I loved Atelier Crenn. The menu combined crowd-pleasers with creative risks that paid off: several dishes were eye-opening, and one was mind-blowing. Perhaps I went on a good day – the menu changes often, and Spring/Summer 2024 got negative reviews from S3 and Alexander the Guest – but either way, I had a memorable meal with delicious, interesting food. I’m eager to come back, especially in a different season.

FOOD

Note: My ratings skew low. The best thing I've ever eaten got a 9.75. 9+ is seriously mind-blowing, 8.5+ is a true highlight. You might find the notes on each dish more helpful than the numbers.

Kir Breton [7.5]
A thin globe of cocoa butter filled with apple juice. A pleasant, refreshing first bite.

Oyster, Thai basil, coconut [8.5]
Loved it. Waves of herbal, briny, and nutty flavors that complemented each other beautifully.

Tomato, Melon, Truffle [7.5]
Umami bomb with a gradual flavor transition from tomato to truffle.

Onion Tart & Broth [8]
Familiar flavors executed extremely well. The tart captured the essence of caramelized onions, and the broth was rich and comforting. Such pure flavors.

Tomatoes [5.5]
Extremely acidic. Definitely woke up my taste buds. Seemed like a deliberate change of pace, but it was the least enjoyable dish of the night.

Sunchoke & Uni [7]
Solid, even though I couldn't taste the uni that clearly. My friend didn't have this issue – he thought the uni was really pronounced, and loved this dish.

Geoduck, persillade, prawn head broth [7.5]
Organized chaos. I didn’t think this would work, but it did. The geoduck was perfectly crisp, and the flavors had a clear progression: first you taste the intense prawn broth, then herbs, and finally a deep mineral finish from the geoduck. I've never tasted seafood layered like this. Decently tasty, very memorable.

King Crab, avocado, caviar, fruit gels [8.5]
So good. Sweet crab, creamy avocado, briny caviar. The tart fruit gels and crisp tuile provided nice moments of contrast.

Scallop, smoked carrot, lemongrass, finger lime, and house soy sauce [9.5]
One of the top 5 best things I’ve ever eaten. I love smoky, herbal, and acidic flavors, so this was just perfect for me. Smoky sweetness from carrot and scallop, brightened by lemongrass and lime, finishing with a lingering umami. Amazing textural contrast from the tender scallop against the bursting pearls of finger lime. I literally paused my conversation with my friend so I could savor this dish.

Brioche & Cultured Herb Butter [8]
The best brioche I've ever had (though to be fair, I don't eat much brioche). Pillowy, sweet, and rich. The butter was quite herbaceous, which I loved, but my friend thought it was a bit too strong.

Black Cod, spiced yogurt, cucumber, beurre blanc, broccolini sauce [8.5]
Creamy, tender cod with lovely sauces. Simply delicious.

Abalone, smoked mussel, kohlrabi, sauerkraut [7.5]
Abalone was beautifully tender, and the dish had balanced flavors between the seafood and the sauerkraut, but it just didn’t land as well as the other dishes for me.

Kinmedai (golden eye snapper), white truffle, bordelaise [6.5]
The sauce was tasty, but I found the fish too salty and thought the dish lacked the balance and complexity that prior dishes had.

Korean melon, compressed with gin & elderflower [8.5]
Compressed melon was incredibly crisp and flavorful, and went really well with the floral, earthy gin. Made me want to buy a vacuum sealer to recreate this.

Sea Buckthorn Mochi with lemon curd [7]
Lemon curd in a thin mochi wrapper. Solid, but nothing to write home about. 

Tomato & strawberry sandwich [8]
Intense tomato and strawberry flavors that worked together surprisingly well.

La Margarita (“Daisy” of mango, coconut) [6.5]
Classic flavors of mango, coconut, and cream, but I wasn’t a fan of the fibrous cubes of coconut.

Chocolates [7]
Small chocolates to end the meal. Enjoyable, but not memorable.

SERVICE / AMBIANCE

Service and ambiance were both great. We felt comfortable and cared for throughout.

Two minor notes, neither of which really affected the overall experience: there's only one bathroom, so I had to wait for a few minutes at times. Also, my friend and I came during the first seating and were having a blast… at over 3.5 hours in, we were still enjoying the final chocolates. I noticed our waiter checking in more often, and I asked if we were holding up the next party. After a pause, he said, "…yeah, I didn't want to say anything." So I did feel a bit rushed at the end, but I think that’s fair given how long we were taking, and our waiter was very polite about it. Prior reviews mention being moved to Bar Crenn for dessert, which would've been nice, but I didn’t see anyone get that option.

OVERALL

I’m a big fan. The mixed reviews helped temper my expectations, but I would’ve loved the meal regardless. I will be back to try a different season – if they take similar risks and execute them this well, then it’ll be another great experience.