L'Arpège Alain Passard - 9th visit

Arpège is a restaurant that has a special place in my heart. My first meal took place for dinner on Easter Monday of 2006, the day when most (gastronomy) restaurants in Paris were closed. I was blown away by everything in particular the spectacular food followed by the impeccable hospitality. The restaurant was about 3/4 full. Instantly, it became my favorite restaurant in the world albeit L'Arpege, at that time, was my first experience of having a meal at European 3-star restaurant. Ms. Helene Cousin was still the assistant manager. Later, I learned that my maiden meal and arguably still my most memorable one here was apparently executed 'only' by Anthony Beldroega, chef de cuisine - Alain Passard took a day off. Both Helene and Anthony are still working at L'Arpege until now. Since then, as far as I could remember, I almost dined here every time I was visiting the French capital until 2014. The dinner degustation menu was always fantastic while the carte-blanche lunch provided good value for money as we regularly still receiving 1 fish course and 1 meat course although only in tasting portion. Perhaps following "the law of diminishing returns" and partly also blame me for visiting here often, I felt my meals sometimes became less fantastic but never bad. The reasons were: First, after a while, the dishes became repetitive to the point I already ate about half of the dishes when dining here in more than one occasion; also the use of the same ingredients in 2-3 dishes could be uninspiring. Secondly, the value of money somewhat decreased - the now known as Gardener's lunch became more expensive and it was normal that one would eat only 1 dish with protein or sometimes no fish / meat at all or I heard that the restaurant asked for a supplement. Lastly, as L'Arpege became more and more popular, the restaurant tried to optimize by fitting in as many customers as possible (I could understand that). Consequently, the seating felt cramped, the service was less personalized with little attention, and sometimes the pacing of the meal became rather slow. Looking back, I noticed that I have not returned here for more than 4 years despite the fact that I was in Paris during 2017 and 2018 for a few days visit ... that's my brief history and experience at Alain Passard's one and only restaurant.

After some years of absence, I missed the food at Arpège. I knew what Alain Passard and his team were capable of producing. During my trip to Europe early Jan this year, I decided to return here for lunch. I arrived around 12:30 PM and the restaurant was quite busy; 30 min. later the main dining room was full-house. Given the limited space and in the cold Winter, the stairs of the restaurant were filled with lots of guests' outer coats - an unexpected scene at multi-star institutions. With plenty of experience eating here, I carefully studied the menu. I was familiar with most of the Terre & Mer tasting menu and did not feel like eating vegetable only, hence ordering from the a la carte was the natural choice. As a matter of fact, for the "real" dishes, I only selected from Cuisine de memoire section. L'Arpege changed its bread; the crust was softer now while the butter was probably still the finest one in Paris.After that, a server brought me the tartlets whose mousse were beetroot & thyme, yellow carrot & onion as well as celery & yuzu ... they're bright yet intense, representing the Winter produce. Then, come the amuse-bouche that every guest would get: a hot & cold 'coddled' egg, from Bapaume Island, served with St. Elzear's maple syrup, sour cream and sherry vinegar. To fully enjoy it, one must spoon all the way to the bottom to concurrently enjoy the mixture of warm & runny egg yolk, rather cold whipped cream, and some hints of vinegar & syrup. Hot vs cold; sweet vs salty; in harmony - an excellent way to awaken our palate! My a la carte choices were the items below ... 

Pêche côtière grillée au paprika fume de Candeleda ponzu des hauteurs de Chugoku (Grilled Sole, from the coastal fishing, covered by smoked paprika powder of Candeleda) - It was served with carrot mousseline, potato and brussels sprouts. The Sole was beautifully cut and perfectly cooked, producing firm texture with mild flavor. The paprika powder with a balance of sweet and hot gave additional taste to the fish. The dish was also enhanced with the natural flavor of carrot mousse, sweet potato and a hint of bitterness from the sprouts. It might be a bit dry by the standard of classical French cooking, it's a very good fish dish nevertheless.
Those who prefer a more traditional preparation could always ask the kitchen for the Sole to be served with vin jeune sauce.

