Auberge du Vieux Puits, Fontjoncouse
Type of Cuisine: French (Haute cuisine)
Michelin Stars: 3
Addr: 5 Avenue Saint-Victor, 11360 Fontjoncouse, France
Phone: +33 4 68 44 07 37
Email: reception@aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr
URL: http://www.aubergeduvieuxpuits.fr/en/
Service: 9/10 Excellent service that is at the same time fun , approachable but also Pro. The Maître D’, one of the very best you will encounter at this level of dining. Madame Goujon and Chef Goujon came to say hello to everyone, in the dining room. Madame Goujon seemed a bit shy with first-time diners, whereas Chef Goujon was the total opposite: it was the first time that I met him and yet I felt like I have known him for two decades. He is that amicable. Overall food rating(Category: French 3 star Michelin): 8/10 As a whole, this was a display of some very good French cookery in light of what I have come to expect at this level of dining.
A lovely restaurant, for sure, deserving of its accolades and superb reputation. Nothing that I could fault, indeed, but the amuse-bouches could have been a bit more exciting. Chef Goujon (a salt of the earth kind of man, from what I gathered) is present in his kitchen at a time when your neighborhood bistrot cook thinks that he is too good to be found in a kitchen. You have got to respect that.
“Puits” is French for a water well. There is an old (Vieux) water well on the premises. The restaurant is located in the village of Fontjoncouse (commune of Corbières, deparment of Aude) in the south of France.
To get to L’Auberge du vieux puits, you can either take a train to Narbonne (30 kms away) or fly to Perpignan (66 kms from Fontjoncouse). Narbonne is a town that I have always liked for personal reasons that I do not need to explain on this blog, but Perpignan is a big city. This time, I stayed in Perpignan because I had another meal to attend at France’s 2017 best restaurant for steaks (according to Internationally acclaimed steak expert Franck Ribière of the movie ‘Steak Revolution‘ ), Le Divil (reviewed here). During this short stay in Southern France, the long time ostreaphile that I am wandered outside Perpignan and dropped by Leucate, one of the destinations of the French Mediterranean oyster. There, you have a tiny area called Le centre ostréicoledu Grau de Leucate featuring a line-up of oyster stands selling the celebrated local oyster Cap Leucate. An hour away from Leucate, I had the opportunity to taste some dazzling oysters in Bouzigues which is located on the northern side of the Étang de Thau (famous for its oysters). In Perpignan, I pursued with the spéciale de claire and pousses en claire of Alain Laugier Goulevant from Marennes-Oléron and I feasted on some cupped (creuses) Prat-Ar-coum oysters as well as some Aber-Vrach flat (plates) oysters of Yvon Madec at the seafood restaurant 7 ème Vague Boniface . I also found some of my preferred oysters of France, Yves Papin ‘s bivalves, in Perpignan. All world class oysters.
In 2016, L’Auberge du vieux puits was in the top 10 of the best restaurants of this globe, according to La Liste ( La Liste is the sole restaurant ranking system that takes into account all major press reviews, dining guides, and crowd-sourced sites around the world ).
Chef Gilles Goujon is some sort of “Messiah” for the tiny village of Fontjoncouse (as youtube’d here) , a village of less than 200 inhabitants, as his restaurant is their main attraction, their local “economy” relies heavily on him (most jobs, in the village, are related to Gilles’s restaurant). A Meilleur Ouvrier de France (a prestigious award in the culinary world), he was the assistant of a true culinary luminary —NOT the kind of self proclaimed ones and/or marketed as such, that we keep hearing about, these days —, Chef Roger Vergé (at Moulin de Mougins when that restaurant had 3 Michelin stars). He also worked at Gérard Clor’s L’ Escale (Carry le rouet) when the restaurant had 2 Michelin stars as well as at Michelin starred Le Petit Nice (in Marseille). In 2010, Gilles was France’s Chef of the year. The professional magazine Le Chef ranked Gilles Goujon in the top 50 best Chefs in the world. Gilles has 5 Toques at Gault & Millau.
The village of Fontjoncouse itself is quiet, but if you stay there (the restaurant is attached to a mini hotel), then consider visiting the pretty village of Lagrasse , the ruined fortress of Peyrepertuse, and the abbey of Fontfroide. All well worth going out of your way for.
L’Auberge du Vieux Puits has 3 tasting menus (the names of the tasting menus refer to the surrounding Pays Cathare, therefore you have names such as “Bienvenue au pays“, “Quelques pas dans la Garrigue” or “Air de fêtes en Corbières” ) as well as the A la Carte items (3 starters, 3 seafood items, 3 items for the meats, 3 desserts. I ate there twice: lunch as well as dinner.
The lunch did start with some amuse-bouches with fillings such as cream of truffle, gazpacho, calamari, bottarga, sauce gribiche ), some bread called fougasse (their take on it — different, in looks, from most traditional variations of the fougasse — would make us, in North America, think of a “cousin” of the english muffin) that you dip in olive oil (fleur d’huile d’Olive of Moulin a huile du Partegal ). Then a Mediterranean oyster, oyster Tarbouriech, lightly poached, with a reasonable briny taste and plenty of body, served with seawater jelly and some oyster tartare.
Cressonette are Cuckoo flower leaves (a terrestrial “cousin” of the watercress) and they are a dream for any fan of the watercress (I am one of them), their vibrant fresh wildcress flavor (without the agressive bitterness that watercress can sometimes be accused of) expressed excitingly well in the cold coulis that it was transformed into, the piece of frog leg (with, inside of it, a “coulant” of the spectacular cuckoo flower leaves, a match made in heaven) as well as some first-rate baby vegetables (with a particularly outstanding piece of celery root) that it was paired with, were all examples of what you are blessed with, when superb sourcing flirts with fabulous cooking. The kick of saltiness of the coulis was not a mistake, in this specific case, but a necessary flavor enhancer. A world class dish. 10/10
Tourte d’anguille (a pie of eel), saoule de vin en matelotte fumée girolles et champignons en fine croûte de pain cramat. The eel is marinated in wine for several hours, seasoned, coated in flour , pan-seared then “encased” in squid ink flavored cylindrical-shaped sliced bread. That sliced bread is actually the “croûte (crust) de pain (bread) cramat (comes from the French word ‘ cramé’ which means ‘burnt’ because that is the effect the kitchen was looking for when crafting the squid ink flavored sliced bread). The marinade is then used to make the sauce that will be thickened with butter and enhanced by the taste of cognac/thyme/bay leaf/espelette pepper/mushrooms/carrots/onions/smoked bacon. Very good 8/10
The lunch did end with one of their most popular desserts:
Vrai faux citron de Menton délicatement cassant, sorbet citrus bergamote et kumquat du Japon (citrus bergamot / kumquat sorbet ), crème thym citron (thyme and lemon cream), meringue croustillante (crispy meringue). A blown sugar “lemon” filled with a sorbet of citrus bergamot and kumquat, meringue, thyme and lemon cream. The kumquat‘s natural bitterness was toned down (the kumquat that was used is of the Meiwa varietal, a kumquat that is sweeter than most kumquats – L’Auberge du Vieux puits gets theirs from Mas Bachès) , which allowed for a fine balance of taste sensation. Only the leaf was real, all the rest was a reproduction of the shape of a lemon. I am not a fan of the trompe-l’œil technique (the illusion of a lemon , in this case) , but truth be told, it was really well done ( it looked like a real lemon), especially the “rind” of the “fruit”, which…I swear…I thought was the real thing. Above all, it tasted great. 8/10
At dinner, I had:
Razor clam / Mussel – A gentleman fisherman named Charly (from Vandre, near the Mediterranean sea which is not far) brings them his jewels of the sea. All utterly fresh. The beautiful thing about seafood..obviously…it that its freshness cannot be mimicked. It is utterly fresh or it will be a disaster. Nothing in between. You would tell me that Charly snatches his razor clams from the floor of the sea and ships them right away to the restaurant, I would believe you – It was that fresh! Those who love the trompe-l’œil technique will be pleased by an edible shell (for both the razor clam and the mussel) mimicking perfectly the real thing. Amusing to the eye, and pleasant on the palate.
The next food item was one of their signature dishes:
-Oeuf poule Carrus « pourri » de truffe melanosporum (truffled egg) , sur une purée de champignons (on a mushroom purée), et briochine tiède (with a small lukewarm brioche) et cappuccino à boire (and “cappuccino” to drink) – Getting the Oeuf poule Carrus « pourri » de truffe is what people keep advocating. The egg is from a farm called la ferme de Carrus (Mayronnes), its yolk is replaced by a coulis of black truffle (Chef Goujon got that idea after sampling a century egg), the egg served lukewarm, as it should be, or else it will change to a solid state (obviously), it is covered by a black truffle sabayon, served with a mushroom mash (butter was whisked into the mash at the end of the cooking process), and grated black truffle. The season for black winter tuber melanosporum truffles goes from November to March, and this is the right time to enjoy them (even though, they are even better towards the end of December). You break the egg with a georgette. The main challenge comes from the truffles as they depend on the seasons, obviously, therefore the kitchen has to work harder in finding the right place for the right truffle. On paper, eggs and truffle, that is a safe match, but, in reality, there was nothing “safe” about this food item as it takes lots of thoughts to create this dish. Be humourous and crack a joke like “J’apprécie l’effort déployé par le Chef, mais je désire vous confier que d’ordinaire, je ne mange pas d’oeuf pourri” ;p I am usually not a fan of altering the nature of an exceptionally good fresh egg, but what Chef Goujon did was a demonstration of creativity that I do expect at this level of dining. Excellent 9/10
With the oeuf poule carrus came a pleasant ‘cappuccino’ of truffle (indeed, you truly had the feeling of drinking a real cappuccino, only, here, truffle was used instead of coffee) as well as an equally satisfying truffled brioche (7/10 for both).
Filet de rouget barbet (fillet of red mullet), pomme bonne bouche fourrée d’une brandade à la cébette en “bullinada” (potato filled with a brandade of the flesh of red mullet/spring onion as well the liver of the red mullet), écume de rouille au safran (foam of saffron rouille that the kitchen made by using egg yolk/mustard/garlic/tomato confit/saffron/olive oil/vegetable stock ). Bullinada is a Catalan fish stew. They pour the stew over the foam of saffron rouille, and both ‘fall’ over the fish and its accompaniments of mussels and thinly cut pieces of vegetables. The rouille’s depth of flavor and superb texture as perfected as it gets, the level of the spice of the stew not as vivid as what you came to expect from this sort of Southern French stew, but that is a positive thing in this particular case: the balance of the flavors was remarkably harmonious. A creative contemporary take on a classic stew. 8/10
Lièvre à la royale is a classic of French cuisine that I have enjoyed for many years. Click here for a recipe of the Lièvre à la Royale. There is more than one recipe of Lièvre à la Royale, but I am not going to elaborate on them as this is not the right post for that. The hare (lièvre) is deboned, marinated, stuffed with a mix of foie gras / the heart and lungs of the hare/ beacon/carrots/garlic/a bit of the blood of the hare/shallots and truffle, rolled into a ballotine, braised for hours, then served with a red-wine based sauce that is mixed with the blood of the hare and the cooking jus (to which, a bit more of the foie gras, or some butter as well as cocoa can be combined to thicken the sauce). This dish featured a flawless full-bodied sauce with an equally technically well made ballotine. 8/10
Sorbet de clémentine en peau semi-confite, suprêmes en tartare, feuillantine de chocolat et crème pralinée pistache – A clementine sorbet made its way under a clementine peel that was candied to great effect: the peel timely simmered to an ideal tender consistency, you had a bit of the fresh taste of the clementine in evidence, the level of sugar well judged. The segments of the clementine transformed into a “tartare”, the chocolate feuillantine made — as you would expect from a restaurant of this standing — of first rate chocolate. The praline cream expressing enticing almond and caramelized sugar flavors, and I will extend the compliment to the pistachio. The sorbet served at a temperature that does not clash with the temperature of the candied peel, which most people would argue that it is a ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ feature, but in reality, many pastry teams, even at this level of fine dining, would not get this right. The relevant classic French pastry techniques well mastered. 8/10
Pros: The world class frog leg/Cuckoo flower leaves coulis on the first meal.
Cons: The appetizers.
