Aubergine (), Carmel

Based on the many rave reviews here and the fact that Aubergine has recently won its 2nd star, we came very hyped but left rather disappointed.

Here‘s the tasting menu we had along with the corresponding pic #:

2: gifts from the coast:
– bluefin tuna, crispy nori, caviar
– pacific gold oyster, spirulina, yuzu
– wagyu tartar, egg yolk jam, sorghum
– abalone, artichoke, rye crisp
– kampachi, red masa, leche de tigre
Spectacular presentation, oyster and tartar 9/10, the rest 7-8/10

3: caviar, butternut squash, comte
7/10

4: amadai, chawanmushi, coconut, lemongrass
7/10

5: shiro dashi, carrot, Hokkaido scallop
10/10. Mindblowing, exploding taste, utterly delicious.

6: rack of lamb, mizuna, chanterelle
7/10

7: dry aged ribeye, turnip, eggplant
5/10. I’m a mid-rare guy and can very much enjoy a well-done steak, but this was on the verge of being overcooked. No-one asked us how we liked our steak done. I can say without exaggeration that I cook better ribeye myself.

8: A5 wagyu supplement
9/10. Cooked just right with Aubergine’s „triple sear“ method. 4oz (for an additional $220) was more than enough for the two of us.

10: hibiscus granita, apple, lime, white chocolate pistachios
8/10

Service was good but not very engaging. No-one bothered to take my wife’s coat when we were led to our table – we had to actively ask. Sommelier was rather terse and told us little about the wines we chose. The red in pic 9 he suggested for the beef course was 10/10 though. The nicest part of the service was when Chef Justin brought us two courses himself and engaged in a brief conversation.

The ambiance is nice enough but nothing spectacular. There are several tables where couples were seated side by side, which my wife and me wouldn’t have preferred. The music – a nondescript alternative rock playlist – didn’t fit the mood at all in my opinion, but that’s clearly my personal preference.

In the end, our tally came to $1400 including the wagyu supplement, a $100 bottle of white, a $50 glass of red, a non-alcoholic beverage pairing and two cocktails at the bar. This by far exceeds what we spent e.g. at La Pergola (***) in Rome last year, where we had 12 courses and two wine pairings. For a $1000+ dinner, we’d expect to be blown away by at least three courses. Here, we had two really good courses, one of which (the wagyu) came at a hefty extra price.

We don’t regret going, but even if Aubergine was close to our home, we wouldn’t come again.