Thank you for the report, I’m glad the restaurants I’m familiar with all went well for you. Enjoy the rest of your trip and I look forward to your next report.
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One thing I omitted to mention, my dinner at Anne was in the courtyard and I was seated next to a drainpipe and an accompanying drain. There was a lot of noises coming from the nearby bushes and then, out of the corner of my eye, I spied a rat scurring into the drain. I understand that rats are a big problem in Paris, but not a good look for a 5 star hotel and a one star Michelin restaurant. I did ask to be moved away from the drain and the wait staff kindly obliged but I did have to laugh when the initial request to move was met with a shrug and the words, “yes, Paris, rats” to which I replied Australia has rats too but we normally wouldn’t seat someone next to a drain if you know they may encounter a rat!!! It certainly didn’t add to the ambience!!
speaking of ambiance - how did you like Akabeko? The room looks kind of small with what looks like a large table for a group in the middle. It seems it can get too tight, warm, and loud? We generally prefer a more quaint feel for this type of dining like in Alliance.
FWIW the first time we ate at Perception a couple years ago, I’d give it a 9.5/10.
Last year’s meal, I’d give between an 8.5 and a 9.
But this past spring, while I clearly seem to have liked it more than Michelle did, I’d only give it about a 7.5.
Given the (relatively low) price, we will give it another chance, but if the next meal is about the same as the most recent one, I’ll probably drop it from the rotation.
Hi Beam, Akabeko consists of 2 rooms, a downstairs with counter seating and an upstairs room with banquette seating on both the left and right-hand sides of the room as you come up the stairs. The night I was there I had opted to sit upstairs (you have the option when you make an online reservation as to where you want to sit) and it was relatively quiet, mainly couples no large groups. The ambience is different to Alliance which I would describe as intimate but Akabeko definitely had a nice vibe to it. I hope that helps.
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Whew! Happy to see those 9s and 10s at the end! Thanks for your report.
I so wanted to love Perception, hopefully my experience is a blip and not representative of the majorities experience, which, based on other’s feedback has been positive.
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As I posted in early April, we were quite disappointed with our dinner in Perception this year - after having loved it (even more than Alliance) in April 2024.
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For Andy (and others disappointed with Perception) – were you having dinner or lunch? I’ve only ever had lunch, which has always been excellent, but I admit the last time was 1-1/2 years ago.
All 3 times we went to Perception it was for dinner.
My first time was more than 2 years ago. The 2nd time was 15 months ago. The most recent was in June. So my view tracks with yours.
It was only about 6-9 months ago IIRC did the first non-stellar review of Perception on this board show up.
