Maude, a venture of the well respected chef Curtis Stone, this restaurant is named after his Grandmother, and can be found located in Beverly Hills.
It took us a minute to locate Maude at first, and in fact, we walked past the restaurant twice without realising. With blacked out windows and an entrance that wouldn’t be out of place at a private member’s club, it was initially fairly elusive. However, when we did manage to get inside, we were taken aback with the sense of style the restaurant oozes.
We were greeted by friendly staff and shown to our table menu-less. Maude has a great menu concept, whereby the menu is created around a theme. We visited in July, when the menu was based around berries. The element of surprise as to what the nine-course tasting menu is set to entail only adds to the suspense, and we waited in excited anticipation as to what was to come.
“We applaud Maude!”
Up first on the menu, we enjoyed gaspacho with grape and cucumber, which came paired with a glas of Domaine d L’eau, Muscadet, Loire Valley, France NV. The soup was simply delicious - refreshing a light, and the perfect way to start the evening.
The second course consisted of lobster, served with sea bean, celery, and tomato. The lobster was truly gorgeous, and this was a stand out course for us. This was when we began to be seriously impressed with Maude.
The next course saw hearts of palm, served with avocado, raspberries, and togarashi. This course came paired with a wonderful glass of Heger, “Thringer Winklerberg”, Grauburgunder GG, Baden, Germany, 2007.
The fourth course came in the form of barbecued octopus with pickled tomatillo, cucumber, and black olive, paired with a De Consiliis, “Antece”, Piano, Campania, Italy, 2008.
Up next, we thoroughly enjoyed an onion dish with pepper, blackberry, and radicchio, served with a glass of Thevenet, “Grain & Granit”, Gamay, Regnie, Beaujolais, France, 2011.
Our sixth dish consisted of a crepe served with gooseberries, stracciatella, and truffle.
Following the crepe, we were served squab with pickled blueberries, bean cassoulet and brown butter. The pigeon came served with a glass of Caparone, Merlot, Santa Maria Valley, CA, 2005. It was quite simply, delicious, and a very welcomed surprise.
The next course showed the start of dessert, with a selection of doughnuts, which were very palatable indeed. Following which, we enjoyed a fresh berry tart with peach melba, passion fruit, and sable, paired finally with a glass of Domaine George Brunet, “Cuvee du Paradis”, Vouvray, France, 2003.
The food was exceptional, and we were blown away by how beautifully the dishes were presented. It demonstrated the amount of passion that clearly goes into what is being served to their guests, and we were stunned by the results.
We would highly recommend Maude to anyone who’s looking for a unique and fantastic dining experience. We left satiated and very impressed.
The Bill: £120 per head
