asparagus Veloute — the most refreshing dish of the night.
Scallops — I may not like the grapes, but everything else on this plate was awesome, great flavor and the cauliflower ice cream was a great surprise.
Tomato Ceviche — second refreshing dish of the night, though I preferred the tomato to be smaller, but that small turbot fish put in the middle helped the dish to have a nice flavor of fishiness to it.
Seared foie gras — Piña colada foie gras was totally new thing for me and I liked it.
Squid Carbonara — Loved the poached egg for sure and this was definitely the only dish that looked and tasted like regular pasta entrée, just a smaller portion.
Monkfish — I may not know if it’s overcooked or not, but it definitely tasted good in my mouth.
Dark Chocolate Soufflé — Black Pepper Ice Cream was a new concept to my mouth and yet it didn’t feel weird, and the big humongous soufflé was enough to be splitted between four of us, awesome goodyness.
Raspberry Religieuse — Very cute presentation and nice way to end a meal.
This was my first Ludobites and it didn’t disappoint. I would totally give another shot if he’s having 5.0 in LA. Just tell me when and where.

I think Ludobites attacks every single taste you could think of. A bit of salty, a bit of sweet, a bit of tangy, and a bit o’ Jesus. I mean, I’m not trying to be sacrilegious or use the name in vain here, but CLEARLY, there is something going on here that is out of man’s ability to fathom.
If you must get one thing only, get the foie gras piña colada. If it’s on the menu. And for your sake, I hope it is. It’s like mind altering. I swear it made all of my taste buds shiver. And quiver. And jump with joy.
The brie was amazing in the way the texture just envelops your tongue like a silky smooth blanket of bliss.
The baguette had me singing (not to mention eating butter by the spoonful) and the steak au poirvre had me dancing.
I can’t say I LOVED the monkfish but the vadouvan made it memorable and worth getting.
The carrot salad was beautiful to look at and packed with flavors this unrefined palate is not used to but unfortunately I’m not a big fan of mustard flavor.
And the soufflé oh the soufflé. I don’t even like chocolate and I was shoveling the thing into my face as fast as I could go.
A wonderful experience, a delicious meal.

I was there for the food and I’m sure you are too, so let’s cut to the chase, shall we?
1. Tartine with «3 fat textures»
The night started with a warm crusty loaf of baguette studded with crunchy salt crystals and 3 saucers each featuring a different form of fat: clarified butter with chiblis, emulsified brown butter and creamed lard with honey and lavender. Each delicious in its own right, but I kept going back to lard, which was floral, sweet and rich – it’s the new butter.
2. Carrot salad with saffron Anglaise, pickled pearl onions, citrus and mustard powder
Next up was an in depth study of carrots, with the specimen prepared 2 ways: gastrovac’ed and marinated. The gastrovac’ed carrot was curious indeed, for although it tasted fully cooked, it retained the texture of one that was almost raw – it was the best of both worlds. As for the wide ribbons of citrus-​marinated carrots, they had a nice zip that paired nicely with the sweeter cooked ones. Because the trio of fresh citrus segments added even extra tang, I thought the dish was complete even without the Anglaise.
3. Egg, potato mousseline, lobster and borage flower
Our meal went up exponentially through the roof with this. Whimpers and moans could be heard throughout our table as we tasted the magical combination of butter poached lobster, swimming in a heady broth made from the shells and tomalley, then layered with a soft boiled egg and an avalanche of velvety butter-​whipped potato purée. If I wasn’t in public, I would have literally licked my bowl clean.
4. Foie gras-​croque-​monsieur with lemon turnip chutney
Brought back from LudoBites 2.0, this is panini version of Helen of Troy as I can imagine battles fought over this beauty. Impeccably made, it features toasted squid ink bread spread with a creamy cheese and arranged with delicate slices of proscuitto and slabs of dreamy foie gras terrine. Initially, I ate my portion plain, but as I passed the half way point, the tangy lemon turnip relish was invaluable in keeping the richness in check.
