A Fatal Attraction to Cuteness

Pierre Gagnaire

Ok so I know I’ve been a bit of a downer what with my bad service this and really expensive that BUT I now bring you the best dining experience of my life. Behold, Pierre Gagnaire.

Pierre Gagnaire is situated in the Hotel Balzac in a tiny street behind the Champs Elysee. The hotel looks a bit fancy but I probably wouldn’t stay there over somewhere like Le Meurice or Plaza Athenee. The restaurant has its own entrance and you will probably be surprised to see that it is quite a small place with what seems to be a disproportionate amount of staff. What you will see later is that each and every one of these staff members is necessary and you won’t even realise that they are there.

If you’re a lady be prepared to get a menu without prices on it. This means your date is paying. Or something. I ordered a ‘salad’ which turned out to be priced at 125 Euros. Whoopsie! It was so worth it, though – each course has about five different plates (hence the numerous staff members) and you absolutely cannot fault the food.

Dad ordered the lunch menu which was four courses (about 20 plates worth of food – I’m being serious) but the tables were really big and the restaurant quite peaceful so I didn’t want to disturb people around me by passing plates around or getting up to take photos of his food so I can’t share his meal with you.

I can, however show you what mum and I had.

First was the amuse bouche – the greatest amuse bouche of all time. They brought out all these plates and explained the dishes to us before mum and I had time to tell them that we can’t eat seafood. Was this a problem? Absolutely not. They whisked the seafood dishes away and replaced them with equally stunning, beautifully tasting canapés like I’ve never tasted before.

Crazy, huh?!

I forgot to mention earlier that the other seamless trick the staff performed was when mum announced she doesn’t drink alcohol. They immediately suggested a ‘juice degustation’ to complement both the amuse bouche and her salad entrée. Three little juices came out: tamarillo and raspberry, passionfruit and orange and red grapefruit. How sweet is that? It was quite simple and failsafe but also really unusual.

Speaking of unusual, the bread at Pierre Gagnaire is definitely worth noting. A gorgeous soft brioche best smothered in citrus butter was a favourite but the chestnut flour bread came in at a close second.

Somehow with some room left in my stomach after that endless amuse bouche I ate this salad. I think I mentioned five plates per course earlier but I must apologise as this one had EIGHT.

Feeling sorry for whoever does the dishes in this plate I moved onto the main course. Even after her veal mishap at Joel Robuchon mum ordered the veal and I ordered beef. Again, I kind of regret my decision as we have such good beef here. It was very moist and the sauce was rich and nurturing but it must have been a high-grade of wagyu or something as the marbling was a bit too full on for me. The accompaniments were out of this world, though.

Mum’s veal:

Oh my god. Time for dessert. Yes, I still wasn’t full. There were only a couple of options for dessert. A choice of one of three soufflés or Le grand dessert de Pierre Gagnaire which is eight more plates worth of food. Mum and I decided to share this one and I’m glad we did. It was huge. Incredible, but huge.

But first, another amuse bouche!

From the start:

Red fruit, white chocolate

Apricot – quite earthy but a really cute texture. Like a little bubble ^_^

Lemon, basil

Apple tarte tatin – this was some Willy Wonka ish. First you’re like ok cool, apple tart and then you swallow and the taste of whipped cream washes over your mouth and picks up accents of the apple and it’s like a dream.

Coffee

Grapefruit

Now the eight plates full:

My only negative comment would be that I tried to order an iced coffee (long shot, I know) and instead they brought me a cup of black coffee with some ice. LOL! it just turns to water when you put it in the hot coffee, guys!

If that’s the only thing I could find remotely wrong with the place then they’re doing ok.

Pierre Gagnaire was around so I asked the staff if I could have a little photo-op. They rang him and told me he would have a decision for me in ten minutes. I fully expected to have a cloche presented to me where, upon opening, steam would come off a plate of shaved unicorn tusk and form the word “non” but he actually just appeared himself and posed for a photo:

Luckily I was wearing a puffy dress or you’d be able to see those four million dishes poking through my stomach.

So, prices. Yes. For 2 entrees, 2 mains, 1 grand dessert, 1 lunch menu, 3 glasses of champagne, a juice degustation and a couple of glasses of wine the bill came to over 1000 Euro so obviously this is not for everyone. Was it worth that price? Hell-effing-yes. I still think about this meal with extremely fond memories and would go back in a heartbeat. The staff was perfect, the food was flawless and the whole experience is well deserving of its three Michelin star status. If you can – please go.

