3333 Bristol St #3001
Costa Mesa, CA 92626
(714) 434-7900
http://www.marchemoderne.net
Mom and sister came to Orange County to visit me on Friday. Since mom likes French food, and I've always wanted to try Marche Moderne's $20 prix fixe lunch, our lunch destination was decided. Plus we could shop at South Coast Plaza afterward. One stone kills two birds!
Marche Moderne is on the 3rd floor near Nordstrom. The restaurant wasn't that big. Indoor seats seemed crowded. Personally I don't like it when table and table are so close together.
We were seated in the "outdoor" area, which is just the walkway at the mall. So we get shoppers walking by us throughout the meal. Hmmm.... And this is supposed to be a high-end French restaurant?
They offer a 3 course prix fixe lunch menu for $20. The menu changes daily. So it really depends on luck for what you get.
Spinach, Endive & Arugula Salad
tangerine / grapefruit / orange / goat cheese / candied almonds / citrus vinaigrette
Our first course was Spinach, Endive & Arugula Salad. I love this salad, especially the creamy goat cheese.
Pan Seared Rock Shrimp & Scallop
hand rolled Tagilatelle / fava beans /Merguez / basil emulsion
For main course, sister and I both ordered Pan Seared Rock Shrimp & Scallop. The seafood was cooked perfectly. The spicy Merguez suasage was tasty. But the Tagilatelle pasta was mushy and had no flavor at all. All the noodles stuck together and it was hard to eat. Sister mixed the pasta with basil emulsion sauce, and said it tasted better that way. I just didn't eat my pasta.
Fresh Herbs & Butter Poached Chicken Breast
parmesan-leek risotto / lobster nage / micro cilantro
Mom ordered Fresh Herbs & Butter Poached Chicken Breast. The chicken breast was really tender. Risotto was rich and creamy. Mom loves the lobster nage. I gave her my pasta with no taste to mix with the lobster broth so nothing went to waste. She likes this dish a lot. I think this one was better than my dish, too.
Mixed Berry Napoleon
Tahitian vanilla-mascarpone mousseline / chocolate ice cream / cocoa nib tuile
When the waitress bought us the Mixed Berry Napoleon, my mom said the ice cream looks like a mouse, and the Napoleon is the computer. She's so funny sometime. Chocolate ice cream was really good. It was super rich. Mascarpone mousseline had no taste. The berries were really sour, especially after a few bites of the sweet ice cream.
Mom was happy with the food, but she didn't like the dessert too much. She said the meal would be perfect if they change the last course to simply a bowl of fruit. Sister and I were disappointed. I only like the salad. Service was really slow, like most French restaurant. And we didn't like the mall seating area too much. Hmmm.... Oh well. At least I tried it.
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I tried their regular menu and it was really good.
ReplyDeleteThey have another outside seating area which is the patio. It was romantic to sit at the patio since there were real trees and flowers around the table. But I paid 100+ for those. :(
Patio with real trees and flowers inside the mall?
I don't know.... I guess I just don't like the whole mall setting too much.
Ya, it's inside the restaurant..I was quite surprised they have a really nice patio. Sat at the walkway in the mall seems crazy..I wouldn't like it either.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we would like the restaurant more if we were seated in the patio. ^^