5. Burgundy escargots, garlic flan and green jus
An unique take on the ubiquitous «escargots in garlic butter and parsley,» Ludo starts out with a luxurious custard infused with garlic, then he adds a note of freshness with a green jus made with parsley. The dish was than capped with plump sauté snails.
6. Columbian River king salmon confit, spring cabbage, orange skin & Juniper berries
This was one of those instances where the sum wasn’t better than its individual parts. While the salmon was fantastically poached in a temperature-​controlled olive oil bath until perfectly rare, the Juniper and lemon aspic lent a peculiar texture that unfortunately took attention away from the fillet. The limp cabbage side didn’t help the case either.
7. Poached Jidori chicken, crispy skin with hazelnuts, garden vegetables and bacon Royale
For the last savory course, we all got to experience Ludo’s childhood. He explained roast chicken with cream (Supreme de poulet) is a classic in French homes, particularly in his region, so here he recreated the dish for us. With a twist, of course!
Like a true scientist, Ludo isolated each component of the dish and re-​engineers them to make it the best it could be. Take the chicken breast for example: we all love crispy roasted skin, but to do so often means sacrificing moisture from the meat. Ludo solves the problem by poaching the breast in a roulade for an unadulterated succulent chicken «fillet mignon» if you will. Then for the clincher, the skin is then fried with hazelnuts and crumbled on top of the «fillet.»
The best way to eat the dish is to have a bite of the chicken (be sure to get a few fragments of the skin chips – sorry, that did not come out right), a smear of the bacon royale, which is the cream sauce in custard form, and a piece of the fresh leek salad. Repeat as needed.
8. Brie Chantilly Napoleon, honey comb, balsamic, frisee salad
Hand-​whipped for a total of 2 hours, the brie took on a smooth, buttery texture. It was a dream when paired with the peppery frisee, crunchy toast points, honey comb and balsamic syrup. My 2^nd favorite of the night!
9. Dark Chocolate soufflé, black pepper milk chocolate ice cream and chocolate cream
The evening concluded with another study, this time in chocolate. Not unlike the «3 fat textures,» the dessert studies the cocoa bean in 3 different temperatures and preparations. The hot element was the airy dark chocolate soufflé, with its molten interiors. If that wasn’t chocolately enough, there was a saucer of warm bitter chocolate sauce for pouring. Then to complete the trifecta, a milk chocolate ice cream with a real pepper kick. The pepper was critical in this dish from being one-​noted.
With that comes the end of the roller coaster ride that was LudoBites 4.0. I can’t wait to get back on!

As surely as another season of Top Chef Masters premieres, Chef Ludo Lefebvre returns again with his new incarnation of LudoBites, this time in Downtown LA at Gram & Papa’s.
Gone are the Asian and Mexican fusion experiments of LudoBites 3.0 at Royal/​T. LudoBites 4.0 is a return to similar territory as 2.0 at Breadbar, the season that made him the darling of the blogger set.
And he brings back an old classic too. The famed foie gras croque monsieur. It seems Chef Ludo is in a giving mood and is bringing his favorites back in recent months to his legion of fans. Either that or Krissy, his wife and business partner, got tired of hearing the repeated pleas for its return and finally convinced him. Either way, the blogosphere rejoices!
Perhaps Chef Ludo’s recent LA Marathon training regimen has also influenced his current menu. Gone is the deep fryer (sorry kids, no LFC!) and in its place are gatrovac’d vegetables and perfectly poached eggs, salmon, and jidori chicken.
Well, and lavender lard. So there’s that.
The space itself is an interesting choice. Gram & Papa’s operates at lunchtime primarily as a takeout restaurant so seating space is limited. Really just a handful of round tables at the front of the restaurant and a long space next to the open kitchen, separated from diners only by chest high glass, giving every table an up close and personal view of the open kitchen.