Bookings need to be made ahead and can only be done so  within the month of arrival. It’s a bit of a rigmarole with booking, too. You’ll need to email a form back once you’ve made your initial enquiry and there’s a bit of emailing back and forth but, as I said, very much worth it. Pierre Gagnaire is also closed for a lot of Summer so try to do your research well before you plan your visit.

Has anyone else tried Pierre Gagnaire? What did you think?

6 Rue Balzac  

75008 Paris, France
http://www.pierre-gagnaire.com

July 20, 2012 at 12:49 pm 11 comments

Plaza Athenee

Mon Dieu! I forgot to put in a post that was supposed to be before Chambord. Although, it might be good to break it up with an easy viewing post before I bombard you with another one full of beautiful yet ridiculously old buildings again.

We had a little mishap with a certain store on Avenue Montaigne charging us twice which resulted in the bank cancelling one of dad’s cards so we had to head back as soon as we could to get them to reverse that charge. While we were there (again) I wanted to check out the Plaza Athenee hotel which is where the greatest musician of all time, Mariah Carey, had just stayed with her three children for the two youngest ones’ first birthday a month or so earlier.

I really wanted to dine at Alain Ducasse’s restaurant here but I had already booked lunch at his three-starred restaurant in London so I didn’t really want to double up. No harm in having morning tea at the hotel, though, right?

The hotel is absolutely gorgeous. The coral-y red tones carried throughout the whole building and into the garden as well, with pots of flowers surrounding the centre courtyard that a lot of the rooms look on to.

The morning tea menu was quite short but I wanted literally everything on it. While my parents both ordered the millefeuille, I had ‘caramel sundae’ and a big rich pot of hot chocolate.

My dessert was fun and sweet and pretty different to anything I’d been having in Paris. I was, however, supremely jealous of the millefeuille. Not only did it look incredible but the tiny mouthful mum afforded me was just one of the best things I’ve ever tasted. Weeks later we’ve still been talking about it – and this was no famous patisserie or anything like that – just the lounge of the Plaza Athenee.

Of course, this little venture was not cheap. The hot chocolate was 12 Euros and the desserts no less than 20 each but if you’re headed to Paris on a budget and something like this is the only bit of luxury you can afford on your trip, I say do it. It was even more memorable than Laduree and about the same price. The surrounds are beautiful and relaxing and you might even bump into Mariah Carey!

Plaza Athenee

25 Avenue Montaigne

75008 Paris

France

Tel: +33 1 5367 6665

http://www.plaza-athenee-paris.com/

July 17, 2012 at 12:10 pm Leave a comment

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile is located right on the Champs Elysee within the Publicis Complex, quite a nice department store in its own right, and is one of Joel Robuchon’s many restaurants around the world. He is the most awarded chef on Earth by Michelin Star standards and from the majority of comments on twitter and Facebook and other reviews in both traditional media or on blogs it’s no surprise why. However I must say that my experience was not overwhelmingly positive. I’d like to say that the hype is what caused me to be disappointed but overall I think ultimately there were a few contributing factors.

I think my disappointment began when mum, a non-alcohol drinker, asked what non-alcoholic drinks were available. Just a couple of days before at L’Avenue she had been offered a virgin mojito, so you’d think a two-Michelin-starred restaurant would be able to make up something similar, right? Wrong. The choice was pineapple, orange or apple juice. Bottled at that.

My disappointment continued with the menu. When I skimmed the website I thought that what turned out to be the lunch menu, was actually the menu for dinner. There were three selections and with each price increase was another course or two. I thought this seemed like a splendid deal as there was something to please each of our tastes and the price was fantastic. When we were seated by the very lovely staff (a definite bonus here – and there are more plusses to come, it’s not all negative!) we were handed the a la carte menu which was very different. “It’s like tapas” we were told, with the first page being a range of ‘share’ plates or “petites portions”, the second page a variety of skewers and the third page some mains. This “tapas” would begin at 17 euros with the most expensive priced at 51 euros. You could also order a mini burger with chips for 33 euros. After being read the whole menu in English (just to be sure we knew 100% what we would be choosing from) I tentatively ordered the foie gras at 25 euros. This was the cold foie gras (as opposed to the hot foie gras also in this section of the menu) served with toast. While the foie gras itself was lovely and fine the overwhelming charred taste of the toast (I’m assuming on purpose) was too heavy for the liver and when I ran out of toast and put the rest on the bread we had been served at the table it was infinitely better. I’m sure I know the chefs know a lot more about matching flavours than I do but my taste buds know what they like!

