LudoBites 6.0

I find it pointless to review this now, since it’s long gone. But as I stated in my review for 5.0, I need to review this so that I can add to my lists.
Not as great as 5.0, but still amazing. Looking forward to 7.0!

It took me one hour of refreshing on my laptop and iPhone to get a reservation for 6.0. I was determined this time since I was unable to get one for 5.0, and fell in love with 4.0. Wow, I sound like a cyborg.
So, overall, I’m just going to say I enjoyed 4.0 more than 6.0. Though the dishes were of completely different ethnic/​regional influence. 6.0 had more of an Asian influence to the menu.
So, like everyone says, if you get a reservation, order everything. We came close, but just got too full at the end. We started with the warm baguette with a smoked butter and sardine laughing cow cheese. Seriously, always order the warm baguette. It’s the best ever. Though the smoked butter wasn’t meshing well with my taste buds, the sardine cheese was awesome!
We continued onto the hamachi, vietnamese style and barely cooked squid noodles, pad thai. The hamachi flavors blew me away! Literally the perfect balance of citrus and spice. The squid noodles were a good interpretation of a lighter version of pad thai.
Next came the Oriental Mussels Veloute, which came with shoestring fries. It was basically all pureed together into a thick broth. I wish there were some chunks of mussel left though. And the fries were not the best accompaniment to soak up the broth with, though were very good.
The black sausage was served, and it was basically a deconstructed shepard’s pie made with black sausage. It was creative and rather delicious!
Then came the most perfectly roasted foie gras. It had a lovely crust on the outside, and was creamy on the inside. The honey and fruits with it were a nice pairing.
John Dory made its appearance, and it was probably the most bland fish ever. We decided it tasted better when doused in the mussels veloute broth.
The half chicken with poached egg finishes our meal before desserts. It was tender, and I loved the silence of the chicken motif. Poached egg is great with anything.
We ordered both the desserts. Warm carrot cake, coconut, thai curry with mango sorbet and the panna cotta. Both were so delicious and not too sweet. We were all thoroughly satisfied after the entire meal.
Our server was also super attentive and made great recommendations on wine and the menu! Krissy was a wonderful hostess! Can’t wait for the next Ludobites!

3.5 stars
Yes I know this review is a little late but the draft has been there forever so might as well post it than let it get deleted…
I came here with fellow Unilocaler Penn T, my sister and another foodie friend of ours early on in LudoBites 6.0. Read his review here,
. We didn’t have reservations but got there fairly early to get some seats at the communal tables. I went to LudoBites 5.0 and loved it so I had high expectations coming to 6.0 and was a tad bit disappointed.
Here’s what we ordered:
Mexican Mojito — I loved that they put cilantro in it
Hamachi (Vietnamese style) — buttery and fresh
Sea Urchin Roe — my least favorite dish, I love sea urchin but the flavors with the frozen milk didn’t compliment each other IMO
Marinated Mackarel — great dish, the skin had a nice crunch
Black Trumpet Mushroom Cappuccino — love the hot and cold mixture, I can get hooked on this.
Barely Cooked Squid Noodles — very tender pieces of squid
Poached-​Roasted Foie Gras — very rich and creamy
Half Chicken, poached egg, chanterelles, and chorizo — my favorite dish that night, the chicken was cooked perfectly and the earthiness from the chanterelles
Marinated Steak with bone marrow — another favorite dish although the bone marrow wasn’t consistent. My friend had a piece that was a little cold and dense.
Warm Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffir Lime Oil — I was hesitant about this dish but everything worked well together. The carrot cake was very moist.
Pear, Hot Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea Broth, Mint — green tea and hot chocolate is the best combination ever!
Overall, I’m glad I didn’t miss out on this opportunity although my experience wasn’t as great as 5.0. The bill came about to be about $ 70 a person including tax and tip. Not bad considering we ordered almost everything on the menu. I’m still a fan of Chef Ludo (he’s so dreamy too!) I can’t wait for 7.0!

I was lucky enough to get 2 reservations to LudoBites 6.0. The first round, I went with a bunch of people, but for the second round, I decided to keep it small and intimate.
Honestly, the second round was MUCH better. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoyed the items they had during the first week, but it didn’t wow me like 5.0. But for round two, not only did I get to have bigger portions, but some of the items I thought were just okay were taken off the menu and replaced with much better items.
Amongst the 4 of us, we basically ordered the whole menu. I was sad that the Chicken dish wasn’t available since that was one of my favorites, but I definitely can’t complain about the new dishes I got to try.
The one dish that stands out the most and will always remain in my memory is the Crème Fraiche Panna Cotta, Caramel, Caviar. I definitely had to try this dessert, because who in the world decides to put caviar on a dessert?! And wow, O-​M-​G. Amazing. Not only was the texture perfect, but the mixture of salty and sweet… Just perfect.