Bottom line – I started cooking seriously in my tender childhood (Pan-African cuisines), then in my 20s I developed a strong interest for Classic French cuisine. I started learning Classic French cuisine by following and perfecting the recipes of REAL culinary luminaries Roger Vergé, Jacques Maximin, Bernard Loiseau, Georges Blanc, Gerard Besson, Olivier Roellinger, Alain Senderens, Frédy Girardet , etc. I was lucky enough to have tasted the food of some of them. This had an impact on what I am looking for when I eat at a 3 star Michelin restaurant that is cooking French food. I am always curious about what the other Chefs did learn from those REAL culinary luminaries. I paid a visit to L’Auberge du Vieux Puits because their Chef, Gilles Goujon, did work with one of those TRUE culinary giants, Chef Roger Vergé. And, I was not disappointed. I squealed in delight at every single spoonful of the frog leg/Cuckoo flower leaves coulis . The Filet de rouget barbet, Vrai/Faux citron, and Oeuf poule Carrus « pourri » de truffe were very good. Nothing was intensely flavored, during the two meals. Flavors were generally harmonious.
Les Prés d’Eugénie Michel Guérard,
Type of Cuisine: Classic French (Haute cuisine)
Michelin Stars: 3
Event: Lunch on September 3rd, 2017 12:00
Addr: 334 Rue René Vielle, 40320 Eugénie-les-Bains, France
Phone: +33 5 58 05 06 07
Email: reservation@michelguerard.com
URL: https://lespresdeugenie.com/en/les-tables/michelin-starred-restaurant-michel-guerard/
They have the best MOFs working for them (Chef Olivier Brulard, in the case of Les Prés d’Eugénie – Chef Brulard spent some time at La Réserve de Beaulieu where he earned 2 michelin stars, after years alongside real culinary illuminaries and legendary Chefs such as Alain Chapel, Jacques Maximin, Gaston Lenotre) and it shows in the very high level of classic French cooking technique on display.A destination, indeed. Still, at this level, if I were them…I would “rewind the tape” about the service. That the younger staff did offer a flawless impression, whereas some of the older folks did not follow the bandwagon…well, that was Ok in the 1940s..perhaps….but right now, well ….you know….other 3 star Michelin French places in France (Votre “niche” …) are doing better, on that front (Pierre Gagnaire, L’Arpege, Le Louis XV, L’Ambroisie, L’Auberge du Vieux Puits, Ledoyen)….- Regardless, ..at the end of the count, I still loved LPE and would run back there, for the superb food, that friendly village, the world class French 3 star Michelin restaurant that LPE truly is.
Service: The younger employees (mostly present in the dining room) offered the sort of stellar service one has come to expect at this level, being as attentive and professional as it gets. By contrast, some of the older gentlemen (mainly present outside the dining room) could not handle a candle to their peers at, let us say, Pierre Gagnaire, L’Ambroisie, Le Doyen, Le Louis XV, L’Auberge du Vieux Puits, etc… : I felt, as if, the quality of their service was of the ymmv (your mileage may vary depending on who you are) type. 10/10 for the service of the younger staff. 6/10 for the service offered by some of the seniors… do not get me wrong, they were fine and professional, not mean at all, but they seemed more or less attentive depending on the customer they were dealing with. As an example, on my way out of the restaurant, I was asking a question to one of the older gentlemen, and he seemed more interested to talk to the couple who was behind me, as they looked more familiar (??) to him. Of course, that is normal in general life, in your neighborhood, in a tavern, etc, lol, but NOT SO at a 3 star Michelin …. Overall food rating (Category: French 3 star Michelin): 9/10 All in all, this was some excellent cooking by existing 3 star classic French Michelin star standards. Of course, Les Prés d’Eugénie is capable of an overall food rating of 10/10. There is NO doubt about that. But I have got to assess this specific meal, during which the Le Zéphyr de truffe ‘‘Surprise Exquise’’ was THE big “test” they had to pass as it requires lots of technique, precision, know-how, a great palate. I am afraid, they failed that test on my visit, as far as I am concerned (food assessment being obviously..subjective), of course. Regardless, Les Prés d’Eugénie did pass plenty of other BIG tests, as evidenced by the superlative pommes soufflées/gâteau Mollet du Marquis de Béchamel/amuse-bouches/pastries. Overall dining experience : See the section “My thoughts, days later” at the bottom of the current post.
Restaurant Les Prés d’Eugénie, located in a countryside’s spa resort in the Landes, has 3 Michelin stars since the late 70s, one of the longest-running Michelin-starred restaurants in the world. It is the sole 3 star Michelin restaurant in southwestern France, a historical gourmet destination where many great Chefs of France have honed their skills (Gerald Passedat, Alain Ducasse, Michel Troisgros, to name a few). Outside of France, Chef Quique Da Costa of world famed 3 star Michelin Quique Da Costa in Denia (Spain) counts Les Prés d’Eugénie’s Mastermind Michel Guérard among the Chefs he drew his inspiration from (as he stated in this interview), and Chef Massimiliano Alajmo, the youngest Chef to have been awarded three Michelin stars, of 3 star Michelin Le Calandre in Sarmeola di Rubano, Padua, Italy (which I did visit, my review here) worked at Les Prés d’Eugénie at some point in his career.
The ‘Nouvelle cuisine’ (a lighter way of cooking, for i.e, refraining from using heavy sauces/marinades, reducing cooking time to preserve the natural flavors of the ingredients, etc), that we are talking about is, of course, not ‘nouvelle’ (new) anymore, but it is THE movement that led to the type of classic French cuisine that we know today. Way before the concept of ‘Nouvelle Cuisine’ became trendy in the 1970s, one Chef began his own revolution of French cooking: Chef Jean Delaveyne. Chef Delaveyne started to cook a lighter version of French food as early as in the late 50s. What Chef Delaveyne did not have, it is the sense of marketing that Chef Michel Guérard was gifted with. Chef Delaveyne’s revolutionary approach to cooking did inspire Michel Guérard, who, in his turn, did help popularizing the concept of ‘Nouvelle cuisine’.
Chef Guérard had another personal motivation in Nouvelle cuisine: according to him, Pastry Chefs were underestimated in those days, therefore he wanted to prove to the world of cooking that as a Pastry Chef, he could play an important role in the evolution of cooking.
On the premises, they have a very pretty old barn converted into a bistrot, La Ferme aux Grives, thatI also tried (reviewed here). Chef Guérard’s mini-empire of restaurants includes La Bastide and Mère Poule & Cie.
On the day of my visit, there were several tasting menus, the A la carte menu, as well as some “special 40 years of Michelin stars” food items.
I did start the journey at their lounge bar, the Loulou‘s Lounge Bar, where I was served couple of amuse-bouches, which, on this lunch, were composed of:
-Caesar salad served with anchovies from Palamos (Spain), on toasted bread
-Shrimp “beignet” with verbena sauce
-a delicate pastry cone filled with a citrus flower mousse.
The Caesar salad was, as expected, not going to be your standard caesar salad but a creative take on it, delivered in the form of a mini “tartare” made of elements of a caesar salad mixed with first-rate anchovies (The anchovies from Palamos, which were served here, deserve their reputation as one of world’s best), atop a delicious piece of toasted bread. The kind of nibble that sounds simple, but which, once in mouth, do serve as a reminder that it is not …by chance…that some kitchen brigades managed to perform for decades at the highest level of classic French cooking (obviously, their case). 10/10
Shrimp “beignet” featured shrimp of top quality, not one single sign of oil to be found, the batter delicately light, the fresh maritime flavour of the shrimp fragrant, the beignet was served with a superlative verbena sauce. 8/10 for the shrimp beignet, 10/10 for that verbena sauce which brought incredible joy in mouth.
Then the pastry cone, filled with a citrus flower mousse of divine flavour, its impressive smooth texture stealing the show as well. 10/10
The amuse-bouches did really … amuse!
3 small breads are offered: olive, lemon and brioche. All, superb. The olives bread being the most popular during my visit. How do I know? Well, I asked. Ferme Ponclet butter from the Finistere deserves praises, too. Perhaps one of the very best butters of this globe, boldly flavored but balanced, with a fresh creamy finish that lingers gloriously on the palate.
Le Zéphyr de truffe ‘‘Surprise Exquise’’ / Vichyssoise is composed of an unsweetened floating island infused with black truffle coulis disposed on a bed of white truffle cream and Vichyssoise, garnished with black truffles and a parmesan crisp. The dish came with a beautiful poetic description, the textural contrast between the slices of black truffle and the snowy white appearance of the floating island /white truffle cream/Vichyssoise so pretty to espy. One can imagine the incredible potential of such creation: imagine a dazzling airy floating island, the stunning fresh flavour of whipped egg whites. Imagine the fragrance of truffles. Imagine the taste sensation of a superlative Vichyssoise. A dish like this one is designed to blow you away. Done, as it should, it will. Alas, the flattering potential of my Zephyr experience was expressed only on paper. The Vichyssoise had way too much milk in it, more milk than vegetables, actually, which made it taste more of a cream of milk than of a proper Vichyssoise. I had better Vichyssoise at casual eateries, and was surprised that this one I was sampling at Les Prés d’Eugénie was underwhelming. The floating island? It paled in comparison to the world class example I had at Bistrot Casse-Noix in Paris: not as airy, not as tasty. Some say that there is just air in a floating island…well, there is more than that in a benchmark floating island, whether it is sweetened or not. There is the precise skills that allow for addictive fresh whipped egg whites flavour (which was missing in action, during this lunch at Les Prés d’Eugénie), there is timing. Vichyssoise, floating island, some important — as well as exciting — food items of classic French cuisine… this is where a kitchen of this caliber should nail it! Even the white truffle cream was not satisfying enough to lift up the overall dish. The black truffle, you ask? Its fragrance was muted! Quoi d’autre? This was “unidimensional ” (essentially tasting of milk, and milk, and milk) flavor-wise, I am afraid. The parmesan crisp, the saving grace, but by then, I could not care anymore. 5/10
L’Oreiller moelleux de mousserons et de morilles au fumet de truffe – A ravioli (the “oreiller” is for the ravioli- “oreiller” is French for “pillow”) wrapped around a filling of morels and fairly-ring mushrooms, bathed in a sauce made of mushrooms, truffle, with some asparagus atop. The sauce was packed with the enticing earthy aromas of the top quality mushrooms, the pasta cooked carefully to aldente doneness, the filling of morels timely cooked too (not mushy), tasting as delicious as a filling of meat. Even a fan of meat, like me, would opt for mushrooms in place of meat if fillings of mushroom could always taste this great. After the disappointing “Zéphyr de truffe”, the ‘Oreiller moelleux de mousserons’ came to the rescue and made this lunch great again. 8/10
Le demi-homard rôti, légèrement fumé à la cheminée, oignon confit au four – A half lobster (clawed blue lobster from Brittany) roasted in an open fire, some sweet onions (filled with a purée of peach and onions, gratinéed with parmesan cheese) accompanying the crustacean and its saffron butter sauce dressing . The saffron-flavoured butter sauce is a nice idea, the saffron flavour not overwhelming as you would expect from top flight saffron. But having eaten my share of fully flavoured beautifully-meaty freshly caught spiny lobsters (I know, not of the same family of lobsters as the one of Brittany), during my tender childhood in the Indian Ocean, I wonder if it is fair to expect a fine dining restaurant to do better with its lobster? Can it better the dazzling freshly caught clawed lobster of the Maine (Trying to be fair here, and not being partial to spiny lobsters) or of Brittany, that we can enjoy at a lobster shack? Well, it cannot because fresh lobster is just great …away from any fine dining intervention. I had no choice but to take the lobster as it was part of my tasting menu. They did put a lot of thoughts in this dish and this was certainly not a bad food item at all, but it was hard for me to fully enjoy such tiny pieces of lobster flesh (they do not look tiny on that picture, but in real life, they were). The peach/onion purée with gratinéed parmesan cheese was as pleasant as you can imagine a purée of sweet onions and peach to be, and it would certainly compliment the sweet flesh of the lobster but I would need a sizeable piece of lobster to corroborate that …
Filet de Boeuf sur le bois et sous les feuilles,jus de viande et de raisin, pommes crémeuses à la truffe et pommes soufflées- Filet of beef (blonde d’Aquitaine breed), covered with leaves of plane trees then cooked (the meat cooked rare as /per my request) on wood fire. Those leaves do enhance the barbequey flavor of that meat. Wood fire cooking (which is the cooking method they did use to cook this filet of beef) is my preferred cooking method for red meats as its resulting delicate and enjoyable smoky flavor appeals to me. On the palate and to the smell, the smoky flavor was actually subtle, but as a result of using wood fire and cooking the meat under the leaves, I could appreciate the depth of the flavor of the meat. I was afraid that the addition of grapes would not work with the jus de viande, but the taste of the grapes was barely noticeable, and fulfilled its mission of adding depth to the jus de viande. Flawless jus de viande, timely simmered, precisely reduced. This was not a dull piece of filet. 7/10
With the filet de boeuf, they served some pommes soufflées cooked to order, executed in a way that exemplary pommes soufflées do look, feel and taste like (spectacularly light, with an exquisite crisp and superlative fresh potato flavour. Bring back the poetic description, Chef! Roll the drums! I love when French classics are mastered this well. 10/10), as well as a very good purée of pommes de terres agria/truffles (8/10).