For her first course mum ordered the chicken skewers and I knew immediately that she didn’t like them when she cut a large portion off one and offered it to me. I thought they were ok but in a restaurant of this calibre you expect more than just ok. To even serve chicken skewers in this kind of restaurant was baffling in the first place. There was, however, an accompanying soup which seemed to go down easily as there were no complaints from mum. I managed to take a photo of one of the adorable mushrooms in it, too. The cuteness made up for the chicken.

As you probably know from reading other food posts on my blog I don’t eat seafood. Mainly because my mother and I are allergic so I didn’t grow up eating it. My allergy is not so bad that I’ll die if I have any, so I have tried it a bit in the past few years, but I’m just not attune to the taste. My dad on the other hand loves seafood and for the sake of enjoying the whole experience he decided to order the ‘Menu “Decouverte de Saison” at 165 euros p/p (not including wine). This was actually quite good value as he was served 8 dishes including amuse bouche and the occasional extra course was handed to mum and I as dad was receiving his – another generous thing they didn’t have to do.

Dad struggled a bit with his first course. While he likes the taste of seafood, it’s the textures that put him off. When he saw lobster jelly he almost lost it. I was trying to reason with him and explain the cooking process but then I realised that if someone offered me chicken jelly I’d be freaked out too. Just because I like something in its whole form doesn’t make it cool when it’s in the form of jelly! The dish was very pretty, though, and once he got over the initial qualms, dad was happy with the dish overall.

 

The next course in the seasonal menu was described as a cheesy smoked salmon and caviar dish with wasabi. I must admit, even as a non-seafood eater, this looked pretty nice. The pastry-type shards you can see are actually fried cheese and the orange cubes around the bottom, the smoked salmon. Dad absolutely loved this one and you can see why.

The third dish was a pea soup. I didn’t manage to get a photo of it before the actual soup had been poured over the top of the ingredients in the bowl so, unfortunately, the photo is not very pretty.

For my main I ordered lamb. In retrospect it was a silly choice as Australian lamb is so delicious but I think I was a bit thrown having been presented with these dishes I didn’t think I’d be choosing from that I just went for something safe. My mum, after hearing the selections from our waitress, ordered veal.

When the dishes arrived I was a bit confused to see a plate of lamb chops and nothing else. Wonderfully cooked, beautifully presented lamb chops, but lamb chops all the same. I think the disappointment in this case is partially my fault for ordering the wrong thing. As I said, there was nothing wrong with it but you just want more when you’re dining somewhere special.

Mum had two large pieces of veal on her plate and as she cut into the first she commented on how tender it was. Not even tender but smooth and buttery, unlike any veal she’d had before. The taste, she said, was a bit unusual but she went in for a second mouthful. This time she noticed it was gamey and not what she was expecting so she cut the other piece on the plate. It was here, with this same soft texture that she realised it was veal but more specifically, veal liver. I asked the waitress – this time in French – what part of the veal this was and she confirmed it was indeed liver. Mum strictly does not eat offal (aside from the occasional chicken liver pate or foie gras) so she said she just wouldn’t eat it – not thinking any more of it. Respectfully and unexpectedly, the veal was removed from the bill (I’m not suggesting that you go in, have a mouthful of everything and send it back but I just wanted to point out the high level of service we received).

Dad’s also a little funny about offal so the hot foie gras course was another obstacle. I found it amusing that even the design on the plate looked like it was taunting him. Ner ner ner ner ner!

He got through that (I love how I say that like it was some form of torture and not a two-Michelin-Star meal!) and it was all happiness from there on. His next favourite dish was Saint-Pierre fish (which I think is John Dory in English) with gnocchi and then the same lamb dish I had for my main albeit in a smaller portion.

Dessert time saw my only challenge of the night for where my parents don’t eat seafood and offal, I struggle with banana. Yep, seriously. One of the additional dishes for mum and I which was part of dad’s order was Pina Colada type dessert with rum and coconut. The banana layer really got to me as it’s the only fruit I have never been able to stomach. I’m cool with banana bread and ice cream but any other form and I near vomit. For the record this dish did not make me want to vomit – it was actually beautiful – it was just my own weirdness making me feel this way.