I have to be honest and buck the trend here. Not because I didn’t have a good dining experience, not because I dislike chef Ludo or his efforts, but overall I just wasn’t ‘wowed’ like I hoped to be during this 6^th incarnation of Chef Lefevre’s now highly hyped and anticipated ‘Ludobites’ guerilla restaurant operation.
My first experience with his culinary wizardy skills was with the 4.0 incarnation and I have to say, I found the experience great, from service, to food, the originality of creations to presentation and taste. Obviously it serves as a personal yardstick for me. I didn’t have the fortune to attend 5.0 because the reservations snapped up too fast.
This time around one of my friends was able to get TWO separate reservations at his new operation at the former Marche restaurant in Sherman Oaks. I kind of like the change in location and venue, as Marche is a much bigger space to work with, giving more diners an opportunity to try his food. The fully stocked wine & liquor bar doesn’t hurt either, unlike the previous location at Gram & Papa’s.
Our group of 4 was seated with some minor delay as earlier diners were simply not clearing out of their tables fast enough (how inconsiderate of them!). What pleasantly surprised me was the presence of a dedicated walk-​in only table for those gutsy enough to come out with the hope of just grabbing a table. Props to them for not making them all reservation only.
Service was fantastic and Krissy being the public face for Ludo (who this time was pretty much running the show in the back kitchen and was nary to be seen for the night, frankly I don’t blame him) was an excellent hostess with her energy and smiles. All the waitresses were incredibly friendly, looked like they were having fun at their jobs and not just slinging food for tips.
Now onto the food itself. Thankfully our group were like minded diners and with minimal debate we did a careful ‘divide and conquer of all but 2 items on the menu (the french onion soup and Korean BBQ beef).
Drinks: Yuzu tequilla martini and pumpkin whiskey ginger — both drinks were original mixologist creations, the martini definitely more appealing to the ladies while the pumpkin whiskey had bolder, strong flavours that may not be as gentle on the palatte.
Warm baguette, baratte smoked butter, sardine-​laughing cow cheese — the smoked butter and sardine accented soft cheese were a great started and went well with the soft crusty bread. We used leftover bread to sop up the sauces of later dishes.
Hamachi, vietnamese style — Combining the garnishes of a bahn mi to hamachi sashimi was an interesting concept and for the most part, worked well
Escargot, brussel sprouts, red mole, corn ice cream — I didn’t like this as much. I thought the mole sauce basically overpowered and drowned the escargot to the point I had no idea what I was eating. Now I understand why butter and garlic works.
Scallops, celery root remoulade, red port wine, walnuts, dried fruits — while others like this I find red port wine flavours better matched to red meats, less so for shellfish like scallops. Well intended but the sweet fruit flavour pairing didn’t appeal to me.
Marinated mackerel, leche del tigre, baby leeks, verdolagas leaves — I really liked this one. mackerel may not be a favorite for its salty/​fishy flavour but I found the taste and presentation with the baby leeks to be artful and spot on.
Salmon, somen noodles, carrots, red wine vinaigrette, grilled salmon roe — Having salmon sashimi with light, salty salmon roe was a nice touch, good colour.
Poached-​roasted pickled foie gras, honey, autumn fruits, rose flowers — I broke my self-​imposed foie gras ban to give this a go. I was hoping for more ‘pickled’ curious to see how that would taste in goose liver form, but it tasted like most other foie I’ve had… which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but didn’t surprise me either. It was still well prepared in it’s rich, melt-​in-​your mouth form, just eating a piece of it was good enough for me.
Cod, smoked potato, paprika, pil-​pil sauce, amaranth — Another one of my favorties of the night, the smoked potatoes made a great complement to the clean tasting cod and paprika seasoning.
Veal, dried tuna, lime-​parmesan condiment, sticky rice — Veal was nicely cooked, and I liked the lime-​parmasean on the side but none of use could see the purpose or point of the sticky rice, which seemed more like mushy risotto.
Crème fraîche panna cotta, caramel, caviar — My favorite of the two desserts, creamy, delicated, great with the caramel and especially good juxtaposed with the saltiness of the caviar. This was a great play on the sweet/​salty taste buds.
Carrot cake, coconut, thai curry, mango sorbet, kaffir lime oil — the cake, while good seemed more like a warm muffin, and combined with the flavours of the mango, lime oil, and curry, its easy to see where the SE asian influences come in… but definitely not as good as the panna cotta.

After my experience at 5.0, LudoBites 6.0 was a bit disappointing. The atmosphere was less convivial, not a hair on Ludo’s head peeked out of the hidden kitchen, and the food wasn’t nearly as good. That said, I still enjoyed my dinner.
Max is a nice, cozy restaurant, but I missed Gram and Papa’s open kitchen. Part of the fun of 5.0 was watching Ludo cook, and he was invisible at Max. On the bright side, our party of six enjoyed our corner table by the bar, and the service was excellent. Our waitress did a great job explaining the menu and helping us with strategic ordering.
One advantage that 6.0 had was alcohol — a wine list, a full bar, and a short but awesome cocktail menu. I got to try all three cocktails. The Mexican Mojito made with tequila and pineapple juice was a spicy drink with a savory jalapeño kick and a fresh cilantro bite. The Yuzu Tequila Martini was a girly drink, frothy and very sweet with a cool dose of cucumber. The Whiskey Pumpkin Ginger was the most expensive drink and my least favorite, though it was still good.
As for the food, we ordered the whole menu with a couple doubles. My favorite dish of the night was the half chicken with poached egg, chanterelles, and chorizo. The chorizo presented itself in the form of a meaty salty crust on the chicken, and it was amazing. The chicken was moist and juicy and anything but plain chicken. The coddled egg was another feat, cooked perfectly so that the whites were creamy and the yolk just solid enough to stay in place. The sauteed chanterelles were also delicious. This dish is worth a star on its own.
Nothing else blew me away, but a couple things came close. The warm baguette with baratte smoked butter and sardine-​Laughing Cow cheese was about as exciting as bread and butter can get, with a distinct salty fish taste to the spread that was tempered by that childhood favorite cheese. The oriental mussels veloute with heirloom tomato and small fries was fantastic. This was a veloute made with pureed mussels, and the mussel flavor was very clear. I also loved the fresh heiroom tomato and crunchy croutons in the soup. As for the fries, is it an insult to say they were one of the best parts of the meal? They were satisfyingly salty and crispy without being snack chips. Another great dish was the poached-​roasted foie gras with acacia honey, autumn fruits, rose flowers, and rose gel. I liked this better than the dynamite from 5.0. It was great, unctuous foie, and it wasn’t smothered. I liked the sweetness and occasional hardness of the diced kiwi and mango. I also loved the grilled salmon roe in the salmon «a l’huile» with somen noodles, carrots, and red wine vinaigrette. The salmon was good and the sweet carrots nice, but the charred roe stole the show.
There were a few good but forgettable dishes. The hamachi, Vietnamese style was tasty, fresh fish with a really bright slaw with jicama strips and great crunch and salt from fried lotus chips. Marinated mackerel with leche del tigre, baby leeks, and Verdolagas leaves was nice, with meaty smoky mackerel with sweet caramelized skin. Scallops with celery root remoulade, red port, walnuts, and dried fruits were fair. The small scallops had good sweet flavor but an indistinct texture. The last savory dish was marinated Korean steak with crispy kimchi, bone marrow, and shiso. There was good seasoning and flavor to the meat, but it was a little tough, and the kimchi was not kimchi. The shiso was great, though, and goopy bone marrow is always a plus.
Sadly, I disliked a few dishes. The escargots with brussells sprouts, red mole, corn ice cream, and marinated tofu was just bad. Everything jumbled together, and the snails were barely there, soft and mushy and overpowered by harsh bitter mole. The corn ice cream was not discernible under all the noise. A hot boudin noir pudding «Parmentier» with apples and mustard tapioca was a deconstructed blood sausage that tasted like a pool of organ mess. Some potatoes on top helped, but not much. John Dory with potato, herbs, brocollini flowers, and green jalapenos nage just tasted like parsley on a mealy fish. The best part was the crispy potato.
Thankfully, both desserts were home runs, and our dinner ended on a high note. Crème fraîche panna cotta with caramel and caviar was an incredible dessert. The beautiful rich panna cotta, the spoonable salted caramel, and the briny bursts of caviar made music in my mouth. The warm carrot cake with Thai curry frosting, mango sorbet, and kaffir lime oil was less purely delicious but more interesting. There were lots of complex flavors going on, but it worked — the cake was nice and moist and the disparate flavors came together. Also, the lime oil tasted like Fruit Loops.
On the whole I had a decent meal and will try to go to 7.0. I’ll be less excited, though, than I was this time around. I’d love to get the recipe for that chicken, but I wouldn’t pay for my meal at 6.0 again.