Le Gâteau Mollet du Marquis de Béchamel et la Glace Fondue à la Rhubarbe – The dessert I wanted to try at Les Prés d’Eugénie was the labor intensive and technically difficult (to compose) soufflé «Roulé-Boulé», but it was not available. I went with my second choice, the Gâteau Mollet du Marquis de Béchamel. This is a hybrid dessert (part soufflé, part crème renversée — the crème renversée barely cooked, essentially made with a hot water bath sweet bechamel) created by Pastry Chef Jérôme Chaucesse (when he used to work at Les Prés d’Eugénie as he does not work there anymore), served with a rhubarb ice cream and a raspberry coulis. The raspberry coulis responding really well to all the components of that cake, especially to the caramel sauce flavor. The soufflé part looks like a “soufflé failure”, but that was intentional. Consequently, you will not eat this cake with “your eyes”, but a palate that has long been familiar with classic French desserts will appreciate that every single component of Le Gâteau Mollet du Marquis de Béchamel was of the extraordinary sort: for sure, it is not rocket science to make a sweetened bechamel, a caramel sauce, a soufflé, etc, but what IS rocket science is to deliver benchmark versions of those, which is what the pastry team at Les Pres d’Eugenie did with their Gateau mollet. There was wit, a very high level of classic French pastry technique and, on the palate, an intensity of flavor to never forget. 10/10
Canelés surprises à l’armagnac/ tartelettes aux fraises (mini strawberry tarts) /madeleines, all freshly baked, as expected from a restaurant of this standing. I have heard about the superb work of the pastry team at Les Prés d’Eugénie, and I can tell you that it lived up to the hype, with exceptional sourcing and skills. A benchmark tartelette aux fraises (10/10), an equally perfected mini madeleine 10/10). The canelés (rum was replaced by armagnac) were also great (8/10).
Pros: One great Classic French 3 star Michelin.
Cons: The Zephyr de truffe, on this lunch, so close … yet so far
Bottom line: Chef Guerard, 84 years old, is, naturally, not cooking anymore. But what I like, in France, it is how serious those legends (Guerard, Bocuse) are about their legacy. They have the best MOFs working for them (Chef Olivier Brulard, in the case of Les Prés d’Eugénie – Chef Brulard spent some time at La Réserve de Beaulieu where he earned 2 michelin stars, after years alongside real culinary illuminaries and legendary Chefs such as Alain Chapel, Jacques Maximin, Gaston Lenotre) and it shows in the very high level of classic French cooking technique on display.
My thoughts, days later: A high level dining experience, where you are interacting with friendly people. The ambience is relaxing. Food is great. Not too far, the cattle of blonde d’Aquitaine is grazing on emerald green grass. Stay in this village, Eugenie les Bains, for a day, walk in the countryside, rediscover the civilized manner of saying “hi” with a genuine smile to people you do not know (an aggression in most big cities,lol), smell corn (there are vast fields of corn to feed the cattle of Blonde d’Aquitaine) the way it used to smell and feel before the big industries have decided that chemical elements are necessary for their growth. And If you are a foodie, there are couple of eateries in the village. They have small hotels of far superior quality than most of the so-called budget hotels of our big cities, and I did spot a farm in the village, with some serious foie gras. A destination, indeed.
La Ferme aux Grives (Addr: 334 Rue René Vielle, 40320 Eugénie-les-Bains, France. Phone: +33 5 58 05 05 06) – A casual / countryside take on Chef Michel Guerard‘s classic French cooking is available in a pretty farmhouse located next to the Chef’s 3 Michelin star restaurant, which I did also visit . I did hesitate between going back to Pau and eat at one of the rare touristy restaurants that are opened on sunday or to pursue my journey at Eugenie les Bains. The decision was not too hard to take, given the favorable online reviews on la Ferme aux Grives.
What I ate:
–Saucisson sec: The traditional dry-cured sausage (saucisson sec), air dried for a minimum of 6 weeks, came from the nearby commune of Les Aldudes in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Saucisson sec is one of the things that the French rarely fail to do well, and this was no exception. Nice distinctive nutty aroma, beautifully marbled filling, balanced intensity of its spicy taste. Sourcing great dry-cured sausage from artisans is one thing, knowing how to store it is another story. They excelled at both. 9/10
–Gougère soufflé: The technique of the savoury choux pastry was on point (good puffy structure, with a nice golden exterior and carefully rendered soft interior). You can serve your gougère cold , hot or lukewarm. Lukewarm (my preferred temperature for this choux pastry) is what they were looking for, at La Ferme aux Grives , but theirs was not enoughly mildly warm to lift up the gougère flavor. Consequently, the cheesy flavor of the the gougère was not expressive. This was still a well made gougère, with enough enticing gougère flavour brought to the fore. 7/10
–Salade de boudin grillé, jardinière de coco, vinaigrette de simples (mangue/fruit de la passion). Blood sausage, white beans, a vinaigrette made of mango and passion fruit. Great technique in the execution of the blood sausage (soft filling, judicious seasoning), a blood sausage that had a taste that is more refined than your usual traditional French blood sausage, cabbage, white beans as well as the vinaigrette were all seasoned adequatly. Perhaps not enoughly ‘bold’ on the palate as I would have preferred when I am ordering grilled blood sausage, but again, as it has been the case all along this meal, the execution and work of flavors could hardly be faulted. 7.5/10
–Spit-roasted suckling pig (over an open fire). As tasty as your suckling pig will taste at most good restaurants in France and North America. A bit like with the lobster, I have hard time finding suckling pig, in France and North America, that can match the dazzling suckling pig I was eating in my tender childhood in the Indian Ocean (I think it happened just once in North America
and twice in France, within the last 20 years). Anyways, this was good: carefully seasoned, quality suckling pig, and you cannot go wrong with meat cooked slowly for so long. 7.5/10
–Gratin de pâtes, fromage parmesan, cèpes- Gratineed pasta, cooked in a parmesan/penny-bun bolete mushroom cream. The pasta cooked a bit longer than aldente. I find it less “fun” to eat pasta cooked too long in a cream because you have less textural contrast, less ‘counterpoint’ to the cream, but hey…we are in France, not Italy. That said, this featured precisely balanced rich and delicious flavors. 7.5/10.
Charlotte aux fraises (Strawberry charlotte) – The dessert featured a properly executed chantilly, an equally properly rendered luscious strawberry mousse, a timely cooled sponge cake as well as quality strawberries picked fully ripe. The fruity flavors in evidence, the presentation was rustic but that was intentional as to fit with the theme of the restaurant. A good charlotte. 7/10
Detours (14 rue Latapie, 64000 Pau, Communauté d’Agglomération Pau-Pyrénées, Phone: +33 5 24 36 53 02) is one of the latest most touted new tables of Pau.
In Pau, I did hesitate between traditional food (Chez Olive, Chez Laurette, Henri IV) or the contemporary casual eateries opened by Chefs who have spent long years alongside the greatest Chefs of France (Chef Nicolas Lormeau of Lou Esberit, Chef Jean-Pascal Moncassin at Detours). Not an easy decision as I am partial to those two different types of restaurants, but I am already familiar and do cook traditional french cuisine (from all regions of France) at home, therefore I decided to see what the well trained artisan Chefs had to offer in their casual eateries. My decision was influenced by the fact that I do already cook classic French food at home, and not contemporary takes on that type of food, therefore I suggest you try their traditional food if you are in Pau.
Chef Jean-Pascal Moncassin worked, in the past, at Michelin starred Michel Sarran in Toulouse as well as reknown restaurants such as Le Crillon and le Grand Véfour.
I ordered two A la carte items from:
Jarret de veau en nems croustillant, quinoa aux petits legumes, herbes fraiches. Nems filled with veal, on a bed of quinoa and vegetables/fresh herbs.
The genuinely Vietnamese nem flavour is faithfully replicated, quinoa cooked properly, the vegetables (carrots, radish) featuring a nice crunch. A finely composed healthy dish (no unecessary bold seasoning, but flavour where it needs to be found, as exemplified by the exquisitely seasoned nem, then the lightly seasoned quinoa and vegetables , which was the right thing to do in this case. 7/10
Agneau, epaule confite 36hrs, caviar d’aubergine, legumes de saison (pommes de terre, zucchini, carrottes, champignons) cuits dans le jus de cuisson. Lamb shoulder confit, cooked for 36 hrs. In a separate pot, potatoes/zucchini/ carrots/ mushroom. Timely cooked vegetables and lamb. Eggplant caviar was perfect, the vegetables cooked in a delicious and flawlessly reduced cooking jus. Another fine dish. 7/10
Overall food rating: 7/10 A Chef who knows when and where flavours need to be expressive or subtle, the food tasty.
Chef Nicolas Lormeau has honed his skills alongside some of France’s best Chefs: Michel Trama (Aubergade, 2 star Michelin), Gerald Passedat (Petit Nice, 3 star Michelin), Gilles Goujon (Auberge du vieux puits, 3 star Michelin).
They have, in France, many Chefs with 2, 3 star Michelin skills who have decided to open their own venues, and get this: they are there, in the kitchen, cooking for real. A distant dream in many parts of the globe. No wonder France will remain a superpower of the foodie world for a while.
In 2016, Nicolas, did open his own restaurant, Lou Esberit, in Pau, which style of food can be described as “bistronomy” if you wish, and his talent has since been rewarded with, among other achievements, a selection in the top best 3 Chefs of the Credit Agricole’s Talents Gourmands Pyrenees/Gascogne (not a light reward in a region with plenty of talented Chefs).
There are several menus (A la Carte, tasting menus, etc). I picked the following two A la carte menu items:
Croustillant de langoustine, fine purée d’une barigoule, queues de langoustines roties, petales d’artichaut frit (crispy and roasted Dublin bay prawns, artichokes mash and chips). I could not enjoy the prawns as they were way too salty. The artichokes mash was fine, but that was not enough as the overall dish lacked sparks (felt generic/average in mouth). 5/10
Filet de rascasse grillee, soupe de Roche et pomme de terre fondante. Grilled scorpion Fish fillets, potatoes and his take on the “bouillabaisse” (which was in a glass and that I had to pour over my fish). Grilled scorpion Fish, one of the fishes commonly used for a bouillabaisse, is one of my preferred fish. The fish was cooked properly (retained an ideal amount of moist, firm as it should). not boldly seasoned and that is fine. Some parts were bland, others seasoned, but in this case, I can live with that (as you will pour the bouillabaisse on it, anyways). But his take on the bouillabaisse lacked maritime flavour. I presume it had to come from the fish I would pour the bouillabaisse on…but pouring a bouillabaisse on the fish does not have the same effect as cooking the fish in the bouillabaisse! 6/10
Bottom line: I have no doubt that Chef Lormeau is a good Chef. The locals told me he can be great. I even saw an online picture of Michel Guerard paying a visit to him. So he must have been doing great things to be noticed by a heavyweight like Chef Guerard. But the 2 dishes I was having could not testify to that. In cooking, whatever you do, food needs to satisfy. Those 2 dishes failed at that. Service is great, the Chef is one of the friendliest characters of the restaurant industry (great smile, talks to everyone), the restaurant is popular and superbly well located (at a stone throw of the gorgeous Chateau de Pau). Just make that food festive again, Chef! Lou Esberit 8 rue adoue, Pau, France 64000 Phone: +33 9 83 97 58 58 URL: http://www.restaurant-louesberit.com Overall rating: Food (5.5/10 On my visit, the Chef tried too hard to be creative, Alas …to not much effect.), Service (10/10 Superb service. The Chef saying hello to every single of his patrons. Very amicable Chef. Wished his cooking was ON while I was there. I will give them another try as they seem to be serious and passionate about what they do, both him and his staff, therefore they deserve that I give them another chance), Ambience: 8/10 (The place is lively, people looked as if they had plenty of fun).