 

Luckily I had my own dessert to get the banana taste out of my mouth: a super-rich chocolate concoction with Oreo biscuit. It was so decadent I didn’t want to break the gold disk but once I finally did it was a chocolate lover’s heaven – perhaps even a little bit too rich for me by the end of it. Or maybe I would have preferred the bottom, richer layer to be on top and the lighter, moussier part to end the dessert with?

 

Mum had the soufflé which she said she didn’t like but I think after her meal consisted essentially of bottled pineapple juice and some mashed potato she was a bit over the whole thing, so it’s hard to judge how pertinent her opinion was.

Dad’s second dessert was cheese and pineapple and looks spectacular!

I can’t even remember how he said this tasted. Maybe he didn’t even eat it because it looked too pretty. I know I would have had a hard time messing it up.

Well that was a very long post so let me recap in brief…

Pros

• Nice, attentive staff who perhaps need to fine tune their English (or maybe patrons also need to learn their “hard limits” in French) to avoid confusion – trust me, I ordered everything in French for everyone for the rest of the trip to avoid anymore liver situations!!
• Very well presented dishes
• The seasonal menu was very good value and if you have no allergies/turn offs then I would say go for it and don’t even bother with the rest of the menu!
• Dad told the sommelier he trusted him to choose wine for each of his courses and the sommelier didn’t abuse this “trust” and provided him with wines that were around the 15 euro/glass mark where he could have gone crazy.

Cons

• Not a sufficient amount of non-alcoholic drink options
• Sitting at a bar, although comfortable, is a bit awkward with three or more

So while dad still talks about his meal and I had no problem with mine I just can’t rave about L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile the way I thought I would when I booked. I’m certainly glad that I’ve been but especially now after the dining experiences that followed this one I would not be rushing back.

I think I’m quite alone with these feelings because, as I said earlier, the general consensus online is that Joel Robuchon’s a genius. I was looking at photos on his Facebook page just the other day and the creations look magnificent so maybe it was an off night – he’s also not exactly in the kitchen himself – but you’d think the chefs would be some of the best in the world to reflect his own passion so this should translate into all the meals. Anyway, I’d love to know what you thought of it so please let me know in the comments section below.

Seven glasses of wine, 1 pineapple juice, 1 seasonal menu, 1 serve of skewers, 1 “tapas” entree, 1 main and 2 desserts cost just over 500 euros.

L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon Etoile

133 Champs-Elysées
Paris

http://www.joel-robuchon.net/

Did you have the time of your life or did your meal at Etoile fall flat like it did for me?

July 11, 2012 at 10:26 am 6 comments

Bastille Food Markets

My dad was told about the food markets which take place at Bastille on Sunday mornings before 1:00 pm. You’re close to a Metro station everywhere in Paris so it’s very easy to get to via train but if I did it again I would probably go the the stop after Bastille which will bring you smack bang in the middle of the market instead of somewhere across a couple of roads like we did. I’m pretty sure this station was Bréguet – Sabin but if someone has a more accurate way of getting there please leave a comment!

We turned up just after 9:00am which made us hungry enough to be interested in everything but still satisfied from an earlier breakfast to be discerning. As you walk along you’ll notice a few stalls are doubled up so unless you’re short of time it’s worth wandering up and down the whole strip and making note of what you want before buying it. I also noticed that a couple of the stands weren’t as well equipped with covers and the like and had flies hanging about whereas a stand selling the same produce 20m away didn’t, so you’ll be pleased if you don’t rush into things.

As well as food there are just a couple of stands with clothing, accessories and cooking utensils. I picked up something cool for a friend who is really into food and cooking but I think she might read my blog and I haven’t given it to her yet so I’ll have to keep it a secret

Even if you’re not in the market (ha!) for any fresh produce, there’s so much to see. The vendors will probably guess that you’re a tourist and won’t hassle you unless you show genuine interest and some might even offer you a cherry or two. As far as I could tell nobody had a problem with me taking photos which was nice as the displays are really extraordinary.

As you wander you’ll notice some big batches of beef bourguignon, coq au vin and other such stews and these smelled absolutely amazing. There were also a couple of Middle Eastern stalls and I could have died and gone to heaven walking past them.

Because we bought such small quantities we didn’t bother trying to bargain; in fact it didn’t look like even the locals were. I think the prices seemed very low particularly for how fresh and beautiful it all was and we decided that if we ever went back and got the same apartment that we’d plan the day better and cook up a big meal with things we’d bought at these markets. You could come here and buy literally everything you need, there was fruit, veggies, fish, meat, eggs, fresh pasta, herbs and spices, wheat products, dairy products, cakes, wines, flowers – you’d go nuts if you are someone who loves cooking and entertaining.