I freely admit I’ve become a big fan of Chef Ludo (and Krissy). I’ll even go further and admit I am a twitter follower as «LudoBitch» I wasn’t deeply aware of Chef Ludo until a bit late in the game with LudoBites 4.0. Fortunately, I was able to multiple times in 4.0 and 5.0. I wasn’t as lucky this round of reservations but I scored when I was invited to Ciara G’s birthday dinner.
It did stick in my mind some of the negative reviews of LB6.0, moreso than it should have and ever will. I wondered if there was such a huge drop in quality at LudoBites? Is it just a big hype machine for foodies? I did go in with a slight predisposition to be a little more critical than I might have been in past visits.
But any hint of that soon vanished when I saw the big smile at the front desk. Seeing and talking with Krissy is ALWAYS a pleasure. I also saw a lot of familiar faces that reminded me of all my marvelous times I’ve had at LudoBites. Flashforward through the meal and to the end of the evening, I received the same fantastic experience I’ve always had at Ludo’s pop-​ups. In its highs and lows (yes there are some, as in ANY restaurant), I still experienced a fantastic evening of service, food artistry and good company. It just impresses on me that some people come in with an intent to be hyper-​critical of every little thing or nuance in a meal.
«Sir, my parsley seems wilted. Ma’am, I don’t want to pay for bread.»
LudoBites (any version) has always been to me about Chef Ludo’s artistry in food. The presentations are always exquisite, the techniques both classic and modern, and the flavors fascinating. Some dishes can be challenging and some dishes can be slightly confusing, but one appreciates the craft and skill of Ludo. There are always one or two dishes featuring an ingredient I do not normally eat let alone order at a restaurant. But thats the fun of going to a LudoBites (at least for me).
I am purposely omitting a line by line, dish by dish analysis of LudoBites 6.0. Most of the dishes have already been itemized and analyzed already. Instead, I fondly recall some of the dishes that still fascinate me and make me salivate: the laughing cow cheese spread, the mackeral, the squid pad thai, the mussel veloute, the bone marrow and kimchi.
For me its all about the complete experience of LudoBites — a joke with Chef Ludo, watching Krissy run the show behind the scenes, sharing with your friends what they like or dislike about something. I remain a devout loyal fan of LudoBites and plan to sneak in another visit to 6.0. One of the more entertaining points of a LudoBites is how often the entire menu can change week to week.
I would be amiss if I forgot to mention one of the brightest points of the night: Emileigh, our server for the evening. She was an absolute doll and a professional. She made our whole table feel like special guests and rockstars. Emileigh was very attentive to our needs and requests. She added so much to an already wonderful meal. (Krissy, please seat me at Emileigh’s section for 7.0, please).

When Ciara G. announced that November was her month of birthday festivities, I admit I was a little scared. Yo Gabba Gabba is on the itinerary. Fortunately, the celebration started with dinner reservations at LudoBites. The 9 person table allowed us the ability to try every dish, twice.
It was Team Pig vs. Team Sanity. I am a somewhat ashamed member of Team Pig, the half of the table that cleaned their plates and stole the dishes from Team Sanity. Sorry Hugo C. for the repeated grossness of our eating methods.
Emily, you are the most magnificent server. Not only did you ignore our depravity, but you were charming, saw to our every need, and made sure we always had food. I hope you are my server at every other Ludo experience I might have. 5 stars to Emily.
I started with the whiskey pumpkin ginger coqtail, which was knock your socks off strong. It was like Halloween and Thanksgiving in drink form.
Now the rounds of food were brought out. Lucy Y. does a beautiful job of describing each dish. Every course built on the flavors of the previous. The evolution of the light hamachi and squid pad thai to the closing chicken and beef dishes was thoughtful. The major misstep for me was the John Dory, which was served after the rich courses of foie gras and the mussels veloute. The well cooked and seasoned white fish was lost after the incredible complexity of its predecessors — it was the most forgettable dish for me.
My must have dish was the mussels veloute. If its still on the menu for the second round (Nov 30 — Dec 5) I will definitely be walking in. Drool worthy. And the heirloom tomatoes were the best surprise.
I could live without the desserts to be quite honest. The chocolate soup was interesting, and I enjoyed the carrot cake (which was more soufflé like in its lightness). But I’d rather have more of that veloute. :D
Ludo and Krissy were charming and attentive, Ciara was one lucky birthday bitch. The food was excellent and I’d like to sample more LuduBite menus.
LudoBites, I am in lust with you, but not yet in love.

I have always wanted to try LudoBites (a pop-​up restaurant that celebrity chef Ludo Lefebvre sets up every few months). It is a clever concept and the limited availability has made it a difficult reservation to get. I was fortunate enough to be included on an event that Ciara G. organized.
This most recent LudoBites was held at The Max (there is another stint at The Max coming up from Nov 30 to Dec 5). The waitress recommended family style so we could get a good variety of Ludo’s cooking.
Here is a rundown on what we had (menus change daily here):
(Warm Baguette, Baratte Smoked Butter, Sardine-​Laughing Cow Cheese: 3.5 stars) The baguette had a nice crust. Good chew and flavor. I liked the butter over the cheese. Pretty good though it was kind of weird paying for bread.
(Hamachi sashimi with sliced raw vegetables and a light vinaigrette: 3.5 stars) The hamachi was nice and fresh. Pretty small portion especially since it was overloaded with slaw-​like vegetables (nicely crisp though).
(Barely Cooked Squid Noodles, Pad Thai, Prawn, Black radish: 3 stars) Small portion of prawns, but the seafood (prawns, squid) was good. There was a strong peanut taste in the dish (almost like peanut butter), which was tasty, but it could be a pro or maybe a big con depending on your preferences.
(Marinated Mackerel, Leche Del Tigre, Baby Leeks, Verdologas Leaves: 4 stars) I like mackerel but typically see it at Japanese restaurants only. The mackerel here was good. Strong fish taste. Very moist. The skin was crispy and caramelized (almost candied). The leeks were hard to cut, but they were good.
(Cured Salmon, Somen Noodles, Carrots, Red Wine Vinaigrette, Grilled Salmon Roe: 3.5 stars) I liked the salmon. Once again, pretty strong fish taste. I am not a big fan of cold noodles so I found the somen noodles just okay. The salmon roe was presented both raw as well as grilled. The grilled salmon roe had a nice blackened crispiness to it (almost like grilled corn) – pretty unique texture.
(Scallop, Celery Root Remoulade, Red Port, Walnuts, Dried Fruits: 3 stars) I liked the scallops. Nicely caramelized and pretty moist and tender. I have had better scallop dishes. The celery root was nicely crisp and good flavors throughout, but this dish was overpriced for such a small portion.
(Poached-​Roasted Pickled Foie Gras, Acacia Honey, Autumn Fruits, Rose Flowers: 3.5 stars) The foie gras was buttery, fatty and warm (just what you would expect and hope for). The accompaniments were nicely sweet with lots of flavor. Good but overpriced.
(Oriental Mussels Veloute, Heirloom Tomato, Small Fries: 2 stars) The dish did not have mussels. It was a thin cream mushroom broth that was topped with two toasted mini-​baguettes. Shoestring fries were also provided (kind of like Pik-​Nik shoestring potato sticks). The flavor of the broth was okay and the fries were tasty, but it was not really a good dish for sharing. Also, it went cold very quickly.
(John Dory, Potato, Herbs, Brocollini Flowers, Green Jalapenos Nage: 3 stars) John Dory is a very mild fish, but they did a good job here. The fish was properly cooked and moist and the sides/​sauces were light but still flavorful (and did not overwhelm the fish). Overpriced though.
(Half Chicken, Poached Egg, Chanterelles, Chorizo: 4 stars) The chicken was good – moist and juicy (though a tad lukewarm). The skin was crispy and flavorful. I like chanterelle mushrooms and the ones here were nicely cooked.
(Marinated Korean Steak, Crispy Kimchi, Bone Marrow: 2.5 stars) While the steak looked nicely red, it was actually quite chewy and tough. Good flavor and I liked the bone marrow, but it was not the best quality of meat.
(Cold Chocolate Soup, Peanut Butter, Caramelized Peanuts, Long Pepper Whipped Cream: 3.5 stars) This was kind of a variation on a pot de crème or a tiramisu. Good chocolate and peanut butter taste. Nothing wow, but it tasted good.
(Warm Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffir Lime Oil: 4 stars) The warm carrot cake was moist and sweet. The mango sorbet was very refreshing and good.
Service was good – friendly and food came out at a good pace. Attentive staff.
LudoBites is worth trying at least once though some of the dishes were overpriced. While I heard this LudoBites was not as popular as LudoBites 5.0 or 6.0, I enjoyed my experience here. While not many of the dishes really jumped out and wowed me, I was impressed with how the majority of dishes were tasty and cooked with skill (often with tapas, there are just as many okay or below average dishes as good ones).
Parking is available on the street by meter (parking was pretty easy to find).