Coquilles Saint Jacques de la rade de Brest au Côtes du jura truffe noire Tuber Melanosporum (Scallops, from the Brest bay, served with cabbage and Perigord truffles in yellow wine sauce) - The scallops' quality were stunning, highlighting their natural sweetness. They were gently seared having slightly firm texture. The vin jaune sauce was delicious but lighter this time, in order to show the black truffle's stronger aroma and taste. The vegetables generated some texture, taste and color variations of an otherwise "black & white" dish. The kitchen was more than able to cook top shellfish dishes.
L'Arpege could also prepare the carpaccio of scallops accompanied by black truffles (both elements would be thinly sliced) - one of the restaurant's classic during Winter.

Accompanied by wine: 2014 Domaine de Villaine Rully Les Saints-Jacques (buttery oak, dry & refreshing, lime notes with medium finish - good for fish and shellfish pairing)

Chimère Agneau de Lozere & Pigeonneau d'Ille et Vilaine (The "Chimera" of Lamb rack from Lozere and Pigeon from Vilaine island served with celery mousseline, radish and carrot with minimal sauce derived from their jus) - The lamb was inside and the pigeon was outside; they're well-seasoned and carefully simmered with a few herbs such as sage and thyme. The texture was relatively tender. They were delicious with deep flavors, and slightly 'gamey'. Glad that I ordered an a la carte portion. The vegetables were useful to balance any intense taste of the meat.
The dish was interesting, creative and very pleasant. However, they're not better than when Chef Passard cooked the lamb and the pigeon separately as two different dishes. Alain got the inspiration to create the dish from the art work of Thomas Grunfeld (one of the "Misfits") - the hybrid of pigeon-headed lamb.

Accompanied by wine: 2014 Domaine Comte Abbatucci Valle di Nero (biodynamic, aromatic and 'lively' red wine; should pair well with many range of red / dark meat)

Spaghetti de pommes de terre au Comté Grande garde 2015 truffle Tuber Melanosporum (Potato spaghetti served with sliced of 4-year old Comte cheese and Winter black truffle in wine/cheese sauce) - An inspiring cheese and/or pasta course. The spaghetti was earthy and crunchy (hard yet supple in texture) with mineral accent. It was complemented by slightly sweet & salty Comte as well as aromatic, pungent and strong truffle taste ... exquisite.
Chef Passard has been known to have created other "Italian dishes" based on vegetables from the garden. For instance, celerisotto and celeriac tagliatelle.

Millefeuille croustillant < caprice d'enfant > gourmandise ('Crispy' Hazelnut Millefuille served with caramel sauce and verbena ice cream) - When not sure which dessert to order, L'Arpege's millefuille made with paper thin, flaky and crispy layers was my safe choice. This time, the filling cream was hazelnut - nutty, not overly sweet with a chocolate accent. The unique herb ice cream was refreshing, and it balanced the rather rich Napoleon dessert. As always, very delightful!
I personally prefer when the pastry cream did not have any fruit in it, so Summer season's millefeuille could lack in the sweet taste.  

The meal ended with petit fours and some of the items were mini apple tart, tuile crack, horseradish macaron, caramel & nougat, little chou with cream. I found my lunch wonderful; it reminded me of the Arpège's greatness circa 2010. I was fortunate to pretty much love all the dishes I ordered. The surprising part was probably I picked no dishes in which the Alain Passard's garden vegetables were the main ingredients. Probably, Chef Passard did not know about it otherwise he might be upset, hehe - when he stopped by at my table, I was about to have my main course and he was proud of his latest creation of lamb-pigeon duo. When I observed some other clients (many of them having Gardener's lunch), I was even more convinced that I made the right decision ... many dishes from that menu might not suit my appetite, and moreover I did not see many tables receiving any seafood / meat dishes except some regulars and locals who seemed close and spoke French with the chef-owner. That being said, first timers visiting L'Arpege should still order some superior vegetarian dishes here such as: fines ravioles, any veloute, gratin d'oignons or jardiniere arlequin.