Le Dôme (108 Boulevard du Montparnasse, 75014 Paris, Phone: 01 43 35 25 81), opened in 1897, is an upscale historical brasseriein Paris.
Saumon mariné à l’aneth (dill marinated salmon) was fine enough, but it would not be hard to fine better versions of that, at plenty of restaurants in Paris 6/10
I came here for the oysters. It is actually Huitrerie Garnier that I wanted to revisit. Huitrerie Garnier is one of my go to places for oysters in Paris, but it is closed till September (From Sept to Dec, oysters are as fresh as it gets and Huitrerie Garnier operates only when oysters are at their best). As I was walking nearby Le Dôme, I remembered that they have quite a variety of interesting oysters and decided to push open their door. The raising and maturation of oysters, in France, is taken to a level rarely seen elsewhere around the globe***. Many regions of France have first-rate oysters. My favourite have been the fines de claires and spéciales de claires of Yves Papin (Marennes Oléron in Charente Maritime), Roumegous (Charente maritime), the Isigny, Saint-Vaast (Normandie), Gruissan (Aude), and many more. This time, I focused on Brittany. In France, oysters are offered by weight. Numbers 0 to 5 are assigned to oysters. The higher is the number, the smaller is the oyster (that is explained here). I ordered 3 types of oysters: the cupped oysters boudeuse de bretagne (Cote Des Menhirs) and tsarskaya no2 (Parcs Saint Kerber) as well as the flat oysters Plate de Cancale no.000 from that same Parcs Saint Kerber.
The oysters matched what their marketing do suggest:
the hint of sweetness, the meaty texture for the tsarskaya. There is a lot of marketing / buzz behind the tsarkaya, but although a great oyster, I am not particularly enamoured with it in a way that some other oysters of France have impressed me.
Plates de Cancale had their typical light nutty flavour in evidence
And the boudeuse had a concentrated flavor and it was fleshy as expected from an oyster “that refused to grow”.
And of course, the nice fresh iodine flavor that every single oyster of this globe has to come with, was there, in every single bite.
Le Dôme served perfectly well shucked oysters of fine quality with a flawless mignonette. I still prefer Huitre Garnier for oysters in Paris, and Paris has plenty of stellar oysters to feast on, anyways.
Mousse au chocolat, marmelade d’oranges, sorbet passion – classic French kitchen brigades are what you are looking for when it comes to a fine mousse of chocolate. The chocolate was of fine quality, its thick consistency tolerable, but there were many rivers to cross between the finer mousse of chocolate of France and this one (just not as dazzling on the palate). 6/10
Mille-feuille ” Napoléon” parfumé au rhum et à la vanille – Rhum and vanilla flavored Millefeuille came with a spectacular rustic flaky look that some generations of French may have flirted with, at some point in their life, but it was not as memorable on the palate nor to the smell as the finer Millefeuille that those same generations have known. Still, this was tolerable, just not as enjoyable as it should have been. 5/10
Bottom line: Le Dôme is ideal for a piece of restaurant history in Paris. It has couple of historical companions in the vicinity. Last time I was here, it was 25 years ago and I am glad that such historic restaurants is still open. Couple of metro stations away, at Saint-Germain-des-Prés, restaurant history goes on with café de flore, brasserie Lipp. On the culinary front, well, the best of classic French cooking in Paris will not come from here. It is neither good, nor bad. Overall rating (Categ: French Brasserie): Food (6/10 Yes, the oysters are well sourced, BUT such classic French brasserie needs to offer better renditions of basic classic French desserts such as a chocolate mousse or a Mille-feuille), Service (7/10 Classic old world masculine service ), Ambience: 8/10 (civilized).
Event : Lunch at Pierre Gagnaire, Paris
When: Wednesday November 11th 2015, 12:00
Michelin stars: 3
Addr: 6,rue Balzac, 75008 Paris
URL: http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com/
Phone: +33 1 58 36 12 50
Type of cuisine: French (classically French at its core, mostly contemporary in its presentation, at times cosmopolitan in its work of the flavors, using many exotical ingredients , though, as it is generally the case with most 3 star Michelin restaurants in Paris, the kitchen at PG puts the finest produce from France in the forefront of their cooking).
Rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7) Overall food rating: 9.5/10 Creative French cooking of the highest level. Perhaps the cooking of ex Chefs like Jacques Maximin/Olivier Roellinger, or (more recently) Bernard Pacaud / Alain Passard do fit a bit more with what I’d feel comfortable to rate with a 10/10 at this level of French cuisine as I think that Roellinger, Maximin, Pacaud or Passard would have delivered far more exciting versions of the brunoise of vegetables as well as the cucumber soup —– , and although the “ghocchi” and “Cèpes confits, noix, blette paquet” were excellent at what the kitchen was trying to convey (see their respective reviews below), my gut feeling is that the aforementioned Chefs would have replaced them by food items of assertive flavors pertaining to traditional French cuisine – especially Pacaud and Maximin – which, for my taste, is the only way that this meal at PG could have been bettered .
Regardless, that is just a personal impression. What you need to know is that PG kitchen brigade’s is one of world class quality. There were certainly many exceptional dishes as you’ll see in the account below.
What you need to know is that PG kitchen brigade’s is one of world class quality. There were certainly many exceptional dishes as you’ll see in the account below. Indeed, a Top-tier French 3 star Michelin anywhere across the globe.
I am seizing the opportunity of a short trip to Paris to eat at a 3 star Michelin table that I haven’t tried for over a decade, Pierre Gagnaire.
There is a considerable number of food items served at Pierre Gagnaire. For example, my starter (untitled AUTOMNE) will come in a series of starters. The same applies to the main course and dessert.
The meal started with two series of nibbles (calamari of superb quality marinated in soya, a brunoise of vegetables in a cold soup of cucumber, the brunoise as well as the cold soup were Ok…but I was disappointed that a kitchen brigade of this quality could not deliver a better version of that amuse bouche – , some cuttlefish ink’s gelée of spectacular maritime fragrance and a texture designed by the Greek goddess of beauty, Aphrodite, because it was so pretty to espy, a superlative lemon paste, an excellent bisque of crab, and many more items – all of great standard at the exception of the brunoise of vegetables in a cold soup of cucumber). The lemon paste, in particular, had a dazzling taste which exciting mouthfeel is hard to imagine even at this dining level. All in all, 8/10 for the nibbles. Serious stuff.
My starter was:
AUTOMNE Cocotte d’aromatiques dans laquelle on fume quelques instants un gros gnocchi au Laguiole – velouté Vert d’automne, graines et pousses de moutarde – Gnocchi on a bed of vegetables. the gnocchi having the texture of tofu…but in this case, that is not a bad thing at all. Rather a beautiful touch of creativity. I suspect that it is with items like this that some may perceive such meal as uneven (made of ups and downs) since this is certainly not an item designed to wow, but then that would be a complete misunderstanding of what should be expected here: this is a perfectly well conceived twist on a piece of gnocchi served with some steamed vegetables underneath and it was not of the boring kind (both the vegetables and the special sort of gnocchi had vibrant textures and tasted of what they should). 8/10 Noix de ris de veau laquée d’un suc de carotte à l’argouse, pulpe de reine-claude au tamarin – Caramelized sweetbreads that were a world away from their tired looking versions, the meaty consistency successful (just the right moist consistency, not mushy) , the overall taken to an even higher level of amazement due to the addition of the tamarind. A dish that could turn into a flop in the hands of many kitchen brigades (from the perspective of someone who has cooked with exotical ingredients while understanding the fundamentals of French cuisine, this is actually a combination that is logical , but it is also very easy to misjudge the proper quantity of tamarind needed to make such combination exciting) even at this level, but here it was a demonstration of what a benchmark example of tamarind mixed with sweetbreads can look, smell and taste like. An excellent way of updating a French classic dish. 10/10 Terrine d’anguille au pavot bleu, céleri. Gelée de pain de seigle – Quality eel was succesfully paired with celery and a jelly of rye bread. One of those items which intent is not to dazzle. The intent behind this dish is to combine ingredients that most people would not think successful as a whole (eel, celeri, rye bread). I have no problem with this philosophy but in the hands of the majority of cooks it is either a recipe for disaster or an annoying assembly of ingredients. Here, you taste that dish and realize that what you just had is a set of matching elements that simply work really well against all odds.
Infusion de navet daïkon au vin jaune du Jura, écrevisses pattes rouges, oxalis et feuilles de capucine – Crawfish(boiled), daikon radish, white wine, oxalis, nasturtium leaves. Dazzling contrast of flavors (sweet/sour/salty) that is technically hard to get this right even at this level. 10/10
Cèpes confits, noix, blette paquet – I have oftently read that PG takes risks that do sometimes not pay off. This is one of those dishes that could easily be perceived as unsuccessful. Well, as mentioned elsewhere, I do not agree with the suggestion that PG’s cooking is sometimes off. It may not be to one’s taste, but it is certainly not what I would categorize as occasionally faulty. Take this dish: its effect is basically similar to what you’ll get with a juxtaposition of a layer of custard, mushrooms and nuts. All of great quality, for sure, but potentially boring too…?? Now, what about this being a take on the Japanese Chawanmushi? Not that boring anymore,hein? lol. There are different versions of the Chawanmushi and this one was extremely subtle flavor-wise (some people may even find it bland, but is is not bland…just full of very subtle umami flavors) – a take on a perfectly legit example of the the Chawanmushi.
Carré d’agneau de l’Aveyron frotté d’origan – the lamb from Aveyron is known for its quality, and this Carré d’agneau did justice to its reputation. Excellent on all fronts: taste, texture, seasoning. A flawless Carré d’agneau. 9/10
Papillons Noirs, datte medjoul, kinjiso – pasta made of black pudding was shaped as butterflies and was served with a mixture similar to chilli paste but without the distracting piquancy. Date palm was added to the dish. This, for my taste, was sensational (complex middle eastern flavors, the date palm blending excitingly well with the aforementioned chilli paste-alike mixture). It takes a Chef with an incredible palate to create dishes of this sort. 10/10
Selle en crépine, carpaccio de betterave rouge, betterave blanche au Roquefort. – The exceptional lamb from Aveyron made a second appearance. It was paired with a carpaccio of superlative beets. 10/10
Crumble vert, ails roses sablés, chorizo, cébette – sauteed cabbage, garlic, chorizo was a classic dish but not of the tired sort,- extremely flavorful. Another exciting dish. 9/10
Soufflé à la vanille de Tahiti, crème glacée – Finished my meal with a benchmark vanilla soufflé which depth of flavor can only come from eggs and milk of exceptional quality. 10/10
I was less impressed with the Soufflé of chocolate – , which although generously portioned and tasting of top quality chocolate was not as exciting as other Soufflé of chocolate I had at lesser restaurants. 7/10
The mignardises at Pierre Gagnaire were also of great standard.
PROS: They master the fundamentals of French cooking in a way that few can pretend to, even by the finest 3 star Michelin French cooking standards. Exciting flavors when they cook or reinterpret French classics (Soufflé à la vanille, Crumble Vert/ails roses sablés/chorizo/cébette, Selle en crépine/carpaccio de betterave rouge/betterave blanche au Roquefort). Then, at times, it is possible that you’ll travel to places where the flavors are subtle (the case of Japan, during this meal), but that does not mean the cooking is off. The journey around the globe took me to the Middle East, too and it was a stopover not to forget (Papillons Noirs, datte medjoul, kinjiso).
CONS: The brunoise of vegetables / soup of cucumber was ordinary –the quality of the produce was great, for sure, but a brunoise of vegetables should dazzle at this level, a cold soup of cucumber too — and that surprised me given the overall fabulous journey.
Bottom line: The kitchen here is helmed by Chef Michel Nave, a 2004 MOF. As most MOFs from the 1990s/2000s, Chef Nave cooking is deeply rooted in Classic French cuisine (meaning the flavors are generally intense/rich, the meal marked by the expected consommé/veloutés/mousseline/meringue/marmelade), with, of course, its own twists (twists that obviously make their French food look and feel contemporary) . Here at PG, the creativity they are talking about covers non conventional ingredient combination (by French cooking standards, although, in France, nowadays, this is is not as unusual as it used to be ), executed with a very high level of technique, top notch ingredients and an exceptional sense of combining unlikely textures/flavors/ingredients (many kitchen brigades do try to blend unlikely textures/flavors…but they are generally just basically assembling ingredients with little interraction between each other).
What I think days later: A true world class food destination with superb French gourmet food to match. As with plenty of high end French restaurants, nowadays, PG also explores non French flavors, so ensure you are familiar and do appreciate such flavors too.