Back for more and delighted again!
I was especially pleased to get reservations as two people were at task to book our spot and we narily got a reservation even after attempting to do so for about an hour. Do not be disheartened though as the walk up spots looked reasonable to procure… especially if you come later in the service. Can’t guarantee you’ll get in but would encourage you to try if you don’t have reservations and are reading this Unilocal!
My prior Ludo Bites experience was Ludo Bites 3.0 at Royal/​T. It’s really a treat to see how a chef turns out consistently tempting food in a new ktichen and space and makes the whole experience work holistically.
Of course it all centers around damn good food. There were several high flighing seafood dishes with asian flavors that I’ll get to, but was remarkable to me were the straight forward, simpler dishes of 1) Warm Baguette with Baratte Butter and Sardine Laughing Cow to start the meal and 2) Half chicken, 64-​degree egg, and chanterelles. Ludo walked around the dining room as our meal was finsihing and I raved to him about the chicken. He commented that cooking simply to create fantastic food is a challenge, but even more challenging is remembering to cook for your diners instead of yourself. I felt a little bit unsophisticated that I’d been pleased by his crowd pleaser, but that did not sully my contentment from the scrumptious dish. The 64-​degree was divine, the chicken skin was crisp, and the sous vide meat succulent.
The seafood dishes caught my eye but they stick with my heart as much as the European dishes I highlighted above. Nevertheless I enjoyed these dishes and would pass them on to you for your enjoyment:
* Hamachi, Vietnamese Style with a distinctive and tasty slice of fried lotus root
* Barely Cooked Squid Noodles with Thai Flavors
* Scallop, Celery Root Remoulade, Red Port, Walnuts, Passion Fruit
* Nebraska Rib-​Eye (forget how it was prepared, but it was not the whiskey preparation others have written about)
* Warm Carrot Cake with Kaffir Lime, Thai Chili Cream, and Mango Sorbet
I have yet to have Ludo’s fried chicken. I need to go chase down his truck.
If you haven’t seen the slideshow of Ludo and his team at Max check out this link

So from what I heard, there were 7,000 people beating the crap out of their computer system and upwards of 35K throughout the few hours of reservations being open. That’s just fucking insane. So as I was working I’d periodically hit refresh and found that I got a reservation about 40 min after it opened to coincide with my trip to SoCal. Meeting with some old friends we did the horrendous drive up to Studio City and braved the parking lot which is the 405 and Beverly Glen Blvd through the hills. Finally reaching our destination, we stepped into the Maxim’s space to take on the onslaught of Ludobites 6.
After explaining the menu to us, it turned out that the whole thing would be perfect for a party of four. So, we did as suggested. we ordered the whole damn thing!
–Warm Baguette. Baratte Smoked Butter, Sardine Laughing Cow Cheese
–Hamachi, Vietnamese Style
–Marinated/​Bruleed Mackerel, Leche Del Tigre, Baby Leeks, Verdolagas Leaves
–Salmon, Somen Noodles, Carrots, Rew Wine Vinaigrette, Grilled Salmon Roe
–Barely Cooked Squid Noodles, Pad Thai, Prawn, Black Radish
–Mussels Veloute, Confit Heirloom Tomato, Small Fries
Poached-​Roasted Pickled Foie Gras, Acacia Honey, Autume Fruits, Dried Rose Flowers
–Scallop, Celery Root Remoulade, Red Port, Walnuts, Dried Fruit
–John Dory, Potato, Herbs, Brocollini Flowers, Green Jalapeño Nage
–Half Chicken, Chorizo, Poached Egg, Chajntrelles, Saffon Onion Soubise
–Marinated Korean Steak, Deconstructed Kimchi, Mustard Seeds
–Warm Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffir Lime Oil
–Chocolate Soup
–2009 Clos Roche Blanche Sauvingon No 2
–2009 Mas Carlot Marsanne/​Rousanne
Everything was delicious. Now we noted that there wasn’t anything mind blowing but it was all certainly very good. Nothing to complain about and I’d certainly do it again. One of my friends and gone to a few previous Ludobites and noted that this definitely had a strong Asian bent to it. I loved that interplay with the French elements from the chef. The service was awesome. Our server Jessica was not only a stellar personality, she was a total cutie pie. She took the time to explain all the dishes and added a very good energy to the meal. We were definitely very happy leaving the meal and I think since my trips down south are a yearly thing, I’d love to make this part of that tradition. 4.5 stars

