Good to know. Thanks Sophie. We’re overdue for a drive around that area. I’ll try to keep it in mind. What about La Rotonde or La Coupole?
I haven’t been to either of these places for some time, let alone ordered sole meunière. I suppose they should do rather well, but in the neighborhood I’d rather go to Le Dôme for that. The sole meunière in Bourg-en-Bresse was really outstanding.
If you’re headed there sometime, don’t miss Georges Blanc’s L’Ancienne Auberge 1900 for the typical Lyon-Bresse fare like frogs’ legs and airy quenelles. I was there in April and it was perfect.
Yes, I thought Le Dôme might be the best place. I looked at Christopher’s new website For Amarante and he had some amazing new dishes added. But I didn’t see any version of sole meunière. No matter, I could easily work my way through the entire menu, with plates such as “accras/blinis de lotte grillés à l’huile d’olive”.
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Yes, Christophe replaced the sole with lotte. I’m not a fan of monkfish usually, but he has the joue de veau on the Menu du Travailleur so that’s a good reason to go there after the Summer (it’s much too hot now).
I had completey forgotten about this, but the sole meunière at Le Duc is tops.
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Joue de veau at Amarante goes on the top of my list for when I return in September, assuming it’s not too hot then, too! And the sole at Le Duc may be my splurge of the autumn. In fact, the entire menu looks superb, if pricey.
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I thought hard about Amarante on our recent visit, but the two days I had as a solo lunch diner were fairly warm, and not only is Amarante way across town from where we were staying, but it is sunny at lunch and not air-conditioned (they sometimes draw the front drapes partially), and the joue de veau croustillante, while a terrific dish, is pretty heavy. Though I have to say that I got food poisoning from my takeaway chirashi sushi deluxe in the 9e (recommended on Le Fooding), so maybe I should have risked cardiac arrest instead.
Totally agree that Amarante is probably not a good choice on a hot day. When I think about it, almost every time I have been to Amarante has been a rainy evening, as in a film noir. Very fitting for Amarante somehow.
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@sfcarole I am surprised that you order it out since the sole at chez White is impeccable!
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Amarante’s cooking is substantial but not greasy. They also serve lovely, light cold dishes in the Summer.
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@pilgrim Well, when @onzieme and @Deuxchevaux are bringing the wine and you are regaling us with a hundred wonderful stories, the proverbial old shoe would taste delicious.
Thanks @sfcarole I am at the airport now waiting to board my flight, it’s a long way to travel (I am from Australia) but I am so looking forward to this trip and the amazing restaurants that I am so fortunate to visit along with everything else Paris has to offer!!
I have now been in Paris since Thursday evening (10th July) and have dined at Perception (Friday) and lunched at Chantoiseau (Saturday) and a.lea (Sunday) and the quality of the food and experience improved with each visit. I will get around to a comprehensive report but in short, I would rate each restaurant as follows:
Perception 5/10 sadly disappointing, I certainly ate everything that was served but the food was ok, nothing more.
Chantoiseau 7/10 an improvement over Perception. The lunch menu was their full al a carte menu and I opted for 3 courses (entree, main and dessert). Some interesting food combination choices but in the main it worked.
a.lea 9/10 the Sunday lunch menu consisted of 2 entree, main and dessert options. As with Chantoiseau, I opted for 3 courses and I honestly could not fault the presentation, cooking or food combinations, simple food done exceptionally well and I would definitely return (gives me a good reason to come back to Paris!).
I am heading to Le Pantruche tonight and tomorrow I am moving hotels (currently in the 9th and staying in the 6th for the next 5 days and then off to Bruges for some R&R, so I will provide a full report of my first 10 days in Paris then).
Happy eating!!
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So glad you enjoyed a.lea. It’s a little gem and one can have a great time exploring the lesser-known side of Montmartre while there.
Bummer it was not a hit for you. We have dined there twice in the last few years and enjoyed it both times, and it is a favorite on this board as well.
I was so looking forward to dining there so maybe it was a case of me setting the bar too high. Certainly my experience should not dampen others enjoyment!!
Great service and great food, you cannot ask for more than that!!
Just arrived back at my hotel after lunch at Alliance, just one word, WOW, that was next level cooking, presentation and service, I had the 5 course menu and remarked to one of the servers that I loved their take on the gazpacho that another serving arrived at my table!!!
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That is so typical at Alliance! The chef is a delight. I hope Shawn Joyeux was there spreading his bonhomie and dry wit.
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Alliance is always outstanding. Whether you are solo or with a group Shawn always makes you feel special. He is a wonderful combination of the French savoir faire and the American warmth and openness. His mother was raised in the USA and has dual citizenship. I always tease him and accuse him of being “faux French”. I am glad you enjoyed your lunch there.
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Hi, it has been a while since my last post so I wanted to provide an update and ratings of the restaurants I have visited over the past couple of weeks.