Disons qu’il sait passer du beau geste (son ‘message fétiche’ à qui veut bien l’entendre) à de la belle cuisine, le Chef Passard. Je viens de faire, en Septembre, un autre repas mémorable à L’Arpège (et ce, malgré que je n’y avais pas posé les pieds depuis belle lurette). Au départ, ce fut mitigé : des tartelettes de légumes ridiculement miniatures. Mais comment font-ils, ceux qui ne cessent de louanger ces tartelettes … c’est comme si que je vous servais une goutte d’eau et que vous en ressortiez ébahi. Ébahi par quoi? Ces tartelettes, du moins celles que j’avais à ma table, sont trop petites pour etre proprement appréciées. Puis, ce Coquetier liqueur d’érable dont l’apport vinaigré fit carrément voler toute notion de goût en éclats. La pédale tonale continua à manquer d’aplomb sur L’Arlequin de légumes (amer!) et des ravioles au bouillon sans interet (dommage, car la créativité et le sens du détail furent du rendez vous) . Ah, j’oubliais…la langouste..le homard..appelez cela comme vous voudrez, mais de grace…..et là je m’adresse à toutes les grandes tables…oubliez ca, svp! Ca n’arrive presque jamais à la cheville d’une simple langouste grillée!!! Et puis..et je sais que ceci va faire chier à mes compatriotes…mais Oui, malgré que j’ai moi aussi le bleu, blanc et rouge gravé sur le coeur….j’ose et je dénonce: nos langoustes , ouais, ca passe. Mais on est loin du gout marin et mémorable des langoustes des Caraibes ou de l’Océan Indien. De ceux là, Oui..je peux entrevoir l’effet surprise et mémorable en bouche. Mais là…on est loin du compte! Peu importe, tout cela fut vite oublié lorsque le grand Passard se mit au piano (à prendre dans son sens figuré car j’imagine que c’est plutot un travail de brigade comme dans tous les grands restaurants, surtout avec les deux salles complètement pleines): T-bone d’agneau au gout remarquable, Pigeon roti rappelant que le talent de rotissier du Chef n’est pas un vain coup ‘marketing’, risotto de mais et gazpacho à longuement faire émoustiller les papilles …et j’en passe. Impression finale: de nos jours, on a tendance à louanger le tape à l’œil, à tel point qu’ils se font de plus en plus rares, meme à ce niveau, à comprendre que manger c’est d’abord faire plaisir aux papilles (papilles..mot que je répète volontiers…car malheureusement …elles sont souvent oubliées…) . Le reste n’est qu’accessoire, pour moi. Ce repas à L’Arpège a rempli sa mission primaire de renouer le client avec la notion du pur plaisir gourmand. À ne pas oublier la fantastique jeune sommelière Tchèque, aux accords inspirés . Lorsque L’Arpège se livre comme il l’a si bien fait lors de ce repas (je m’en contrefiche, lol, des moins bons coups tel que l’Arlequin de légumes..pour moi, un grand repas réside dans sa capacité à laisser comme impression finale…un souvenir impérissable de plaisir profond) , il ne s’agit pas que d’étoiles…mais presque du firmament. Voilà une brigade qui a compris que la cuisine sans brin de folie, ca ne vaut rien! C’est cher, c’est sur…mais alors qu’on se munisse d’un sens du détail (je parle d’un VRAI sens du détail..pas de la petite ‘jugeotte’ approximative…) et qu’on me réponde à cette question si simple: combien sont-ils à faire si bien, avec si peu? À bon entendeur, salut!
Event: Lunch at restaurant Le Louis XV, Monte Carlo
When: Saturday September 21 2013, 12:15
Michelin stars: 3
Type of cuisine: Haute Classic Provençale (with North Italian touches)
Addr: Hôtel de Paris, Place du Casino, MC 98000 Principauté de Monaco
Phone: +377 98 06 88 64
Url: http://www.alain-ducasse.com/en/restaurant/le-louis-xv-alain-ducasse
I am a bit busy with other things, so sorry for keeping this brief. In a nutshell: I went back to two old personal favourites that I have not visited for many years, 3 star Michelin L’Arpège in Paris ( reviewed here) as well as 3 Star Michelin Le Louis XV in Monte Carlo (current review).
Overall Food rating (Category: French 3 star Michelin) : 7/10 Great produce and no flaws on the aspect of the technique — temperatures, doneness, etc are mastered — as you have come to expect from any respectable restaurant, BUT they are playing it SAFE … with their savoury recipes. Service: 10/10 Overall Dining experience: 10/10 One of the most beautiful restaurants in the world, the crystal-clear waters of the Mediterranean nearby. What’s not to like?
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
Perhaps the most beautiful old-world interior, for a fine dining restaurant. Certainly a pastry team, a service, cheeses and bakers of world class mention. But the Louis XV needs to be more assertive with their savoury recipes. Alain Ducasse’s praises of their beautiful produce, eating healthy and natural is not enough: the savoury dishes lacked “joy” and whatever the philosophy…if your savoury dishes are not “festive” in mouth, then what you preach is meaningless to your diners. Alain, I know that “extracting the most out of the least” is what you hope your Chefs would achieve and that … can be great, indeed, as widely demonstrated by the superb “minimalist” savoury dishes in nearby Italy, but that was a “distant wish” during this visit at Le Louis XV (your savoury dishes were not bad, not great neither and certainly not as exciting as what many of your peers are pulling off right now …) –
Please find below the usual ‘Pros’, ‘Cons’, Overall ‘food’ and ‘service’ scores. A month after my meals, I always add a ‘What I think a month later’ section that you’ll see completely at the bottom of each of my reviews, so that you’ll get a feel of how my perception of my meal has evolved in time.
The meal started with their long time offering of crudités (carrots, celery, radish, etc), typical of the region as it could remind a bit of nearby Nice’s raw vegetables served with an accompaniment of sauce (Nice’s bagna caùda). A fun idea, I have to give that to them, since it showcases the vegetables of the region, but this kind of serving really shines if the vegetables are going beyond the ordinary: those were as good as any celery or carrot or radish I was sampling all along my stay on the French Riviera. But the dip (made of olives and egg, emulsified with oil like a mayonnaise) was a benchmark of its kind, with glamourous texture and a depth of taste as rich and as exciting in mouth as it gets. I do not know if that was wowness..I just know that you won’t easily find dips of this level. It’s for creations of this kind that I go to restaurants.
They are known for their lovely bread offerings, of which I picked a pain baguette (Yep, I am a huge fan of Pains Baguettes, and do expect them to be at their best on the grand tables of France and this one was no exception as they have baked an excellent one by the finest artisan Boulanger standards that I am used to, in France 9/10), and tomato bread (7/10 too salty to be enjoyable and the tomato flavor was not as stunning I would have liked).
Velouté rafraichi de courgette trompette, homard bleu court-bouillonné, caillé de brebis – A cold velouté of courgette trompette (courgette trompette is a type of squash), adorned with a piece of boiled lobster and sheep’s curd. Delicious idea as I have sampled many exciting versions of this kind of velouté mixed with sheep’s curd, but this dish, although well done as expected at this level of dining, had flavors too discrete (the velouté, the sheep’s curd, and even the lobster) to make any great impression, for me. The velouté itself would benefit from a richer taste, the sheep’s curd from more expressive milky flavor. I thought that it was designed to not shock ( for eg, the lobster had no aggressive marine robustness so that it harmoniously complements the mild tasting velouté and sheep’s curd) with strong flavors so that it reaches out to the most. We respect the harmoniously calibrated flavors but had no fun. I am not asking for the moon, and do remain very realistic, trust me, …couple of days before, in nearby Nice, a simple bistrot like Bistrot D’Antoine blew me away with food as simple as this. 6/10
Cookpot de petit épautre, girolles et jeunes légumes – Cookpot of tiny spelt, girolle mushrooms, vegetables (radish, artichoke, carrots). It was cooked in a stock of carrots and parsley, some barley added to the mix. Nice sweet/salty sensation, but dishes cooked this traditional way do usually deliver lingering aromas that I failed to enjoy with this serving. For example, parsley and carrots express themselves beautifully using pot cooking techniques, but on this dish they ended being discrete to my palate. Again, another classic dish executed properly (there won’t be any technical fault to be noticed here), but a dish like this should be an opportunity for its ingredients to express their deep natural aromas. 6/10
Loup de la méditérannée (seabass) en filet piqué d’Olives, garniture et bouillon d’un minestrone, basilic pilé au mortier – Tasty fish, cooked properly (seasoned carefully, absolutely no reproach about the doneness, temperature) , fleshy as it should and served with carrots, celery, white beans. 7/10
Poitrine de Pigeonneau des Alpes de haute Provence, foie gras de canard, pommes de terre nouvelles sur la braise, jus gouteux aux abats – The squab successfully rosy, but its taste not as deep and as exciting as the one I had couple of days before at L’Arpège. It came with a nicely plump piece of seared foie gras, precisely seared with good grill marks, but I found it lacking of the full liver flavor of some of its exciting versions. Again, no reproach for the cooking and the quality of the ingredients is great, but such classic dish can and should excite in mouth, which was not the case for me. 6/10
Then the generous cart of top quality cheese – France’s finest tables have that big pressure of having to offer cheeses of world class standard, and Louis XV’s cheese cart is an examplary one. All cheeses sampled showcased respective textures, tastes and body that were in their prime state. France’s highly regarded cheese-maturer Bernard Antony had his widely praised aged comté available and it is admirable to see how the folks at le Louis XV did justice to his famous cheese with remarkable storage technique and care, all features that sound simple in theory but that seem to fail in the hands of even very ambitious tables. The piece of comté, I was sampling, evolving onto expected toasty hazelnut aromas, subtle grassy and toffee notes progressively complementing the rich and complex intensity of the flavours. This was, in regard to what is expected at its age (3 yrs) , a superb sample of the comté. We’ve also enjoyed some superb Fourme d’ ambert, Camembert Jort lait cru as well as some nearby goat cheeses (which names I forgot since this was my first time trying them), all cheeses of benchmark mention.
Many years after being blown away by their classic desserts of Baba au Rhum and Le Louis XV au croustillant de pralin , I ordered … again … those two items .
Baba au Rhum – Le Louis XV’s version of the Baba au rhum has always been, with regards to the finest ones I had in France (being French, those found in France have naturally been those I am the most familiar with, and I won’t hide the fact that I prefer them to any of their other European versions), one personal favourite. It remains as great as the first one I had here, in 1990, with flawless yeast raised dough, delicate spongy texture, the golden color superbly achieved. In typical Louis XV style, the presentation is an elegant piece of theater with several choices of top quality rhum to chose from, the cake offered in a golden dome . There is no expectations to have over a baba au rhum, a baba au rhum is a baba au rhum, not an exploration of the moon, but this one remains a benchmark of its kind. 10/10
Louis XV au croustillant de pralin– A hazelnut biscuit wrapped in a ganache of dark chocolate. Alain Ducasse’s famous refined take (sort of ) on a chocolate crispy brunch bar. The ganache having smooth glamourous texture showcasing great precision from the pastry team, and the hazelnut mousse airy texture as enticing as I remember it from last time (they do not have the same Pastry Chef as on my last visit, here). An 8/10 this time.
Soufflé d’Abricot -A different dessert I also tried. Properly risen soufflé, but the sourness should have been better controlled (that was way too sour for the soufflé to be enjoyable ). 7/10
Chocolate, petits fours – This is to be taken with a grain of salt since there’s definitely no matter of serious displeasure here, but I found the chocolate offering, although of good quality as you might expect from such place, to still not reach the heights it could have in the hands of an exceptional artisan chocolatier, to take an example. I gather this is real nitpicking, that it is a restaurant, not a chocolatier, and it would be stupid to put down the overall appreciation of my meal on the pretext of such observation, but there are couple of 3 star Michelin destinations – even in the US for example, let alone throughout Europe – that are offering a better variety of chocolate closer to what I am referring to. 7/10 for the chocolate (in view of what I am expecting at this level of dining), but in total fairness, there’s really few 3 stars offering the type of outstanding chocolate of the level of an exceptional artisan chocolatier. The mignardises left me with almost similar impression: good execution and tasting fine of course, but not of the level of, say, the outstanding petits fours I once had at Pacaud’s L’Ambroisie (where concentration of flavor, stunning taste and glamourous definition of textures rivaled each other). It is all in the details, I know, and that is why top dining destinations like Le Louis XV do exist: for the opportunity to go deep into the details of a stellar dining experience. 8/10 for the petits fours (again, in comparison to what I am used to at this standard of dining).