If you’re Ciara G, you close your eyes and wish for a table for 9 at LudoBites 6.0 for your birthday… and you get it!
Since she chose the late seating, our dinner wasn’t rushed, and Chef Ludo came over to talk and joke and take pictures with our group before we left. Both he and his gracious wife Krissy were just as friendly and warm as they were at 4.0!
To make the night even more perfect, we got Emileigh as our AWESOME server; we fell in love with her at 4.0!
Our table ordered 2 of everything on the menu (yep, that’s how we roll!):
Warm crusty baguette w/​smoked butter & sardine Laughing Cow cheese ($ 5) — yummy!
Squid noodle pad thai ($ 16) — the most tender slices of squid I have ever eaten! Warm, with bean sprouts, crushed peanuts and a burst of pad thai flavors.
Vietnamese style hamachi ($ 15) — thinly sliced taro chips accented a slightly spicy, sliced hamachi. So fresh and delicious!
Marinated mackerel ($ 15) — chunks of tender sweet-​vinegary marinated fish, with lightly sugared, crisped skin — garnished with charred baby leeks and tiny verdolagas leaves, in a light sauce. The lightly sweetened, crispy fish skin was amazing!
Salmon a l’huille ($ 17) — thinly sliced pieces of both buttery salmon sashimi and green-​topped baby carrots topped a bed of soft somen noodles, dressed in a light vinaigrette. The most amazing part was the sprinkling of salmon roe — lightly grilled, the charred parts felt chewy just before the eggs exploded in your mouth!
Scallops ($ 24) — 4 sweet scallops, perfectly cooked, sat atop a creamy remoulade dressed raw celery root slaw with crushed walnut pieces sprinkled over. The scallops were good, but the dish on the whole didn’t wow me like some others.
Foie gras ($ 34) — the buttery-​est hunk of salt-​sprinkled poached-​roasted-​pickled foie gras sat beautifully in the center of a rose petal sprinkled, kiwi and pineapple chunk garnished, Acacia honey-​accented plate. Every element complimented each other in a perfect way!
Mussels veloute ($ 18) — THIS was a table fave! Simultaneously rich AND light, this creamy soup hid a couple of heavenly heirloom tomato chunks beneath, had croutons floating on top, and came with a pile of impossibly thin frites. Upon Emily’s suggestion, my side of the table dumped all the frites in the soup, took control of the other end of the table’s bowl — and ended up using our fingers to shamelessly clean the bowls! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G!
John Dory ($ 26) — this slightly spicy, mild fish with broccolini flowers and herbs in a broth was lovely but the flavors got a little lost on our post-​veloute tastebuds. Had we eaten this first, it would have spoken much louder to us.
Half chicken ($ 24) — AMAZINGLY succulent boneless chicken half, cooked sous vide and then skin crisped. The 62 (?) degree poached egg was cooked a moment past runny, so it melted on the tongue but stayed intact on the fork. The chantarelle mushrooms and smoky chorizo essence accented everything!
Korean steak ($ 29) — sliced, medium rare Korean spiced steak with dabs of buttery bone marrow — accented by fresh shiso leaves and cabbage pieces that were quick-kimchi’d. Delicious!
Cold chocolate soup ($ 12) — sticky marshmallow sat on the side of the bowl, while peanut butter mousse and whipped cream peaks stood tall on top of the soup. The creamy, cool, chocolatey soup hid a lemony banana squish and caramelized peanuts underneath! All the tastes and textures were crazy good together!
Carrot cake ($ 10) — a warm, sweet potato-​soufflé-​like-​textured orangey cakelet — bursting with flavors when smeared with the coconut creamy frosting/​cream and drizzled with Kaffir lime oil. A canele of the freshest tasting mango sorbet was served alongside. Carrot cake — elevated!
The dishes were all tapas-​sized, but sharing the whole menu twice between 9 people filled us up perfectly. Including a $ 36 bottle of wine and a few of Ludo’s signature cocktails, and (with a generous tip for Emily) the total came to a remarkably worthwhile $ 100/​person.
Thank you again to brilliant Chef Ludo, gracious wearer-​of-​so-​many-​hats Krissy, server extraordinaire Emileigh, and the whole team at LudoBites 6.0! You guys are awesome!!!

I was a late LB bloomer so my first LudoBites wasn’t until 4.0 and I had an amazing dining experience. Which was shocking, as I had just returned from a recent Napa trip where I was lucky enough to dine at the FL for the second time.
I loved everything about 4.0, I was humbled and truly became a fan after that meal. I still dream of how I want to bathe in a bath of the Paris Ham Soup.
I wasn’t lucky enough to get 5.0 resies so when I saw that 6.0 was going to be around my BDay I put it out in the universe that I WAS going to get reservations. I was following every tweet @frenchchefwife sent out and saw one day that the largest party size available was 10 people. I decided that my strategy was to book for a 10 top as that would probably be a sure spot. Well it worked. Snagged a resie in about 18 minutes but when I hit confirm on OT it booted me off. Tried again and at 5:34pm resie was made for a party of 10 for 4 days after my birthday.
Fast forward to Monday November 8^th at 9:15pm. 9 excited Unilocalers and foodie extraordinaries came from all areas armed with cameras and plenty of room in their tummies to dine at this much talked about meal. Reviews have been mixed, and that made me nervous but we were all still excited. How could you not be? These LudoBites pop ups are pretty much a foodies paradise. Sure others dine as well but it almost seems like some sort of secret foodie society.
I will say though that I am sad that 6.0 did not have an open kitchen BUT, the more I think about it it did add a little mystery to the magic of this food.
I only had one other LB experience to compare it to but even with the beloved Paris Ham Soup 6.0 takes over the win. Yup I said it!
In all actuality you can not really even compare these pop ups as the menus are always so different. You gotta leave the past .0’s in the past and appreciate the current .0’s for what they are. But in the end they are all equally epic but 6.0 took the crown by an heirloom tomato treasure at the bottom of the Mussels Veloute.
This may make you go «whhhhaattt???» but I am a finicky eater. Seafood is not my thing (texture and smell all they way) so many of my friends were nervous as this menu is mostly seafood. Emileigh server extraordinaire suggested two plates of each item for our group. This ended up being the perfect portions. I happily tried everything! And surprisingly enjoyed all the things I was «scared» to eat bc I «didn’t» like them (never had them before).
Guess I’m working on my Sushi Sensi badge now as I enjoyed every seafood dish. Mussels veloute was AMAZING and just like the Paris Ham Soup I wanted to bathe in it. I can not get enough of Ludo’s «soups». LOVED the Salmon a l’huille, Scallops were not the fav of my eating section but I loved them (as scallops are one seafood item I do enjoy). The Squid Noodle Pad Thai was interesting yet enjoyable to say the least. The Vietnamese style Hamachi was the most beautiful dish and just as tasty. I wish the crispy candied Mackerel skin could be bagged up and sold at Nijiya Market for purchase. The John Dory was SPICY and wonderful but we all would have enjoyed it more if it arrived before the Foie and Mussels.
Foie Gras, yeah I got it down with the encouragement of «think it is bone marrow» and I went in for repeat bites. Another visually stunning dish and the taste lived up to the beauty. The Korean Steak was meaty, flavorful and cooked to perfection. The bone marrow on top was a tasty treat. The Chicken, well Ludo sure knows how to cook chicken.
Desserts, I hate to knock anyone bc I really believe «to each their own» but the Cold Chocolate Soup was PHENOMENAL! Our section literally licked our plates and slopped up nearly every last trace of it with our fingers. We even took the rest of the other end of our groups order. The Carrot Cake was like no other and the lime oil drizzled on top of the warm spongy cake and then dipped in the Thai Curry Frosting, OMG FOODGASM and our meal was complete.
The service at LudoBites is like no other LA service. We were lucky enough to have Emileigh again (had her at 4.0) and the repeat visits to the table by Krissy and the long chats, photo taking and book signing with Chef Ludo at the end of the meal truly makes for the complete package of dining experiences.
I will sit at the computer refreshing with my right hand and tweeting with my left hand to get these reservations again. I will travel far and wide for these pop ups. If you are looking for the complete dining experience which to me is creative, memorable, palate testing, humbling food all to be served by superb service LudoBites is for you.
Last I want to thank my dinner mates for the night. Unilocal is our common bond but true friendship form over a great meal. Thank you all for joining me in my final celebration for my 29^th birthday. Like I said outside Team LB 7.0 for sure!

