New Jersey Restaurant Review
Le Mê Toujours
Restaurant Now Closed515 Route 73
Marlton, Burlington County, New Jersey
(856) 810-2000
By The Artful Diner
Special to New Jersey Online
9/24/2001
Joined at the hip with the Leather Outlet and sporting the utilitarian architectonics of a post-modern strip-mall, the exterior of Le Mê Toujours, formerly the White Rose Café, is not likely to impress. Once inside, however, you will find crisp white tablecloths and imitation leopard-skin cushioned chairs bathed in the soft glow of candlelight and wall sconces. Cozy yet stylish. And while Chef Jennifer Huynh's exotic amalgam of French and Vietnamese cuisines strives valiantly to be every bit as chic and sophisticated as the surroundings, a good deal of fine-tuning is still very much in order.
Fusion fare, it should be noted, is a decidedly tricky proposition. If the two (or more) traditions do nothing but stare at each other across a crowded plate, you know you've missed the mark. Fusion is a type of synthesis, an artful integration of diverse ingredients into a unified and harmonious whole. Susanna Foo of Philadelphia has led the way in this regard with her incomparable blending of Chinese and French. But New Jersey is also not without an illustrious representative: Siri Yothchavit, chef/owner of Siri's Thai French in Cherry Hill, continues to orchestrate the very best symphonic union of these two culinary cultures that I have encountered anywhere.
Ms. Huynh, a native of Vietnam holding forth in her own kitchen for the first time, may one day be a worthy contender... but she isn't ready to move into the rarified air occupied by the aforementioned masters quite yet. Consider her bouillabaisse ($23.00) as a case in point. Diver scallops, jumbo shrimp, salmon, Chilean sea bass, and a miniature lobster tail swim in a smoky miso broth above a shimmering seabed of glass noodles. But the lobster is decidedly tough and the broth a touch too spirited. It tends to conceal rather than reveal the delicate flavors of the individual seafood offerings entrusted to its care.
The seared chicken breast stuffed with spinach, feta and onions ($17.00) is moist and quite tender, but the presentation is completely ordinary. The accompanying port wine sauce is good but not exceptional and, while new potatoes are roasted to a turn, the vegetable medley -- broccoli florets, green beans, carrots and snow peas -- is cold.
Breast of duck, when prepared medium-rare and presented artistically fanned out in delicate slices, can be a gourmand's delight. But the version encountered here, roasted with Chambord ($18.00), is thickly sliced, overcooked, and too chewy for comfort.
The perfect culinary companion on a chilly evening is the pot-au-feu ($21.00), the Vietnamese version of classic French beef stew. Fork-tender root vegetables and roasted potatoes luxuriate in a rich Burgundy gravy that has been successfully jazzed up with cilantro, crushed peanuts and fennel. My only quibble is the meat itself. Filet mignon has been promised... but I have my doubts, as the nuggets are both fatty and tough.
You expect a somewhat lighter touch with regard to matters piscatorial, but, unfortunately, it is not forthcoming. The sautéed scallops ($19.00) are absolutely perfect... but they fight a losing battle against a cloying mirin/lemongrass saffron sauce and mounds of sticky rice. The Chilean sea bass ($26.00) stuffed with rock shrimp and caramelized onions is undercooked and benefits not at all from a black bean sauce that could use a good deal more zip. In both cases, the vegetables -- green beans, carrots and baby squash -- put in appearances for decorative purposes only.
If you're searching for a bit of finesse, however, the place to find it is among the starters, which are uniformly excellent. And the chicken dumpling soup ($5.00) is Exhibit A. Its assertive pristine broth is redolent of cilantro and fried scallions, the tiny homemade pockets simply bursting with a savory chicken stuffing.
The salmon dumplings ($6.00) are sautéed to just the proper consistency and are adorned with a soy-wasabi drizzle and accompanied by a spicy plum dipping sauce. Like many of the appetizers, the presentation is also garnished with a diminutive salad of marinated cucumber slices, shredded carrots, endive and radicchio. The spring rolls filled with pork, shrimp, crabmeat and fresh herbs ($5.00) demonstrate a similar savoir-faire; they are wonderfully crisp, enticingly elegant, and invigorated with a zesty sweet chili vinaigrette.
Even the more mundane offerings -- chicken saté ($6.00) and tempura shrimp ($10.00), for instance -- are right on target. The former comes replete with a rich and flavorful peanut sauce, the latter with crushed peanuts in a light and airy batter accompanied by a spicy caramel dipping sauce.
The coup de grâce, however, is undoubtedly delivered by a special starter of seared ahi tuna ($10.00). Thin slices are interspersed with equally delicate segments of eggplant, tomatoes and caramelized onions arranged in a diminutive wedge surrounded by a sea of tomato and ginger coulis.
And yet... seldom have I encountered such a dichotomy with regard to presentations. The appetizers are, for the most part, beautifully conceived and utterly beguiling in appearance; they demonstrate a deft and discerning hand on the part of the chef. In contrast, entrées tend to be rather ponderous and oversauced; they simply lack the stylish grace and careful attention to detail that one observes in their forebears. Is this the result of Ms. Huynh's lack of experience...? Perhaps. Or is she actually attempting to placate more discriminating diners as well as cater to members of the "clean plate club"? If this is the case, it is a highly dubious strategy at best.
Desserts ($6.00) are a major disappointment. All but the crème brûlée are made off campus and, despite the attempt to divert your attention with a host of artistic doodads courtesy of a squeeze bottle, they leave a great deal to be desired. The triple chocolate cake and the fresh fruit tart with custard filling are the pick of the litter. The mango mousse is rubbery and the Key lime tart is generic at best. My advice: Save yourself a few bucks and conclude your meal with a pleasingly potent cup of espresso ($2.50).
For first-time restaurant owners, Jennifer Huynh and her husband, Kai, have done a most credible job... but there are still a few kinks to be ironed out. The service, for example, continues to be problematic. There often appears to be an insufficient number of servers and bus people to adequately handle the several dining areas. And when I inquired of our waiter with regard to an appetizer special that I had heard described at another table, he seemed completely unaware of its existence... and completely unwilling to rectify his ignorance by checking in with the chef. This is the kind of attitude, it should be noted, that can lose customers at the drop of a fork.
Once the difficulties at the front of the house have been resolved, it would be well to address a few of the glitches that are indigenous to the kitchen. There is no question that Jennifer Huynh is a very talented chef; for someone in charge of her own eatery for the first time, she is certainly to be commended. Le Mê Toujours is already an extremely satisfying dining experience... But when Ms. Huynh's entrées demonstrate the same degree of subtlety and sophistication as her appetizers, and she has more time to devote to desserts, a visit to this lovely restaurant will be truly memorable. I wish her the very best.
Cuisine: Vietnamese/French
Hours: Lunch: Tues - Sat, 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.; Dinner: Tues, Thurs & Sun, 3:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.; Fri & Sat, 3:00 p.m. - 11:00 p.m.; CLOSED MONDAY
Credit Cards: AX, MC, V
Attire: Sharp casual
Smoking: Smoking is not permitted in the restaurant.
Reservations: Recommended
Parking: Onsite
Alcohol: BYOB
Price: Moderate
Handicapped Accessible: Yes