PROS : One of world’s most richly decorated dining rooms, sublime service, the lovely experience of being there. The Baba. The benchmark cheeses.
CONS : I miss a more personal and authoritative cooking imprint like I have sometimes enjoyed from Chefs like Bernard Pacaud, Maximin or Roellinger, and at numerous humble eateries all along the Mediterranean coast, or even here, years ago, under Cerutti.
Overall food performance: 7/10 Good and properly executed cuisine for this genre (Classic French/Med), the Ducasse philosophy applied as far as keeping the fares simple and respectful of the ingredients, but this is my favourite type of cooking, so I know well what I need to expect from it, which is deeper expression of the flavors (exactly as many restaurants manage to do with classic cooking of this sort on the Italian riviera or as Chef Cerrutti actually did when I was here many years ago) and that is where I was a bit less impressed. And No, it’s not a case where ‘’my palate may have evolved since that time, so perhaps my expectations are not realistic anymore’’’ (such theory would make no sense: I have just re-visited L’Arpège after almost the same amount of years of no-show and was still blown away by the fabulous taste of some of their creations). All in all, my general impression of the savouries matches an overall score of 6/10, which is good enough, though not great, but I found that the pastry team did quite a remarkable job (I was very impressed with the Baba au rhum being as stellar as over a decade ago, perfected and so delicious, and despite the way-too-sour soufflé and my severe observations on the mignardises, this pastry team has the solid and reliable skills expected at this level) to deserve an extra point for their performance, which justifies the overall food performance score of 7/10. That said, it’s hard to reach a wide conscensus with what I am looking for in this type of cuisine, so I can understand why the focus is on flavors that can be acceptable to the most.
Service: 10/10 They know with whom they can be a bit more formal or casual, while always offering the highest standards of hospitality and being professional. And that is great.
Décor: Belle époque grandeur, Christofle gold flatware, marble, chandeliers, trolley of bread, trolley of cheese, trolley of herbal teas. I love old world interior designs and architectures, so seating there and admiring this opulent décor was naturally a feast for my eyes.
Conclusion: I may not have been floored by the overall food performance on this specific lunch (remember, nothing was wrong with the food, it is just that I tend to be partial to strong /bold/eventful flavors like those found in the dip of the crudités or while enjoying my baba au rhum ) , but Le Louis XV is a dining experience of superlative attributes (stunning decor, world class service, cheeses of the highest standards , choices of wines that will please the most demanding wine lovers and I can go on and on with the qualities).
Restaurant L’Arpège
Type of Cuisine: French (Alain Passard’s own interpreted classic French cuisine)
Michelin Stars: 3
Event: Lunch on Tuesday September 17th 2013, 12:30
Addr: 84 Rue de Varenne 75007 Paris, France
Phone: 01 47 05 09 06
URL: http://www.alain-passard.com
Overall Food rating: 10/10 This was the 2nd time in two decades that I did try L’Arpège (the first time was in 1998, 15 years prior). On both occasions, there were some few food items that I did not care for (not that they were bad. Not at all. Just not what I liked). But it did not matter. What mattered is that my final impression has always been the same: in a contest for the most eventful food among the elite fine dining ventures of this globe, Passard’s kitchen brigade, at its best (meaning, on the back of the better food items they can cook), carries the day. Service: 10/10 You have the energy of the youth (mostly young staff) with the expected high class professionalism. Overall Dining experience: 10/10 Classy but relaxed.
Food rating: Exceptional (10), Excellent (9), Very good (8), Good (7)
This meal at L’Arpège could be perceived as a crash or a triumph depending on who you are as a diner. A crash if you think of a restaurant as that robot that’s supposed to read in your mind and feed you with the exact bites you want, which I think would be a naïve approach to dining. A triumph if you understand that a meal needs to be judged on the back of the heights it can reach, not in terms of this is good, that is less good and that is a bit better. Then, there’s also this important observation to make: there’s a reason some restaurants deserve their rank as a 3 star Michelin (needless to stress that this is a strong 3 star when it ‘’touches the sky’’’ as it did — with the better food items — on that meal. Thinking otherwise would reveal a deep lack in the understanding of what cooking should really be about). And that reason is the same that makes a Porsche, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari all well praised cars: the details! You can love or hate them, but it does not matter, as at the end of the day …they are effortlessly capable of heights, here and there, that their peers can only dream of (a compliment that I am more than happy to extend to L’Arpège …and knowing how skeptical I am about those celebrated restaurants and their inflated prices, that is anything but a light feature) ! In the case of L’Arpège, it is IMPORTANT to stress that a distracted mind will easily fall into the trap of thinking that such simple looking food cannot be that stellar, but those in the know…those REALLY…in the KNOW..will…oh well…they will know how genuinely …GREAT.. L’Arpège’s higher highs can be. The problem, here, the real problem, for the most, as with any luxury, is the $$$. In French, my mother tongue, my post on L’Arpège (click here for that write-up) has a bit more in regard to what I had to convey (it is brief but succint).
ADDED few years after this meal: In this video, Alain says at some point “tout ce que j’ai fait dans ma vie, je l’ai fait avec le coeur. J’ai toujours regardé devant moi” (I always follow my heart). As professionals of the food industry, they always say that. Naturally, Lol. The difference is that Alain walks the talk!
Paris remains one of world’s REAL finest gourmand destinations, indeed – With the incredible exciting gourmand destinations like San Sebastian, Barcelona, San Francisco, Madrid, Rome, Tokyo, London, Hong Kong, stunning non upscale food that can be found in Ecuador, Taiwan, Malaysia, I was starting to fear that my dear Paris just could not handle a candle anymore to its world gourmand competitors. But the 4 recent visits here is re-assuring: for sure, if you do no search at all and simply push open the door of whatever eatery you find on your way, you will inevitably be disappointed. Do not forget: this is one of the most visited cities of the globe, so fake cooks abound to grab their share of the cake. On the other hand, Paris finest eateries easily justify the position of Paris as still a REAL world gourmet destination, and I’ll name a few that have absolutely seduced me recently, on my 2,3 recent visits to Paris: La Table D’Aki (Chef Aki was the fish cook at 3 star Michelin L’Ambroisie for the past 20 years. He now has his own fish-centric bistrot where the technique remains 3 stars for anyone seriously familiar with the matter, the setting is of the bistrot type and I find the price reasonable given both the quality of the produce and skills . This, for me, along with Bistrot La Marine in Cagnes sur Mer, is currently the idea of what I have of a #1 seafood French classic bistrot anywhere around the globe), Officina Schenatti (one of the finest Italian bistrots outside of Italy. No surprise here: Chef Ivan Schenatti has been, for a long time, the mastermind behind Emporio Armani’s haute dining. He now has has his own little bistrot with bona fide skills oozing where it should: in the plates. To continue with the theme of the great Chefs who are enoughly humble and respect their customers (they are the few remaining GREAT ones who are found where they are expected: in their kitchen instead of showing off huge ego by delegating their incapacity to work seriously to name bearers), I’ll drop a word on the very popular L’Ami Jean: there is nothing like this anyhwhere else around the globe. YES, it is full of tourists, barely no locals. But who cares?? It is the food, ….! Rfaol! I love Chef Stéphane Jégo rustic food, because when his rustic rich French basque-inspire food is in its prime (not always, based on my experiences there) , it is divinely delicious. That is all that counts for me. The hordes of tourists have obviously got it. And locals do not flock here because it is a bit too $$$ for most French. I am no exception: it is $$ for me too, but I’d rather wait and spare a bit of money, eat a great rustic bistrot meal here, once in a long while, rather than attending several laughable attempts at what a bistrot might be. L’Ami Jean has its drawbacks and they need to be repeated to anyone that does not know this: it is cramped, it is noisy, it is not the best place for a romantic meal. But I love it! Another keepers: Restaurant Kei as well as Le Sergent recruteur . I should not hijack this article on L’Arpège to those findings, but to be brief, other findings that make of Paris one of world’s very best: Sola (A 1 star Michelin that would be 2 or 3 anywhere else; needless to add more. But what a gem of world class Japanese/French cooking and there is more to this place), the Pithivier of Eric Briffard at Le Cinq (Le Cinq is a real 3 star Michelin that has officially just 2 stars) , the Lièvre à la royale of Pierre Gagnaire/Senderens (remember: the best of French classic food being rich by nature, it shines in its full glory during game season). Nah, you won’t find anything close to those anywhere else. Last but not least, one of world’s current most talent Chefs, David Toutain, seem to be interested by a return on the food scene.
Re-visiting L’Arpège (4th visit only in 15 years), as well as another 3 star Michelin place that was reviewed later, le Louis XV.
The importance of the ‘gesture’ (IOTG) in cooking has long been pioneered by Chef Alain Passard (no need to introduce Chef Passard, which second grand passions are music and arts/ just google his name and you’ll have plenty of infos on one of France’s most celebrated Chef, whose restaurant L’Arpège – named after the musical technique called arpeggio — has kept its 3 Michelin stars since 1996). What passes as pure BS for plenty of lesser cooks, often because they just can’t bother understanding its deep meaning, is actually one of the most important concepts in cooking: like it or not, the eye, the touch, the feel, the smell set apart the better Chefs from the lesser ones. Many will tell you that they know all of that, alas few do really have the right eye/feel/smell and touch (which obviously explains why most restaurants have average cooks) and it’s easy, given that you are interested in such details (which I hope you do if you decided to take a chance on such pricey meals) , to perceive a developed sense of those matters: the end result will always end up as inspired (or not) as the care and deep ability of its creator to feel/touch/smell her/his produce. Fan or not of Alain Passard, there’s one thing you can’t reproach him: he is one of the few who genuinely walked the walk when it comes to the subject of the ‘importance of the gesture’ (The IOTG).
Chef Passard, with whom my interractions have always been limited to a simply ‘hello Chef’ when he tours the dining room, is a Chef that I have read a lot about. But if I was a journalist, I would have some interesting material to cover with him. His genuine passion for vegetables is not just another refrain recited by yet another Chef. But it’s his views on the IOTG that has always caught my attention. Of course, parts of his views on the IOTG can be better understood by himself only: as an example, the way he moves his hands, the importance of the notion of distance in his movements, those are elements no one else than himself can really apply. But the IOTG is behind everything you want to do properly: take a tennis player for example. The way he/she moves his/her legs, the way he/she moves her/his arms, therefore the gesture, plays a significant role in his/her attitude, therefore his/her game. Same logic applies to food: the way you cut your meat, carefully or nervously, the way you pick that carrot, carefully or carelessly, the way you cook your food, patiently or hastily, will of course always affect the end result. There is a reason, in spite of nowadays need for speed, that I still insist on spending time with long hours of carefully slow cooking.
The IOTG goes beyond the ability of feeling/smelling and having a great eye (essential for a real Chef) for your produce. You need, of course, to also understand the interaction between nature and the produce, you need to deeply understand how one specific ingredient reacts to an array of cooking techniques and temperatures. You need to understand the steps of the evolution of each single vegetable and fruit. You need to do the samething with meats, poultry, fish, etc. You need, and that is essential, to have memory of the flavors that were created before you. Or else, what are you really carrying on? What are you really improving upon? What can you be proud of if there’s nothing you can refer to ? All things that everyone seems to take for granted, but how many have REALLY proven to be capable of mastering those. How many cooks have bothered spending their time understanding and mastering the tastes of yesterday? How many really know, master and can reproduce the various traditional versions of a Lièvre à la Royale? How many are actually..real CHEFS, present for real in their kitchen? REAL great Chefs are rare nowadays and we obviously see why.
The reason of the previous paragraphs is to explain why I keep going back to L’Arpège. Alain Passard is there in his restaurant, away from the syndrome of the fake cooks parading on TV. And he did and still do something simply amazing (again, my admiration for Chef passard has nothing to do with my appreciation of my meals here. I had great as well as less impressive meals here, as anyone can have great and less impressive ones at their favourite restaurants) : applying himself to transmit the real taste of yesterday to his brigade, then building — on that memory of taste – the creations of today. And they are doing it in an unusual way, their own way. Passard calling it his ‘cuisine légumière’ (they focus more on their work of the veggies than the average restaurants, with the veggies often the star, veggies that come directly from his own farms, the poultry or the seafood their equal, in contrast of the big majority of tables where the veggie is usually an afterthought, its presence serving as an accoutrement . Others have called it peasant food (for its mostly bold presentations and pure unfussy flavors) . Call it the way you want, but it is a ‘cuisine d’auteur’ in which the brigade tries its best to interpret Alain Passard’s soulful vision of classic French cuisine. My admiration for Chef Passard has of course nothing to do with the appreciation of his food (Passard or not, if I value a food item as great or bad, I’ll point it out regardless of who cooked it), it has more to do with the fact that he is among those very few Chefs who are excelling at bridging the past with the present. They have that incredible ability to communicate the ‘uncommunicable”: memory of taste. Last summer, in Milan, I stumble upon another great Chef of this standing: Chef Aimo Moroni. I was impressed to see how Chef Moroni managed to embark his younger Chefs in a genuine mastery of the flavors of ‘yestergenerations’. Which inevitably allows a cuisine that transcends time. There are less and less of them, those real great Chefs, and they are the last chance for the next generation of cooks to become REAL great Chefs.