There were more than 30 people (nearly 1/3 of them were foreigners) during my lunch and the key people of Arpège were all available - Alain Passard, Mdm. Cousin and Chef Boldreiga. As far as I was concerned, the service was pretty smooth and not overly formal; staffs were sincere, amiable and easy going except the hostess who was quite intense when several customers arriving at the same time and the phone rang quite often. Chef Passard visiting every table and took time to take pictures with guests or sign a copy of his book; this act certainly helped reduce any tense moments particularly when the restaurant was super busy. Just imagine serving 10+ courses where different tables might not receive the same items and given the limited space and staffs, 1-2 small mistakes were bound to happen. The dining room at L'Arpege was possible the least extravagant one among Parisian 3-star restaurants - somewhat elegant but quite plain. The natural light during lunch was helpful; there were plenty of lights for dinner time. When Michelin claimed they only graded the restaurants for nothing but the food, it could not be more true for the case of L'Arpege. Given my personality and limited French, I did not generally have a good personal relationship with any chefs. While Denis Courtiade could be considered as my "closest" maitre d'hotel, Alain Passard was probably the chef I have become acquainted the most. The food has consistently been fantastic, but the (decent) friendship I have with Chef Passard would be a good excuse to keep coming back to this gastronomic temple in the future. The pictures of my meal could be seen at: L'Arpege Jan '19      

Food (and Wine): 97 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 96 pts

Overall: 96.5/100      

L'Arpège Alain Passard - 7th & 8th visit

Alain Passard, an enthusiastic and charismatic chef, became the main talking point in the gastronomy industry when in early 2001 revealed his intention to "give up" cooking (red) meat and focused much more on preparing dishes using vegetables. L'Arpège popularity jumped to the roof while many people, including his regulars, had mixed feelings whether they would be willing to patronize a 3-star Michelin restaurant which would serve plenty of beets, tomatoes and carrots instead of caviar and foie gras. However, Passard was not the kind of chef who made meaningless statement. He successfully created many incredible new dishes using out-of-this-world quality vegetables delivered daily by high-speed train from his 3 biodynamic/organic gardens (Fillé-sur-Sarthe near Le Mans, Bois Girault near Buis-sur-Damville and the Manche). In the process, he actually won the heart of many old and new guests as well as changed the course of fine dining world by influencing & inspiring lots of chefs to respect & pay more attention towards (seasonal) vegetables and the natural environment around them. The rest was history now. After having done this for more than a decade, this famous and gifted Chef was still at the top of his game. In spite of his stature, Alain Passard loved to be at the kitchen and cooked for his guests as often as he could. My wife and I were fortunate to savor numerous remarkable dishes at L'Arpège with Passard around in both occasions. The Chef told me that the following week, he had to fly out to (Park Hyatt) Shanghai to attend the Masters of Food & Wine 2014 Passion Week event.

I love this restaurant so much that during my recent Europe foodie trip I decided to have 2 meals here. Prior to this visit, my meal at L'Arpège took place in the last month of 2010. In between, I had a couple of chances to enjoy Alain Passard's cooking when he became a guest chef at separate events in Bangkok and Singapore. But nothing beats the experience to eat at Passard's "home", tucked away in a narrow street not to far from the Invalides and the Rodin Museum. It's still the only Michelin 3-star restaurant on the left bank. I really felt comfortable at this place and have had fabulous meals since 2006. The dining room was elegant, unpretentious and understated. It was simply adorned with wood paneling along the walls with some Lalique glass inside. The dining tables, placed quite close to one another, were decorated with chestnuts during our dinner. The simple decor was good in a way that diners could really focus on the food, made of impeccable produce and put together with perfect technical skill by Chef Passard's brigades. For the 1st meal, both of us had dégustation dîner whereas for lunch, we opted for menu carte blanche. Given the restaurant's focus on seasonality, it was often unavoidable to have the same or similar dishes when one has two meals in less than a week apart. Any dish(es) below written without any additional info meant it was served at both of our meals. Before the famous egg arrived, the kitchen gave us Puff pastry, served warm, with red/purple cabbage inside (flaky, fragrant and buttery) and the usual Tartelettes of Autumn vegetables (crisp and delicate tarts). 