We ended up just picking up some bread, dips and olives and vine leaves (the best I’ve ever had, actually). I think we got a bit flustered by the end of it because we totally forgot cheese and butter. I know, right? WTF?!?!? Even so, what we had was more than enough for lunch because we had dinner at L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon that night so we didn’t want to be too full.

As much as I loved the markets and would 100% go back, if you only have three days or something in Paris and it’s your first time I’d probably give it a miss. I would probably also skip it if I wasn’t staying in an apartment as we had plenty of bowls and cutlery to really dish out what we’d bought and you may not have the same set up in a hotel. It is, however, a cheap and entertaining few hours in a place that is not overflowing with tourists. Keep in mind that Bastille is akin to Sydney’s Kings Cross so there were a few ‘characters’ about but nothing too drastic!

Would you be interested in attending a food market in Paris or would you prefer to not have to cook for yourself while you’re on holidays?

July 9, 2012 at 10:52 am 2 comments

Ladurée

After shopping all day at avenue Montaigne we jumped in a cab and headed to Saint Germain to eat at Ladurée. At this point I had only had one macaron in two days – terrible average considering I had already consumed about 8 croissants – so I was all set to fill up on Ladurée’s famous little morsels.

When we arrived, though, I didn’t realise there was an actual cafe with a really extensive menu. Mum usually stays in Saint Germain when she’s in Paris so she had taken me there on purpose to get the whole Ladurée experience and it was almost dinner time so I thought I’d may as well stuff myself.

I was craving an iced coffee – a frappe style one – so my only let down at Ladurée was when I ordered a frappe and it turned out to be sort of like coffee-flavoured Coca Cola. Nonetheless, my club sandwich was big and full and exactly the boost of energy I needed after a big day of walking.

However, Ladurée aren’t famous for their club sandwiches so I’m sure you want to see the desserts.

Before we left, mum bought the Ladurée recipe books, both savoury and sweet, from a homewares shop in Woollahra. The little cakes all look so pretty in their pastel pinks and mint greens and the book featured so many of the cakes you can buy in store. One that wasn’t in the book, though, was the Rose Ispahan with lychee and raspberry.

It’s basically a giant raspberry macaron with rose cream and whole lychees in the centre and, of course, a garnish of rose petal and raspberry. So beautiful, so girly and so very French. Mum and I both had the same and dad had the eclair version. Sorry, we’re a bit boring but we all love lychees and raspberries and despite being big and creamy it was still such a light dessert.

You can’t take photos in the store without getting told off and I wasn’t in the mood to be yelled at so I didn’t really take any unfortunately. However, just before I went on the trip it was announced that Ladurée will be opening a store in Sydney so if you can’t make it to France anytime soon you will be able to get your Ladurée fix a lot closer to home.

I really hope they go all out and include a boutique and cafe as well as the patisserie. It’s really nice to sit in there and dine as opposed to just walking out with something that’s so delicate and has the potential to break before you can even enjoy it. I think the success of Adriano Zumbo‘s cafe at The Star has proved that we have a need and love for pretty pastries in Australia but obviously Ladurée Sydney is going to be a huge hit no matter what format they decide to present themselves in.

The little boutique connected to the cafe sold super-cute wares like body products, candles, stationery and handbag charms but it was really quite expensive. They have a whole range with Hello Kitty but I just figured I didn’t really need a packet of stickers with macarons on them for 35 euros – I’d rather go and have another meal at Ladurée for that!

Speaking of prices, it wasn’t as cheap as I thought it would be. The desserts were around 15 euros plus and the main meals upwards from around 20 euros. I can’t remember specifics but I remember thinking that a one-hundred-and-something-euro bill was a fair bit for some egg whites and food colouring (and a couple of salads and a sandwich). Despite this, it’s definitely worth heading into a Ladurée store. It’s simply a ‘must-do’ when in Paris and you’ll find them dotted all over the city. There’s even one at Versailles but be warned as, from what I could tell, they don’t sell individual macarons there, only boxes of them and merchandise.

Ladurée Bonaparte

21 rue Bonaparte – 75006 Paris

Monday to Friday 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
Satuday 8:30 a.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Sunday and public holidays 10:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m

So, have you tried Ladurée and are you excited about Ladurée in Sydney?

July 4, 2012 at 11:45 am 7 comments