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Image 1: Even though it was a lovely sunny day in Paris, doing sightseeing outdoor versus enjoying a 3-star lunch indoor - it was a no-brainer for me!
Image 2: This lavish hotel is another one of the many 3-star venues in Paris. We mentioned our reservation to the friendly door staff and he kindly led us all the way to the entrance of the dining room.
Image 3: www.lebristolparis.com Chef: Eric Frechon
Tasting (7-course): €250 À la carte: About €80 starter and €90 main course
Open daily for lunch and dinner.
Image 4: High ceiling, crystal chandeliers, 17th century carpet, this is their winter dining room. During summer season, the restaurant moves to the summer dining room with a view of the garden! I don't know another restaurant that changes its dining room to suit the season!
Image 5: The meal began with the usual welcome - champagne trolley followed by a series of amuse bouche.
Image 6: Foamy onion cream green pea emulsion with goat cheese
Image 7: Melon sponge lollipop with thin crispy bacon
Image 8: Followed by a refreshing liquid cucumber that exploded in my mouth!
Image 9: And one more taster - Chilled tomato confit on basil broth topped with a dome of mozzarella mousse. Airy cheese, sweet tomato, aromatic basil, it was a very delicious start to our meal!
Image 10: What's the point of having such a luxurious silver butter holder when they only have a tiny selection of cold bread! Disappointing!
Image 11: First course, stood on a shallow layer of yuzu cream were three cute rolls of langoustines wrapped in celeriac jelly. Wow, the fresh moisture squeezed out from every bite followed by a touch of saltiness from the caviar - simple ingredients at their best! Though the yuzu cream was a bit too strong, it was still one of the best courses that we had for a while.
Image 12: Warm asparagus mousseline finished with a scoop of cold savoury black truffle sorbet.
Image 13: We first enjoyed the temperature contrast of each component before mixing them all up. It had some crunchy diced asparagus and a generous piece of black truffle at the bottom! What a creative dish!
Image 14: Underneath a paper thin bread crust was...
Image 15: A filet of line-caught whiting resting on a bed of spinach surrounded by a mild curry oil. Instead of making the skin of the fish crispy, the chef covered on top a crispy and savoury almond breadcrust. A clever twist! The texture of the spinach was remarkable too. The ingredients here were superb.
Image 16: After many successful courses, we knew this blue lobster would be a triumph and it was indeed the case. Served in two preparations: a fruity version - flash poached tail and main claw paired with a mild orange ginger sauce...
Image 17: ... followed by a powerful version using the mid-section of the claw meat in coriander consommé. Two very different styles yet both were top-notch; it was a dilemma to decide which one was better! A truly flawless lobster dish!
Image 18: The main course was veal sweetbread braised in tobacco leaves...
Image 19: ... served with an exquisite coffee-liquorice sauce accompanied by a flick of Jerusalem artichoke purée. The al-dente texture of the rich sweetbread, the sweetness of the purée, the touch of the exotic aroma from tobacco leaves, the subtle bitterness of delectable sauce with a long finish of liquorice. Stunning course!
Image 20: We were quite full at that stage but still had to sample their good selection of cheese.
Image 21: A small revitalising treat before the dessert. Coconut sorbet floating on a pineapple and mint gel - a refreshing Pina Colada and Mojito combo!
Image 22: Serving on a contemporary dishware was a pre-dessert of iced meringue cake with gold leaf garnish!
Image 23: It was a very time sensitive course - The green apple ice dome was breaking apart really fast!
Image 24: Inside was raspberry coulis. A nice fruity dessert.
Image 25: Before the main dessert, they served us mini chilled spoons of glossy liquid Cherry topped with a gold leaf again!
Image 26: An elegant final dessert that looked like an opened gift box made with wafer enhanced by another touch of gold.
Image 27: Finishing off with a seductive melting chocolate.
Image 28: As expected, they used Valrhona chocolate, Manjari to be precise, a Madagascar Cacao. A beautifully balanced dark chocolate that's not overly powerful and perfectly blended with iced coconut milk underneath! Well done!
Image 29: After a short rest, we were ready for their petits fours trolley - macarons, nougat, marshmallow, and a sweet cheese puffy stick.
Image 30: I did sample each type of macarons - raspberry ginger, coconut chocolate, salted caramel, hazelnut with a whole nut inside, and blackberry violet with more gold garnish! The macarons here were better than the ones from the top macaron makers in town. See our Macaron Tasting!
Image 31: I even had to request for some macarons to take home!
Image 32: High quality food, professional service, classy dining room! A very satisfying meal! We must come back for their summer dining room next time!