THE MEAL –
Before the usual vegetable tartlets, the kitchen served a feuilleté of vegetables. A feuilleté with superb airy texture and sublime buttery taste. Carrots,thyme and peppers were the star veggies (their superlative quality, even by the lofty standards of this dining level, would be a dream for a demanding farmer) of that feuilleté. 10/10
Then sushi legumier (sushi of beet ). If you are going to make sushi crumbles easily like this, better do something else.
The serving of amuse bouches continued: Coquetier liqueur d’érable (a tiny egg shell filled with a creamy mix of Xérès vinegar, egg yolk, maple liquor) sounds way more interesting than what it tasted since It was dominated by a vinegary taste that overpowered the best component of that amuse, the egg yolk. Fresh egg yolk of stunning quality does not need the distraction of superfluous strong vinegar taste. Maple liquor..why not? but the kitchen took no advantage of that component neither, the liquor adding nothing discernible here.
Seems like the amuse-bouches had no intent to amuse on this lunch: the celebrated vegetable tartlets (filling of mousses of various seasonal vegetables) looking big on photos, but disappointingly minuscule in reality (I appreciate delicate creations…but not to the point of not being able to discern anything) , so tiny (about the size of our Canadian penny, no more than 20mm in diameter) that it was hard to properly enjoy their taste and make an opinion about them. Even upon deploying tremendous efforts to focus on whatever discernible flavor that was left, they tasted nothing special as far as I am concerned. The level of those amuse-bouches we were sampling on this lunch was weak (an overall 4/10 for the sushi legumier, coquetier liqueur d’érable and vegetable tartlets on this specific meal. And I am being nice here. )
Then carpaccio of tomato/ huile de sureau. Finally a dish showcasing Passard’s cooking philosophy, the one that appealed to me for its ability to extract the most out of the least. This dish did just that: stellar tomato taste with exciting seasoning (huile de sureau). 9/10
Gazpacho de tomate, creme glacée moutarde is an example of creativity (rework of the gazpacho) paired with amazing deliciousness. Not many great kitchens can extract this much excitement from a gazpacho. The mustard ice cream adding incredible depth of flavour, but what amazed me with this dish is that many can copy it, but I doubt that the perfected textures and work of the taste can be reproduced even by the most skilled brigades. For what it is (a creative gazpacho), this dish is of benchmark material. 10/10
Then, their legendary fines ravioles potageres. I read about comparisons with Chinese wonton soups, but If you cook both versions (Passard’s recipe is easy to find online) you will quickly realize that they have nothing in common apart the fact that they are boiled pastas. The ultra refined al dente pasta (another thing that you’ll realize when trying to replicate this recipe is the amount of patience and long practice that is needed, even by professional cooks, to get to this level of precise refinement of both the stock and the texture of the pasta ) is a work of world class precision, and again that is what I call fabulous creativity (not many kitchen brigades would think about proposing ravioles the way they are doing it). The pastas were stuffed with seasonal vegetables, the one with beets tasting really of beets…but the others we were trying could have been whatever vegetable we would want them to be and it would not matter because they had no distinct taste. Furthermore, the taste of the broth (parfum de Melisse, on this instance) was one of such aggressive minerality (like a tisane high on mineral aromas, which means not a pleasant tisane) that I found this dish hard to enjoy. 5/10 (Still, keep in mind that this broth and the content of the ravioles varies a lot depending on the seasons, so there are chances you’ll stumble upon far more enjoyable ones).
Aiguillette de homard bleu nuit acidulé au miel nouveau, transparence de navet globe au romarin – For my taste, most boiled lobsters (this one was boiled), as great as they might be, can’t hold a candle to the finest grilled ones (for palatable impact) and sweetness (the lobster was slightly honey-flavored) to seafood dish is just another road block on my way to enjoy the marine freshness of the lobster. It was cooked right, as evidenced by the tender flesh of the lobster, but exciting this was not 6/10
Sole poached in vin jaune was delicious and its cooking without reproach, the accompanying pieces of octopus not startling, but properly tenderized. 7/10 for the fish (it came with nicely smoked potatoes, chives and cabbage)
Corn risotto/parsley emulsion is the kind of dish that many ambitious tables will take for granted because it looks simple and sounds easy to create, but the reality might tell a different story: the stunning corn flavor was enhanced by a balanced and addictive creamy-ness that you can’t just provoke by adding cream to corn. I love this kind of dish since it lures into believing that you can replicate it. Yes, anyone can re-create this recipe, but few will be able to replicate the exact depth of eventful flavors of this dish. Inspired! 10/10
Robe des champs Arlequin à l’huile d’argan, merguez légumière, aubergine d’autrefois, courgette ronde de Nice, carotte white satin is a creatively constructed dish of semolina, vegetables (beets, tomatoes,carrots), vegetable sausage…. but I was disappointed by a dry vegetable sausage that was oddly sweet and salty in a non appetizing way. The bitterness of the rest of that dish was the other major problem. Not a pleasant dish at all.
Things then took the direction of the finer dishes of this meal: T-bone d’agneau de Lozère aux feuilles de figuier, aubergine à la flamme (roasted T-bone of lamb — the image on the left or above, depending on your web browser’s display settings) would be a crowd pleaser at a world class steakhouse (fabulous taste) and the piece of pigeon/cardamom was a benchmark beautifully rosy (ideal doneness) bird with exciting taste. 8/10 for the lamb, 10/10 for the pigeon, but scores will never be high enough to convey the real great pleasure that I was having with both the lamb and pigeon. Exciting. Also, ppl talk a lot about the beautiful dishes at l’Arpege, and I was eyeing at an example of just that: the way those two dishes were constructed was of unusual supreme visual appeal (hard to tell when looking at that pic, but definitely easy on the eyes in reality).
The pigeon came with white beans that had such an amazing mid eastern flavour profile.
Red pepper velouté was another benchmark offering of its kind, with superb creamy texture, joyous mouthfeel, the feast went on with the exciting combination of an addictive speck cream. A lesson in the art of taking a familiar dish and turn it into something profoundly inspiring. 10/10
To end the meal, a well kept aged Comte from Maitre affineur Bernard Anthony and a superb piece of moelleux du revard.
Then their millefeuille (blackberry ,thyme) which is indeed light and an enjoyable alternative to its classic version (7/10), and a rework of the classic ile flottante that showcased a creative mind but which, for me, suffered from strong coffee flavour (6/10). The classic ile flottante fared better. I personally do not mind this creative take, but it was just difficult to cope with the strong coffee taste.
A plate of mignardises comprised of vegetable-flavoured macarons (not as bad as I had anticipated), the nougat truly delicious, the apple tart shaped like a rose having nice buttery pastry with joyous apple flavour (8/10)
Pros: the young and dynamic sommeliere from the Czech republic. Her wine suggestions by the glass were so inspired (2)The superlative delicious pigeon/lamb/corn risotto, benchmark creative takes on the gazpacho/red pepper velouté. All items that many will pretend to be able to easily deliver, but few will really reach out to the depth and deliciousness of those. Usually, when there are lesser impressive items in a meal, my overall impression is affected, but not in this case. Here my overall impression had just the finest dishes in mind (3)the very approachable and genuine Maitre D’ Helene Cousin.
Cons: the Arlequin robe des champs, lobster, ravioles potageres, vegetable tartlets (though, for the sake of accuracy, it is important to remind that they do offer different versions of those, so you may be luckier than I was). Also, the gentleman who served most of our meal needs to explain the dishes a bit more, exactly like what Maitre D’ Helène Cousin did when she served the red pepper velouté
The wine service: A section that I add to my reviews when I am very impressed by the wine service at a restaurant. The behaviour of the sommeliere from the Czech republic was admirable in all possible aspects: being able to listen, share, never contradicting while making her point whenever necessary, etc. But all of that was done way better than what passes as the norm for great hospitality standards (Helene Cousin also excels at that, but in the different role of the Maitre D’). Right upon perusing the wine menu I knew I’d pick the 2008 Meursault ”Tessons, Clos de Mon Plaisir” from the domaine Roulot. She had other choices in mind for me as she pointed to amazing little gems that were less expensive and indeed of great quality. But I went with what I had in mind for the most part of this meal, and she never interfered. A first great classy act from her part. This Meursault is a type of Bourgogne blanc wine that I highly enjoy for its balanced acidity/minerality, enticing nose of ripe fruits, great level of intensity/complexity. It will continue to age well, there’s no doubt about that, but it’s already a top flight flacon). Me chosing that Meursault was also a trap: was my sommelière going to be passive and not flag wine/dish pairings that made no sense (it is surprising how many sommelier/e/s even at highly regarded restaurants do fall into that trap)? NO she never fell into that trap! She is a very present/focused/competent sommelière as she tactfully intervened whenever necessary. The way she did that and the suggestions she had is about the difference between a great sommelière (which she is) Vs a standard sommelier-e. For me, a great wine pairing has nothing to do with showing off pricey wines. It should be about finding, even among the more affordable ones, the wines that turn into true gems because their pairing to a specific dish is flawless. It’s exactly what she did. A world class sommeliere.
Service/Ambience: Professional. The younger waiters and waitresses looking very serious, though their youth and energy makes the whole effect not heavy (as in way too serious). Maitre D’ Helene Cousin truly embodying the concept of L’Arpège — which is the theme of a ‘maison de cuisine’, a house imagined by Alain Passard where he receives his guests in a cosy environment (which explains why you do not have the huge space between the tables / grand luxury, etc…of most of the grand restaurants of Paris) — with cordial and yet professional demeanour. I like this approach of being genuine/approachable (The sommelière from the Czech Republic also followed this approach faithfully) since it reminds us that, after all, the most important is that the customer is there to have fun. The only suggestion I would have is that the gentleman who served most of our meal needs to be a tad more chatty in his description of his dishes. All in all, they are French, I am French, so communication was naturally flawless.
Decor: The interior decor is regularly described as understated. But this place is all about details, so the idea, as Chef Passard has widely explained to numerous medias, is to replicate the ambience of a house. Thus, no grand formal luxury, but the apparent understated warmth of the art-deco inspired home that Passard has imagined for his guests: pear tree wood panels (designed by Jean-Christophe Plantrou) sparsely adorned with few of his paintings, some glass etching works, some retro style chrome-armed chairs, ebene de macassar material (this material is elementary in classifying L’Arpège interior deco as Art deco). Passard replacing the usual flowers on the tables, by vegetables.
Overall food rating (by the highest Classic French 3 star Michelin standards): 8/10** I was immensely impressed with the best dishes of this meal which were so inspired and had such high impact (on my palate) that the lesser items were long forgiven (though, not forgotten…which is the sole reason I am not giving a 10/10 to this meal. Trust me, I am tempted to give that 10, Lol.. but have opted to remain rational)! There are always restaurant meals which finest dishes are impressive, but this one was something else. The heights of this meal, for their benchmark joyous flavors and superb creativity, will rarely be paralleled. As with any restaurant meal that impresses, I do not know if L’Arpège can do this all the time. All I know is that the best dishes of this meal I just had, are …. true benchmarks, by any top dining standards and will be remembered as long as my memory serves me right. It is rare that an 8/10 meal delivers dishes far superior to a 10/10 meal (i.e., a flawless high level meal but with no particular heights) and this was one of those rare cases. Soul satisfaction ***Two months after this meal, I raised the score of my lunch at L’Arpège to a 10/10. It might sound controversial to assign a perfect score to a meal where many items triggered indifference from my part (the amuse bouches, the ravioles potagères, just to name a few), but at the end of the round, and with hindsight, I was left with a much more important reflection: even among world’s very best, few Chefs have the exceptional palate found behind the finest dishes of that meal (referring to the incredible heights of deliciousness of the better dishes that they’ve cooked. And where many would reproduce those simple looking food presentations only to end up with items of ordinary effect (which happens a lot because many kitchen brigades/cooks simply can’t make the difference between ORDINARY……….. vs SIMPLE), L’Arpège offers plenty of inspired touches to admire for those with an eye and…a palate …….for details. If such heights would have been the norm I’d play it rough (referring to the lesser dishes), but is is not. It is not the norm. It is NOT! What I like the most with L’Arpège is that they have opted to be different (from the conventional fla fla of luxury dining), NOT for the sake of just being different because it’s trendy, BUT because they truly are.