Terre & Mer en Novembre menu (Tasting menu from the Earth and the Sea)

Chaud froid d'oeuf au sirop d'érable 4 épices et vinaigre de Xérès (The 'hot & cold' egg served with spices, maple syrup and sherry vinegar) - Arguably the most well-known egg dish in the world. A top quality egg was used for the warm egg yolk with layers of light cooling cream on top to produce a well-balanced dish. In such a small shell, you can savor distinctly the syrup sweetness, sharp vinegar, as well as the 'spicy' and richness of the spices (nutmeg, cloves, ginger & white pepper)

Sushi légumier au parfum de feuilles de figuier betterave de pleine terre (Beetroot sushi flavored with fig leaves, soy sauce, and radish) - The rice was moist and well-seasoned to support the combination of beetroot and radish. This fresh and clean item was easy to eat; I wish the rice portion were smaller. My wife loved this tasty sushi very much

Coquilles Saint Jacques d'Erquy aux pétales de radis géranium & curry de Madras (Raw scallop from Erquy served with thinly sliced red radish, geranium oil and Madras curry powder) - Stunning scallop with inherently sweet flavor was in contrast to the aromatic & slightly bitter oil. The radish added a little zing to the dish while the curry powder put subtle spicy taste. Excellent and complex yet in harmony - dinner only

Crisp & dry waffle covered with tasty Scottish smoked salmon and the mousse of salty smoked ham - good. It could be better if the waffle had been warmer and softer; lunch only

Fines ravioles potagères automnales consomme ambre à l'héliantis (Assortment of Autumn vegetable raviolis inside clear soup) - The 'dumplings', having silky & pleasant texture, were well made with impressive quality of vegetables. We had a mixture of celery, turnip, beetroot, parsnip etc. The flavors of the raviolis and clear soup (served hot) were profound and pure. A timeless dish at L'Arpege and always available in every season

Gratin d'oignon sturon au parmigiano reggiano mesclun de Sylvain (A mixture of multi-shaded golden onion gratin with parmesan cheese) - A simple and humble ingredients generated incredible and top notch flavor. The (caramelized) onion's natural & mild sweetness was enhanced by some sorrel's acidity and the cheese's nutty & versatile flavor. Ask for it if the kitchen did not provide any when you dine here

Bouquet de homard de Chausey acidulé au miel de notre rucher transparence de navet globe (Lobster from Chausey island in 'bouquet' shaped served with its eggs, tangy honey and transparent turnips) - The dressing (a mixture of sherry vinegar, honey, lime and nut oil) was simply perfect; the pretty clear turnip was earthy and crunchy. This was the opposite of the tender and delicious lobster. Light, fresh and easy to savor; it seems like a course for the Summer season - dinner only 

'Minestrone' mixing fresh seasonal vegetables (radish, turnip, potato and celery) and small dices of bacon - Refreshing and pleasant especially the different textures & flavors of the garden vegetables; lunch only

Celerisotto crémeux à la truffe blanche d'Alba ail nouveau (Creamy celerisotto served with Alba truffle and garlic) - Fresh and crunchy risotto based on diced celery combined with aromatic butter, mascarpone/parmesan cheese and pungent white truffle. It might not be better than regular risotto, but very well done especially the celery texture and the foamy sauce were satisfying - dinner only

Risotto served with radish, white truffle and vegetable broth - It was creamy and a bit sweet; the aromatic truffle went well with both the nicely cooked Arborio rice and the broth. It was a clean and light dish - suitable for lunch; there was not any strong flavor of parmesan cheese this time; lunch only

Pêche côtière du Golfe du Morbihan au chanterelles du domaine de Lisle-en-Barrois (Turbot from the Coastal fishing of Morbihan gulf served with girolle wild mushroom) - Turbot, grilled on the bone, was rather silky and not too firm yet still tasty. The fragrant skin was a bit bitter; the yellow wine sauce was, as always, refined. It was also enhanced by the earthy mushroom and fresh Fall vegetables. A really good fish dish, but not the best one I've ever had at this restaurant - dinner only   

White & pristine Codfish was quite soft but rather bland. It was helped by the delicious & creamy wine sauce. The chanterelle mushrooms were fleshy and moist while the leek was delicate. It was a good dish, but not extraordinary - lunch only

Velouté de potiron aux noix de La Guerche-de-Bretagne crème soufflée au speck de la Forêt-Noire (Pumpkin "thick" soup served with nuts, smoked ham chantily from Black forest) - Initially, I had this during Passard's visit as guest chef in Bangkok and Singapore. Little did I know that the one served at his restaurant was so much better. The pumpkin veloute was simply smooth, rich but light/not intense. The salty speck-infused cream nicely balanced the pumpkin's sweetness. A clever variation producing decadent dish; simple but memorable

