Actually Pretty Awesome

Actually Pretty Awesome: Aaron London’s Take on Vichyssoise at Ubuntu

Photo: Grub Street

Today, in what will be an ongoing series of notable dish highlights from our restaurant wanderings, we’d like to bring your attention to an extraordinary bowl of soup. James Beard Award nominee Aaron London is doing a dish at Ubuntu that he describes as his take on Vichyssoise, with a light broth of artichoke, Rangpur lime, potato, and apple. The soup is garnished with crisp and creamy potatoes, including a couple of delicious, smashed potatoes in the bottom of the bowl, as well as a miso-cured egg yolk, hong vit (micro radishes), Meyer lemon zest, Harukei turnips and their tops, which are dried to a crisp in the oven. The soup is bold and complex to begin with, perfectly seasoned, but that miso-cured egg yolk paste adds a just-north-of-subtle umami layer that pushes the dish into the realm of genius.

Earlier: Ubuntu Chef Aaron London Was Once Under House-Arrest, and Other Revelations From the 2011 Chron Rising Stars [Grub Street]
Commonwealth, Sean Baker, Corey Lee Among the Semifinalists for the 2011 James Beard Awards [Grub Street]

Actually Pretty Awesome: Aaron London’s Take on Vichyssoise at Ubuntu