Conclusion: I prefer a table that does not rests on its laurels like this one, rather than places where everything is uniformly done well but without soul/inspiration. The better dishes of this meal were true moments of divine ‘gourmand’ enjoyment. I’ll also add this: for me, being creative is doing things the way few are thinking about doing them. The way they have thought their ravioles (that level of finesse in creating those ravioles and the thought they did put in working its taste – the fact that I did not like it substracts nothing from the true creativity of that dish — ) has nothing to do with what most ambitious kitchen brigades would think about doing with a bowl/some pasta/some vegetable and water in their hands. The gazpacho, the corn risotto, the red pepper etc..same thing: easy sounding creations that tons of kitchen brigades can do, BUT rarely with this level of utter refinement, attention to details, and superlative work of the taste.
For something safe all the way, which is not my thang, this meal (I judge meals, not restaurants) was obviously not perfect. But if for you, the higher highs can potentially …potentially, I wrote…rise to benchmark levels (the case of this lunch), then this would be a standard bearing one. I think that when your higher highs are far better than restaurants of your rank (which was the case on this lunch), then you deserve a 10/10….but way too many items left me wanting for more on this lunch (lobster, ravioles potageres, arlequin Robe des Champs), which in the end leaves me with the 8/10 as a fair overall score (update November 2013: a score that has NOT stood the test of time – SEE my addendum, written in red, to the overall score section ) . More importantly, L’Arpège continues to rank among the stronger 3 star Michelin destinations around the globe, one of my few favourite.
Added in October 2013 – What I think a month later : I purposely add this section to all my reviews because there’s of course different stages of the appreciation of a meal. There is the ‘right-off the bat’ stage which is obviously the freshest impressions you have, then of course what you think about it later on. Some people think that you should always wait before unveiling your thoughts about a meal, which to me is akin to manipulating reality. It’s one thing to think for a while before making an important decision, but if talking about the appreciation of your meal does require some second thoughts, then I am afraid you are just sharing a portion of the reality. What you’ve read before was my fresh impressions. What you’ll read next is where I stand a month later: that meal at L’Arpège could be perceived as a crash or a triumph depending on who you are as a diner. A crash if you think of a restaurant as that robot who’s supposed to read in your mind and feed you with the exact bites you want, which I think would be a naïve approach to dining. A triumph if you understand that a meal needs to be judged on the back of the heights it can reach, not in terms of this is good, that is less good and that is a bit better. Then, there’s also this important observation to make: there’s a reason some restaurants deserve their 3 star Michelin rank (needless to stress that for me, this is a strong 3 star when it ‘’touches the sky’’’ as it did on that meal). And that reason is the same that makes a Porsche, a Lamborghini or a Ferrari all well praised cars: the details! If for you a Porsche is simply an assemblage or metal, nothing more, then do not bother with it! You are losing your time. Same thing for this meal at L’Arpège: if for you that Arlequin of legumes is just a take on the couscous, or those ravioles are just interpretations of wonton soups, please do yourself a favor: stick to the numerous canteens you won’t fail to find on your way. Leave those to people who can appreciate the details / thoughts that were invested in those dishes. I do not mean to sound rude by saying so, just pragmatic as you’d want to constructively tell to anyone who can’t properly appreciate a great song in its full nuances to simply stay away from it. Despite how easy as it sounds (upon reading many reports about their cooking), what I was sampling takes, in facts, a lot of training, efforts and skills (it’s one thing you not like a dish, it is another thing to trim it down to what it is not) . When this brigade at L’Arpège performs like it did on this meal (referring to the finest dishes of this meal, obviously), the analogy I’ll consider is one related to sports, the 100 metres race: this brigade powered through the finish line when many of its peers are still at the starting blocks.
The lunch did start with some amuse-bouches with fillings such as cream of truffle, gazpacho, calamari, bottarga, sauce gribiche ), some bread called fougasse (their take on it — different, in looks, from most traditional variations of the fougasse — would make us, in North America, think of a “cousin” of the english muffin) that you dip in olive oil (fleur d’huile d’Olive of Moulin a huile du Partegal ). Then a Mediterranean oyster, oyster Tarbouriech, lightly poached, with a reasonable briny taste and plenty of body, served with seawater jelly and some oyster tartare.
Cressonette are Cuckoo flower leaves (a terrestrial “cousin” of the watercress) and they are a dream for any fan of the watercress (I am one of them), their vibrant fresh wildcress flavor (without the agressive bitterness that watercress can sometimes be accused of) expressed excitingly well in the cold coulis that it was transformed into, the piece of frog leg (with, inside of it, a “coulant” of the spectacular cuckoo flower leaves, a match made in heaven) as well as some first-rate baby vegetables (with a particularly outstanding piece of celery root) that it was paired with, were all examples of what you are blessed with, when superb sourcing flirts with fabulous cooking. The kick of saltiness of the coulis was not a mistake, in this specific case, but a necessary flavor enhancer. A world class dish. 10/10
Tourte d’anguille (a pie of eel), saoule de vin en matelotte fumée girolles et champignons en fine croûte de pain cramat. The eel is marinated in wine for several hours, seasoned, coated in flour , pan-seared then “encased” in squid ink flavored cylindrical-shaped sliced bread. That sliced bread is actually the “croûte (crust) de pain (bread) cramat (comes from the French word ‘ cramé’ which means ‘burnt’ because that is the effect the kitchen was looking for when crafting the squid ink flavored sliced bread). The marinade is then used to make the sauce that will be thickened with butter and enhanced by the taste of cognac/thyme/bay leaf/espelette pepper/mushrooms/carrots/onions/smoked bacon. Very good 8/10
Vrai faux citron de Menton délicatement cassant, sorbet citrus bergamote et kumquat du Japon (citrus bergamot / kumquat sorbet ), crème thym citron (thyme and lemon cream), meringue croustillante (crispy meringue). A blown sugar “lemon” filled with a sorbet of citrus bergamot and kumquat, meringue, thyme and lemon cream. The kumquat‘s natural bitterness was toned down (the kumquat that was used is of the Meiwa varietal, a kumquat that is sweeter than most kumquats – L’Auberge du Vieux puits gets theirs from Mas Bachès) , which allowed for a fine balance of taste sensation. Only the leaf was real, all the rest was a reproduction of the shape of a lemon. I am not a fan of the trompe-l’œil technique (the illusion of a lemon , in this case) , but truth be told, it was really well done ( it looked like a real lemon), especially the “rind” of the “fruit”, which…I swear…I thought was the real thing. Above all, it tasted great. 8/10
Razor clam / Mussel – A gentleman fisherman named Charly (from Vandre, near the Mediterranean sea which is not far) brings them his jewels of the sea. All utterly fresh. The beautiful thing about seafood..obviously…it that its freshness cannot be mimicked. It is utterly fresh or it will be a disaster. Nothing in between. You would tell me that Charly snatches his razor clams from the floor of the sea and ships them right away to the restaurant, I would believe you – It was that fresh! Those who love the trompe-l’œil technique will be pleased by an edible shell (for both the razor clam and the mussel) mimicking perfectly the real thing. Amusing to the eye, and pleasant on the palate.
-Oeuf poule Carrus « pourri » de truffe melanosporum (truffled egg) , sur une purée de champignons (on a mushroom purée), et briochine tiède (with a small lukewarm brioche) et cappuccino à boire (and “cappuccino” to drink) – Getting the Oeuf poule Carrus « pourri » de truffe is what people keep advocating. The egg is from a farm called la ferme de Carrus (Mayronnes), its yolk is replaced by a coulis of black truffle (Chef Goujon got that idea after sampling a century egg), the egg served lukewarm, as it should be, or else it will change to a solid state (obviously), it is covered by a black truffle sabayon, served with a mushroom mash (butter was whisked into the mash at the end of the cooking process), and grated black truffle. The season for black winter tuber melanosporum truffles goes from November to March, and this is the right time to enjoy them (even though, they are even better towards the end of December). You break the egg with a georgette. The main challenge comes from the truffles as they depend on the seasons, obviously, therefore the kitchen has to work harder in finding the right place for the right truffle. On paper, eggs and truffle, that is a safe match, but, in reality, there was nothing “safe” about this food item as it takes lots of thoughts to create this dish. Be humourous and crack a joke like “J’apprécie l’effort déployé par le Chef, mais je désire vous confier que d’ordinaire, je ne mange pas d’oeuf pourri” ;p I am usually not a fan of altering the nature of an exceptionally good fresh egg, but what Chef Goujon did was a demonstration of creativity that I do expect at this level of dining. Excellent 9/10
With the oeuf poule carrus came a pleasant ‘cappuccino’ of truffle (indeed, you truly had the feeling of drinking a real cappuccino, only, here, truffle was used instead of coffee) as well as an equally satisfying truffled brioche (7/10 for both).
Filet de rouget barbet (fillet of red mullet), pomme bonne bouche fourrée d’une brandade à la cébette en “bullinada” (potato filled with a brandade of the flesh of red mullet/spring onion as well the liver of the red mullet), écume de rouille au safran (foam of saffron rouille that the kitchen made by using egg yolk/mustard/garlic/tomato confit/saffron/olive oil/vegetable stock ). Bullinada is a Catalan fish stew. They pour the stew over the foam of saffron rouille, and both ‘fall’ over the fish and its accompaniments of mussels and thinly cut pieces of vegetables. The rouille’s depth of flavor and superb texture as perfected as it gets, the level of the spice of the stew not as vivid as what you came to expect from this sort of Southern French stew, but that is a positive thing in this particular case: the balance of the flavors was remarkably harmonious. A creative contemporary take on a classic stew. 8/10
Lièvre à la royale is a classic of French cuisine that I have enjoyed for many years. Click here for a recipe of the Lièvre à la Royale. There is more than one recipe of Lièvre à la Royale, but I am not going to elaborate on them as this is not the right post for that. The hare (lièvre) is deboned, marinated, stuffed with a mix of foie gras / the heart and lungs of the hare/ beacon/carrots/garlic/a bit of the blood of the hare/shallots and truffle, rolled into a ballotine, braised for hours, then served with a red-wine based sauce that is mixed with the blood of the hare and the cooking jus (to which, a bit more of the foie gras, or some butter as well as cocoa can be combined to thicken the sauce). This dish featured a flawless full-bodied sauce with an equally technically well made ballotine. 8/10
Sorbet de clémentine en peau semi-confite, suprêmes en tartare, feuillantine de chocolat et crème pralinée pistache – A clementine sorbet made its way under a clementine peel that was candied to great effect: the peel timely simmered to an ideal tender consistency, you had a bit of the fresh taste of the clementine in evidence, the level of sugar well judged. The segments of the clementine transformed into a “tartare”, the chocolate feuillantine made — as you would expect from a restaurant of this standing — of first rate chocolate. The praline cream expressing enticing almond and caramelized sugar flavors, and I will extend the compliment to the pistachio. The sorbet served at a temperature that does not clash with the temperature of the candied peel, which most people would argue that it is a ‘normal’ or ‘expected’ feature, but in reality, many pastry teams, even at this level of fine dining, would not get this right. The relevant classic French pastry techniques well mastered. 8/10
–Spit-roasted suckling pig (over an open fire). As tasty as your suckling pig will taste at most good restaurants in France and North America. A bit like with the lobster, I have hard time finding suckling pig, in France and North America, that can match the dazzling suckling pig I was eating in my tender childhood in the Indian Ocean (I think it happened just once in North America
–Gratin de pâtes, fromage parmesan, cèpes- Gratineed pasta, cooked in a parmesan/penny-bun bolete mushroom cream. The pasta cooked a bit longer than aldente. I find it less “fun” to eat pasta cooked too long in a cream because you have less textural contrast, less ‘counterpoint’ to the cream, but hey…we are in France, not Italy. That said, this featured precisely balanced rich and delicious flavors. 7.5/10.
An anonymous Montrealer's Michelin Star dinners 
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