Jardinière Arlequin & merguez végétale à l'harissa crosne, radis noir, betterave de pleine terre (Colorful vegetable variations from the garden such as radish, artichoke, beet, leek, onion etc. served with small spicy 'sausage' + couscous + argan oil) - Impressive selection of high quality and tasty vegetables. A signature dish of the house. Regardless of the season, this pretty and refreshing stuffs on the plate always delivered. Having eaten several times, I could not deny that the wow factor has slowly declined but still I did not want to take this awesome dish for granted

Partridge (with its jus) served with walnut, chestnut, leeks and several herbs - Among wild game animals, partridge can be considered having subtle gamey taste and aroma. The meat was fragrant (thanks to the spices variation), tender with grassy notes but a bit dry for my preference. The onion & chestnut provided good combination and contrast to the tasty bird. Overall, it has a nice complexity; simply savor every element slowly along with the mildly-flavored meat. My first wild game dish at L'Arpege and it did not disappoint; dinner only

Moelleux du Revard affine pommes de terre fumées (Good cheese from the foot of Mont Revard with smoked potato) - The well-made piece of cow cheese; it was soft and creamy with rather strong taste. In addition, I also asked for slices of 4-year old Comte made especially for Chef Passard and it was superb as expected

Millefeuille chocolat crème glacée à l’anis étoile (All chocolate millefeuille served with star anise ice cream) - The chocolate was strong, dark and slightly bitter; it was excellent and pure in taste with flaky & light layers. The exotic star anise (not shown) ice cream gave a nice and light sweetness to this intense dessert. A good dessert during cold weather even  though I slightly prefer the thicker version with rich creme chantilly - dinner only

Île flottante moka-mélisse cardamome verte ('Floating island' with mocha, salted caramel and cardamom) - A tremendous improvement from the last time I ate this. It was not really sweet surprisingly; a harmony of strong coffee flavor, lemongrass' smell & taste as well as caramel's sweet & salty flavor. I enjoyed it and the portion was right - dinner only

Paris-Brest au pralin de noix de La Guerche-de-Bretagne caramel au beurre sale de Saint-Malo (Choux pastry filled with praline butter cream from Saint Malo, walnut and salted caramel) - Small but powerful. Both of us enjoyed Passard's interpretation of French classic dessert. The cream's sweetness was contrasted by the salty caramel and nutty & crunchy walnut. It was flavorful without feeling heavy - dinner only  

Apple crumble pie served with star anise ice cream and salted caramel sauce - It was cooked until brown/golden; the taste was buttery and sweet with a nice hint of apple's acidity. The caramel sauce & the ice cream were "right" - sweet but not too rich. A decent dessert; I've never had it before - lunch only

Petit pot de crème au foin de nos prairies caramel lacté (Small creme brulee with hay 'meadow' and 'milk' caramel) - A light small dessert to accompany the petit fours. The hay cream had a lovely smell and light taste; easy to enjoy especially at the end of the meal; dinner only

Sucreries macaron, nougat, bouquet de roses, pop-corn (Mignardises) - Solid sweets towards the end: good quality hazelnut nougat and chocolate, light macaron and chou pastry. I think I always finished L'Arpege's petit fours without much difficulties  

Some notes on the wines: During the dinner, my spouse had a glass of Rose champagne while I drank a half bottle of 2010 Louis Jadot Corton-Charlemagne Louis Jadot: an elegant white wine with a very good balance and complexity. It's drinkable, however it could be better in a couple of years. Nevertheless, I liked it a lot - possible the best white I had during this trip. For the dessert, I followed the sommeliere's suggestion to zip a glass of 2012 Maury Vendange Domaine Pouderoux: generous and intense flavors of black berry and cherry; an excellent pairing with our chocolate 'Napoleon'. For the lunch, I had 2 glasses of whites. Firstly, a Riesling from Alsace - 2011 Domaine l'Agape Gewurztraminer (aromatic & easy to drink); secondly, a Chardonnay from South Burgundy - 2012 Pouilly-Fuisse (fruity & balanced). The wine list at L'Arpège was mainly of French origin; it's quite extensive and the restaurant also opened plenty of bottles for those who want to drink by the glass. The mark-up was rather reasonable considering it's a Michelin 3-star establishment.