It was great. Just as 1.0 was great. But nowadays, it took 40 minutes and hundreds of screen refreshing and mouse clicks to get a reservation. And now I can say it was worth it.
Ludo is on his game. A lot of creativity went into that menu, great flavors, presentations, attention to ingredients details.
We ordered everything on the menu: 14 items including the bread and two desserts. Personally, I love love that it was very seafood heavy. Obviously because I love seafood.
The highlights for me:
To start, that was some good bread. And I loved the smoked butter. The sardine cheese was good too.
The sous-​vide then crisped chicken, poached egg, with chanterelles! Wow that was supermoist beautifully flavored chicken. The egg was poached perfectly! And I love chanterelles, I even love just saying it. Never thought I’d rave about chicken so much. Now I want a sous-​vide machine.
The squid in the pad thai with black radish: «Barely Cooked» just as the menu says. Perfect. And black radishes are cool. It came with a dab of some sort of creamy sauce on the side, which didn’t taste like much at first, and then the spicy starts popping in your mouth.
Loved the shaved multi-​color carrots on the salmon. Loved that grilled salmon roe, what a brilliant idea. That’s the only way I want to eat salmon roe from now on.
The John Dory was poached perfectly. The potato «chips» were delicious.
I’m not a big fan of fois gras, but it was cooked perfectly, and I loved the rose petals and rose flavor on the side, and a very interesting flavor pairing that worked for me.
Warm Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffir Lime Oil: wow, very good thinking here.
Everything had high points for me, in some or all elements. I guess I wasn’t too crazy about the mussels, where were the mussels? I saw shells, I guess they were cut into tiny pieces? I don’t remember the tomatoes in it, very likely bc my friends ate it all before I could get to this dish. ha. But I loved the broth.
There were three dots of balsamic on the dish rim of the Uni (with Frozen Milk, Balsamic, Orange Broth, Black Rice), and I took one. But then I forgot to eat it! Drinking too much? I am still so bummed about having left that dot of balsamic on my plate that went to the dishwasher. Ahhhh!
One of my friends got the Mexican Mojito. It was excellent.
Service was really terrific. We had multiple plate changes so that we could try the courses on clean plates.

I love Ludobites. The whole idea of how Ludo purveys complex flavors and exquisite (enough) menus to the regular person. In other words, your pockets don’t have to be lined with a lot of cash to enjoy a wide variety of tastes all in one meal. I would recommend coming with 3 – 5 people so that you are able to taste as much of the menu as you can. And order the whole menu we did.
Through the night, the meal progressed beautifully and the wait was attentive with our needs. We began with the mas de gourgonnier les Baux de Provence, 2008. It is a mix varietal rosé and I liked how it was fruity and full flavored. They ran out of this one so our 2^nd bottle was something I didn’t bother to take note of.
Highlights of the meal include the half chicken with poached egg, chorizo, chanterelles, saffron onion soubise. The chicken was impossibly tender with a crunchy skin, being cooked sous vide.
The poached roasted foie gras also amazing in the way that the ingredients all came together in perfect harmony.
The black trumpet mushroom cappuccino with butternut squash also blew me away. I had to practice self restraint to remain classy and not lick the bowl.
The ribeye marinaded in Japanese whiskey was cooked medium rare and tender.
Saffron mussels veloute w/​heirloom tomatoes and string fries: we were told we could dip the crispy thin fries into the sauce but I think we treated this dish more like soup than sauce, once again maintaining class and not just pouring it into our mouths.
The mackerel also blew me away even though I don’t often like mackerel. The skin was crispy and carmelized and it’s best to take a little bit of everything on the plate.
The squid pad thai was a interesting take on the popular Thai dish and had mixed reviews at our table. The squid was wonderfully soft and the medley of flavors were light.
The scallops were cooked perfectly tender and paired with a celery root remoulade, which added a nice crunch.
If I could go back, I would have doubled up on the mushroom cappuccino and nixed the john dory, uni dishes.
The desserts are also not to be missed. The poached pear with green tea broth was my favorite of the two but the warm carrot cake does not disappoint. And the yuzu tequila martini? Yes.
Ludo bites delighted us with very interesting flavors all night long, and this time it was served with strong Asian influences.

Like others, this is my experience dining at LudoBites and overall, it was a good experience.
It’s always a good sign when asked by the server what we’d like to order and I respond, «It might be easier to tell you what we don’t want on the menu versus what we want to order.» That being the case, of the 15 or so items on the menu, we ordered almost everything with the exception of 4 dishes and it was just the right amount of food for our party of 4.
I won’t go into detail on all the items but the ones that really stood out for me were the mackerel which I thought paired perfectly with the vegs he had on the plate, the foie gras, the steak (minus the marrow… I usually enjoy marrow but not the way it was cooked this time), and the chicken (probably my fav dish since it was amazingly juicy and flavorful). We also had both the dessert items and though the carrot cake was good and very inventive, the other dessert with the Asian pear was the winner for me. I will say that I didn’t care for his version of the pad thai using the undercooked squids but that’s just my opinion.
Overall food, I would give it a 3.5 star out of 5.
Our server was probably the reason I bumped up my review to a 4 star rating. She did a great job of explaining each of our dishes — especially when some of the other guys tried explaining it and kept forgetting or not knowing what was being served.
At a little over $ 70/​person which included one cocktail as well as tax and tip, it wasn’t overly expensive.
P. S. If the couple that were sitting at our table too, since we were all walk-in’s, decide to order the peanut butter with crack that I was talking about, let me know how you guys liked it?