After all, this is chef as rock star. Why hide behind a kitchen door? You’ll certainly hear every curse that Chef Ludo utters, even if you may not understand it. You’ll have to pardon his French.
The dinner started with baguettes and «Three Fat Textures». Those being lavender lard, clarified butter and whipped brown butter.
Following was a Carrot Salad, Saffron Anglaise Cream, Pearl Onions, Citrus, and Mustard Powder. Essentially carrots two ways, they were served gatrovac’d with orange water and caramelized with a blowtorch. These techniques allowed the carrots to retain some of their crunch, with the gastrovac’d carrots holding a hint of orange.
Next was the Egg, Potato Mousseline, Lobster, and Borage Flower. Lobster sashimi topped with a perfectly poached egg, topped again with a silky potato mousse. The lobster tail plays beautifully against the potato mousse, its springiness contrasting the potato’s smoothness, with the runny egg yolk tying it all together.
Next was the return of the Foie Gras Croque Monsieur with Lemon Turnip Chutney. A generous slice of foie gras terrine sandwiched between toasted slices of black squid ink dyed bread, ham and melted cheese. Cherries were out of season so no cherry amaretto this time around but in its place was a sweet and tart lemon turnip chutney. Honestly, I missed the sweet stickiness of the cherry amaretto sauce but that was really only the (yes) cherry on top. The foie gras was and still is the star here.
Next was the vibrant Burgundy Escargot, Garlic Flan, Green Jus and Yellow Flowers. A riff on the classic escargot with garlic and parsley butter, here the garlic was in the form of a flan, the parsley a vibrant green jus, and topped with the escargot. Eat all three components in one bite for full effect.
The first of the main courses was the Columbian River King Salmon Confit, Spring Cabbage, Orange Skin and Juniper Berries. Delicately poached with a firm, crispy skin, the salmon when paired with the juniper berry sauce was very good.
The next main was the Poached Jidori Chicken, Crispy Skin with Hazelnuts, Garden Vegetables and Bacon Royalé. Think of this as a deconstructed roast chicken dinner. The Jidori chicken has been rolled into a cylinder and poached, the skin fried crispy with hazelnuts and placed atop it, served with a bacon royalé (think bacon pudding) and leeks and peas, tied together with a swirl of gravy.
Cheese course was a Brie Chantilly Napoleon, Honey Comb, Balsamic and Frisée Salad. The brie had been hand whipped for two hours until almost the taste and consistency of butter, topped with a frisée salad and sandwiched between two pieces of crusty bread. On its own, it tastes almost like a butter sandwich. Add the honeycomb, however, and the flavors come alive.
We ended the meal with a Dark Chocolate Soufflé, with Black Pepper Milk Chocolate Ice Cream, and Chocolate Cream. Crack open the top of your soufflé, spoon in the very peppery black pepper ice cream, top with some chocolate cream, and try to finish the whole thing.
After dinner, Chef Ludo came out and talked to the group about the meal. He rallied against the cult of bacon and fat, voiced his apathy for critics, and admitted he would probably be bored within two weeks and mix things up.
He signed menus and posed for pictures with the adoring blogger sisterhood, then began the job of transforming LudoBites back into Gram & Papa’s for their lunch service today.
Such is the life of a pop-​up restaurant.
Still, how can you argue with a business model that sells out a two month season in just 18 hours?

I am pleased the 4^th seat of my friends invitation was made available to me. Watching an amazing friend cook and prep dishes along with Chef Ludo was fortutous. The presentation of the dishes were amazing. Tasting each dish was more than a party in your mouth as different flavors from each ingredient was noticed. Having this event at a location in Downtown Los Angeles made it even better since parking wasn’t such a hassle as it would be in Beverly Hills or the WestSide from previous LudoBites 2.0 and LudoBites 3.0. Enjoying a few bottles of red wine and good conversation with three lovely ladies makes me such a lucky gentleman. Perhaps I shall write and share pictures of the dishes we’ve had with you another time when I update this review. For now, Tara C. said it all with her review.