Le Pantruche 6/10 somewhat of a mixed bag, I opted for three courses, the entree of Lettuce Soup was accompanied by a zucchini flower stuffed with goats cheese was very refreshing. The main, Veal Quasi was sadly slightly overcooked and I looked on in envy at the two other diners whose veal was cooked to perfection. The signature dessert, Grand Marnier Souffle with a Salted Caramel Sauce was ok, the fumes from the alcohol overwhelmed the flavour of the souffle which was disappointing as this was a dessert that I was very much looking forward to.
Akabeko 8/10 I was not feeling 100% so I probably would have enjoyed it more if I was feeling better. I opted for the 7 course menu and did not take any notes but overall the dishes were light and fresh with the exception of the main of veal which was crumbed and seemed an odd choice and out of step with the rest of the menu.
Palais Royal Restaurant 7 1/2/10 being a 2 Michelin Star restaurant I had high hopes but it did fall short of expectations vs the cost. I opted for the From Paris to Athens menu, the composition of the dishes is available on their website. It was enjoyable without being outstanding though the lobster course was a standout.
La Petite Chaise 8/10 rustic style fare served in a cozy bistrot, the staff were friendly and very helpful (a number of online reviews were highly critical of the staff). Entree consisted of goat’s cheese in puff pastry with a side salad (this was big enough to be a main on its own), it was thoroughly enjoyable. I opted for beef tenderloin (medium rare) with fries and a siphoned bernaise sauce, the beef was cooked to perfection. Dessert was a let down, chocolate icecream and a raspberry sorbet (both were icy). If I had only ordered the first two courses the score would have been higher.
Alliance 10/10 pure perfection, I opted for the 5 course menu, and as per my previous post, I had 2 serves of the Gazpacho. I completely forgot to take notes on each course but rather than read about it I would encourage everyone who reads this post to experience it, it is well worth it!!
Anne 7/10, after 5 days in Bruges, I returned to Paris and stayed at Le Pavillon de la Reine, where I had a booking at their one Michelin Star restaurant, Anne. I decided on three courses from their al a carte menu. The entree was a sea bass tartare in a light coconut milk which was lovely and refreshing. The main, sole meuniere was a major letdown as it was not the “traditional” dish I was expecting. Instead it was two pieces of sole with 3 sauces made from green, red and yellow bell peppers, the dish lacked flavour and imagination. The dessert I ordered was a chocolate souffle with vanilla icecream, it was the standout of the 3 courses, the souffle was light and rich and the vanilla bean icecream was the perfect accompliment.
Bistrot Instinct 3/10, oh dear, this was a disaster from start to finish. Flavour and ingredient combinations that made no sense whatsoever and it was not pleasant. The restaurant was busy and the reviews are consistently good so maybe I am missing something. If anyone has eaten there and have had a different experience to mine please let me know.
Grand Coeur 7/10 as with Akabeko, I was not feeling 100% so I opted for a main and dessert only. The main, pasta with lobster and vegetables in a lobster bisque was a little too salty for my taste (I do not season my food with salt so I think that for the majority of diners the salt level would have been fine). The pasta was home made and al dente and the use of lobster in the dish was generous. For dessert I had a peach melba which was very nice though I did not finish it as I was full from the pasta dish.
From here, things started to look up.
Gemellus 9/10 I decided on the 5 course menu and it was wonderful, the only slight falter was the main meat dish, veal with mushrooms and a sardine fumee. The sardines for me were too salty for the delicate veal flavour but as I mentioned previously, I have an aversion to salt so for other diners they may have found the combination enjoyable.
Aldehyde 9 1/2/10 I opted for the 7 course menu and was not disappointed. The flavour combinations were amazing and though it is not middle eastern cuisine which is one of my favourites, the north african cuisine shares enough similarities that I knew it would be great as each dish was delivered to my table and explained in great detail. The strawberry shortcake with black olive and strawberry mousse and strawberry sauce, another sauce composed of green olives and a green olive icecream sounded like an insane combination of flavours but it worked, remarkable!! If I had not eaten at Alliance previous to Aldehyde it would have gotten a 10/10.
Ze Kitchen Galerie another 9 1/2 out of 10. I had lunch there today, superb!! For entree I opted for the lobster, tomato - tumeric condiment and coral in a light spicy broth, it was well balanced and delicious. For the main I had the duck, cherry and umeboshi condiment, the duck was cooked three ways - breast, leg and a ravioli, the cherry sauce included beets, it was divine. Dessert consisted of a light almond cake, peach foam, blackcurrant and an apricot sorbet, IMO one of the best desserts I have ever had, it was so good I asked for a second!!!
I cancelled my lunch at Kitchen Ter(re) which I am now regretting given the great meal I had at Ze Kitchen Galerie, unfortunately I am running out of days on my holiday so I won’t be able to rebook. Nhome tomorrow night and then LouLou so hopefully the meals will be as outstanding as the last three.
Until then, happy eating!!
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