Do not be confused… the number after LudoBites (5.0, 6.0) in no way correlates to how many stars you may want to give the meal.
Just as much as LudoBites 5.0 was one of the best — if not the best — meals I have ever eaten in my life, LudoBites 6.0 was one of the biggest disappointments.
There was not 1 dish from last night (and I had them all except for the John Dory and the Pear desert) that I would go back for. There was not one dish where the flavors worked for me. There was not one dish that I particularly liked (mackerel, squid, and hamachi came the closest IMO, but still wouldn’t get them again).
I had all the favorites — the squid pad thai, the mushroom and squash, the mussels veloute, the steak — and all of it missed for me and my other three dining companions (the steak at first tasted like an amazing aged piece of meat, only to be followed by a way too bitter taste of whiskey that I wish could have been cooked off more).
And that’s the thing — here we were, four foodies, a few of us who have traveled all over the world eating the best meals the best chefs have to offer — and not one of us liked the dinner last night. Not one of us liked any of the dishes we were served enough to get it again.
Does this mean I won’t spend an hour refreshing the reservation web page when LudoBites 7.0 comes around? Of course not — I’ll spend 3 hours if that’s what it takes to get a reservation. Why? Because I have faith, because I believe Ludo to be an amazing and exciting chef who is going to dazzle and bring me an adventurous, delicious meal next time. It just didn’t happen with this menu.
So go (I’m sure nothing I could say would stop you), but know this foodie gives LudoBites 6.0 a regrettable thumbs down.

After reading so many great reviews on Ludobites 1.0−5.0, I was excited for an oppotunity to try 6.0 out. Was sent a link to Chef Lefebvre’s site and at 5:00pm I was directed to Open Table’s reservation site. After about 45 minutes of continuously clicking the F5 button and receiving the message that the restaurant didn’t exist, I finally was able to secure dinner reservations at 6:00pm. It couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes later that I tried again for another date and got the message that they were fully booked.
Started off with the featured cocktails, the Mexican mojito
and the Yuzu tequila martini (
). Both were good, but my taste buds favor the mojito. It was a twist on your classic mojito, which was tasty and refreshing.
Warm baguette wtih baratte smoked butter and sardine-​laughing cow cheese (
). Bread was brought out to us nice and warm. Had a little difficulty cutting it up with the butter knives they provided us and of course made a mess at the table. Not sure why they didn’t cut it up for us in the kitchen. I loved the baratte smoked butter as it had a nice smokiness to it. The perfect combination with the warm baguette. As I’m not a big fan of sardines, I only tasted the sardine-​laughing cow cheese. It had a similar consistency as one would find with a tuna fish sandwich.
Hamachi Vietnamese style (
). Wasn’t too impressed with this dish but I’ll admit that the flavors all came together perfectly.
Kumamoto oysters (
). Probably the worst dish of the night. This dish came with 6 Kumamoto oysters and each one of them had sand in them. Perhaps better attention to cleaning them out would’ve made this dish more appetizing. Also the kimichi consommé gelee had almost no taste. I did like the camenbert mouse on the side of the plate.
Black trumpet mushroom cappuccino with butternut squash soup (
). This dish would’ve ranked up top if it were only served hot. The black trumpet mushrooms were cold and the butternut squash soup was served lukewarm. The more I ate of this… the more I enjoyed it.
Barely cooked squid noodles pad thai (
). As I’m not big on raw bean sprouts, this dish wasn’t one of my favorites for the night. Though the texture and taste of the squid was very good, I thought that the taste of the raw bean sprouts overpowered the other flavors.
Saffron mussels veloute w/​heirloom tomatoes and string fries (
). OMG was the sauce tasty!!! Though we didn’t get any mussels in our bowl, the flavor of the veloute was simply amazing. I can’t describe in words how amazing this dish was. Probably the best dish of the night.
Poached-​roasted foie gras (
). Others have mentioned that they were disappointed with this dish. I’m not sure why as ours was cooked and seasoned perfectly.
Seared scallops w/​celery root remoulade (
). The scallops were cooked/​seasoned perfectly and I only had a little bit of the celery root remoulade. The red port froth, walnuts and passion fruit added a nice sweetness to the dish.
John dory (
). The fish was light but really didn’t have much taste to it. If I were to go back for a second run… I’d skip this dish.
Half chicken w/​poached egg, chantarelles, and chorizo (
). How can one go wrong with chorizo? The chicken had a nice crispy skin with smokey flavor and was moist throughout. I would rank this dish as one of the top three for the night. Needless to say we just had a nibble and asked to box the rest to take home.
Nebraska ribeye marinated in Japanese whiskey (
). Ours was served medium rare but would’ve liked it served rare. Strong whiskey flavors throughout.
Poached pear with chocolate and matcha green tea froth (
). I love how Chef Lefebvre poaches and then caramelizes the pear. An awesome way to finish the food adventure.

This was more like 3.5 stars. I had the pleasure of dining at Grams and Papas for Ludobites 5.0, my first Ludobites experience ever. I really enjoyed it, but I did not enjoy it nearly as much this time around. There was a distinct Asian influence reflected in many of the dishes for 6.0 as well as more seafood dishes (I’m not a fan of seafood). I find that Asian fusion is either a hit or a miss and in most cases, it’s a miss. We ordered everything on the menu, including two each of the warm baguettes and carrot cake. We bought our own bottle of wine ($ 15 corkage) and it came out to be about $ 75 pp for a party of 5. This was a bit more expensive than 5.0; I think the menu this time around was pricier. However, I would still try to 7.0 in the hopes that Ludo would bring back more of the kinds of delectable dishes I had at 5.0. I did like that he stopped by tables to chat with everyone — it was like being greeted by a celebrity. He stopped by ours for a good few minutes and we had a chance to ask him how he made the smoked butter, which a friend raved about. It’s basically smoked salt and butter mixed together! He wisely said that cooking is the easy part but coming up with what to cook is difficult.
–Mexican Mojito ($ 8.75) — Delicious drink w/​chunks of pineapple. Strong on the tequila.
–Warm Baguette & Butter $ 5) — The smoked butter was delicious. I also liked the sardine spread, which reminded me of a tuna salad. Bread was delicious.
–Hamachi, Vietnamese Style ($ 15) — I normally dislike raw fish but this did not have the texture or taste of anything fishy. VERY good!
–Black Trumpet Mushroom Cappuccino & Creamy Butternut Squash ($ 15) — This was one of our favorites. The mushroom was blended into a cold purée with warm squash soup on top. A must.
–Kuramoto Oysters w/​Kimchi Consommé ($ 18) — I don’t like oysters so I only took a little bite. It came w/​6 baby oysters that tasted faintly like kimchee.
–Marinated Mackerel ($ 15) — It’s difficult to be creative with mackerel, but Ludo tried. While I did like the sugary crisp skin, it was still basically four pieces of mackeral, which I generally do not like (cheap fish I grew up with).
–Nebraska Ribeye ($ 38) — They marinate this bad boy in whiskey for two days and yes, you can taste it. This is cooked very rare, so a friend who only eats meat well done almost threw up after taking a few bites. However, the rest of us really enjoyed it. It came with some green Shishito peppers; Ludo told us that it’s like Russian Roulette. About one out of twenty peppers is smoking hot. None of ours were, but we had fun testing them out. I liked this twist.
–Squid & Pad Thai ($ 16) — This dish was pretty spicy. It’s definitely not your normal pad thai — the squid was meant to take the place of the noodles. Squid was super tender.
–Poached Fois Gras w/​Lentils ($ 34) — While I loved the Fois Gras from 5.0, I only liked this one. It melted in your mouth, but it lacked the crunchy fried texture the last had (as this was poached). The lentils tasted like lentils normally do. Not a spectacular dish.
–Half Chicken — The chicken by itself was but somewhat flavorless. You had to dip it into the saffron side or poached egg (delicious) to give it flavor. This also came with the BEST tasting mushrooms I’ve ever had — Chanterelles. I don’t know if it’s the mushroom themselves or the way he prepared them (meaty texture and taste) but they were so good — I normally hate mushrooms.
–Scallops ($ 24) — Good scallops (4) but not the best my friends have had. Came with shredded celery root.
–John Dory ($ 26) — Nice piece of white fish, which came with broccolini flowers and came in a broth which tasted slightly like jalapenos.
–Mussel Veloute ($ 18) — This came as a soup with skinny thin fries to dip it in with. We ordered a second baguette to sop up some of the soup. It was delicious with a hint of pineapple. I guess the mussels are pureed into the soup so you can’t really taste them, which was fine by me bc I don’t like mussels anyways.
–Warm Carrot Cake ($ 10) — The cake was warm and moist, but I didn’t care for the lime oil or the thai curry frosting on the side.
–Pear, Hot Chocolate ($ 12) — This dessert is really a whole peeled pear! I liked this one better than the carrot cake, though I loved neither. The green tea «broth» was flavored foam. Wish it came w/​more of the chocolate pudding.
I have another reservation for the later half of his stint at Max, which I may or may not cancel. I heard he is supposed to change up the menu, so maybe if the menu is different enough, I’ll venture back for a second try.

Somehow, I really lucked out on getting a reservation. Thus, I found myself here for opening night.
Warm Baguette, Baratte Smoked Butter, Sardine-​Laughing Cow Cheese — Ludo makes an excellent baguette, and it’s always served hot out of the oven. To compliment this, two butters were served. One had a predominant smoky flavor, and one was fishy… I actually enjoyed combining these two butters as I found it to have a really delicious sort of smoked fish flavor.
Hamachi, Vietnamese Style — Next was one of the strongest dishes of the night. Beautifully plated, I loved the colors. Nice slivers of fish were complemented by textures of fried shallots and fried lotus root, with just a slight acidity to the dish. Wonderful.
Kumamoto Oysters, Kimchi Consommé Gelee, Camembert Mousse, Apple — This was a pretty interesting dish. The oysters were below the lettuce, in a gelee made of a kimchi consomee. Without being overpowering, this kimchi added a little bit of heat and acidity to the dish. I love Ludo’s use of flowers in the presentation.
Marinated Mackerel, Leche Del Tiger, Baby Leeks, Verdolagas Leaves — This mackerel, marinated in ponzu, had a nice firm flesh and a crispy skin. Sugar was added to the skin and torched to get that nice crusty effect. The vegetables added the necessary balance to this meaty fish. Nice presentation too!
Barely Cooked Squid Noodles, Pad Thai, Prawn, Tofu — This was another of the favorites of the night. The squid was so tender, it was kind of incredible. The flavors of a pad thai were present as well, with a little heat and a bit of a coconut milk flavor to me. The bean sprouts were a great textural element as well to round out this excellent dish.
Mussels Veloute, Green Peppercorns, Pineapple, Fennel, Potato Paille — We were told that this was Ludo’s deconstructed version of moules frites. Interesting. The mussels were made into a rich and hearty soup with chunks of mussel meat and pineapple. I found the pineapple a bit odd if this was a moules frites inspiration, however I appreciated the sweetness it lended to the soup. The very thin shoestring fries were good with the soup (and for dipping!) and were extra crispy.
Poached Foie Gras, Green Lentils, Miso Broth, Turnips & Radish — Hmm… poached foie gras. Not something you see very often. Loved it! The smooth and creamy liver really stood out in this preparation, melting in your mouth. The turnips and radish were the primary textural elements, while the lentils added some nice body to the dish.
John Dory, Potato, Herbs, Broccolini Flowers, Green Jalapenos Nage — Loved the colors here again. The fish was firm and, I thought, a bit overcooked. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if this was due to all of us taking pictures and letting the fish sit in the broth a while. The broth was delicious, with an herbaceous flavor and touch of heat from the jalapenos. The potato crisps were good as well.
Half Chicken, Chorizo, Poached Egg, Chanterelles, Saffron Onions Soubise — Ludo clearly knows his way around a chicken. His fried chicken is now served around the city in a truck, and here we have a «roasted» half chicken, which was actually prepared sous-​vide. I imagined this was finished in the oven though, as it had a really crisp skin. The sous-​vide preparation of the meat gave it this very moist, tender and succulent consistency. The flavor was spot on as well. I always love a poached egg, and the chanterelles were a nice accompaniment. Really, really good dish.
Nebraska Ribeye, Japanese Whiskey, Smoked Shisito Peppers, Amaranth — This was a pretty simple dish for Ludo’s standards… and it was excellent. The steak was of an American wagyu breed, perhaps my favorite breed to eat a whole steak of. The sear on the steak was perfect, and it was cooked to a tender and juicy medium rare. The shisito pepper (or my one bite of one) kicked my ass. Everyone else at the table seemed to have no problem with them though.
Warm Carrot Cake, Coconut, Thai Curry, Mango Sorbet, Kaffir Lime Oil — The carrot cake was served hot out of the oven, with a very moist and soft interior. It had a nice carrot flavor to it, and when eaten with all of the components, really resembled a Thai curry dish. In a good, sweet dessert way.
Pear, Hot Chocolate, Matcha Green Tea Broth, Mint — This pear was poached until it had a fork-​tender consistency. The «hot chocolate,» with a light mousse-​like consistency, as well as the matcha green tea, made for a really interesting mix of flavors. I love green tea, and I thought the chocolate and the green tea meldedwell with the pear. This was a pretty light dessert, which my stomach appreciated after all of the previous courses.
Service continues to improve with each LudoBites, and the food remains as strong as ever. Innovative, interesting and really delicious.