The food, particularly from our 1st dinner meal, was magnificent. Alain Passard was still at the top of his game; he has high quality produce exclusively for his restaurant, flawless technique and execution, as well as artistic and unique style that has inspired many (young) chefs. It's been a while that I did not have a full tasting menu at L'Arpège (the last one was probably in 2008) and they're simply sublime from start to finish - the whole degustation menu experience was even greater than the sum of its parts. Many dishes might be minimalistic but they were dynamic, clean and some even had intense flavors yet very natural. Not many chef truly mastered the style or had the ability to lift up humble/ordinary produce and turn it into an extraordinary dish; Chef Passard seemed to do it with ease. Not everything was perfect though. I had to admit that there was a slight drop in our 2nd meal during lunch. Perhaps, partly because sometimes I was more impressed with Passard's seafood and poultry as they did not show up very often these days unless you're ordering these items from the a-la carte. Another reason was half of the dishes we ate was repeats from our dinner a few days earlier even though I had requested to have different dishes.

The service was attentive, friendly and relaxed. The restaurants were always full house; in fact I could testify that I've never been here when it's not packed, including the downstairs. Four years was a long period in the restaurant industry. I was not too familiar with all the staffs anymore except one gentleman and Ms. Fleur, the hostess. Nadia Socheleau, one of the finest maîtresse d'hôtel to ever run L'Arpège FOH, has (sadly) left the house and Hélène Cousin, the restaurant director, only worked during lunch now. The main star of the restaurant's hospitality happened to be Alain Passard himself now. He warmly greeted every table at the beginning. For dinner, Chef Passard would also serve one dish himself to every table - for our case, he brought in our Partridge course; Passard even did not hesitate to clear dishes on the way back to the kitchen. Overall, the staffs were still doing great but it's just that I had experienced better hospitality at this place. From '06 to '10, I've never been to L'Arpège in which 2 of these fine people (Nadia, Helene and Laurent Lapaire, still my favorite manager here) were not around in the dining room. There was a small mistake during our lunch. I asked the sommelier if there would be a meat course for us at lunch and he said yes; it would be a squab, so I requested a glass of red. Not sure how, it suddenly changed several minutes later and there was no meat thus I politely declined the wine. The kitchen could generously serve us more other dishes liked in the past, but I already promised my wife this lunch should last at most 3 hours as she wanted to enjoy Paris, La Ville Lumière. I was a bit surprised that the service during lunch was more intense and busier than during our dinner; some staffs (even the same people who did well during dinner) looked quite stressed. I also noticed that Ms. Hélène was a bit 'tired' and pale; probably her twin boys had taken much of her energy.

Despite a few set backs, I was very happy to return here to have memorable dinner (again) at my favorite eating place in which the talented Chef-Owner Alain Passard was still in the kitchen. L'Arpège was certainly a fantastic restaurant and it has proven to have served delicious foods consistently throughout the years. At its best, the meal here was unbeatable. Among elite restaurants in the world, I have never visited a single place as often as I patronize this establishment in spite of the fact that I live in Asia. And this fact shall remain, at least in the next few years. For the dishes' pictures, you're welcome to click the following link: L'Arpege in Nov '14
    
Food (and Wine): 97 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 96 pts

Overall: 97/100      

L'Arpege Alain Passard - 3rd & 4th visit

It is widely known that Alain Passard is one of the most celebrated chefs in the world, and his baby - L'Arpege, not surprisingly, becomes one the world's top restaurants (as well as the most expensive). For me, it is an easy choice whether I should dine here everytime I come to Paris. I tasted Passard's food at the end of Spring 2 years ago and at the beginning of last summer. This time, early in the Fall 2008, I returned to my favorite dining place - not only once, but twice (one of them was during my birthday). The restaurant is as lovely as ever. The dining room is small yet modern; understated yet beautiful. There are Art Deco styles with French Lalique design windows; the lightning is low and romantic during dinner while at the lunch time, the restaurant receives generous amount of sunlight but still pleasant. I realized there is quite a significant change in the dining room team; Laurent Lapaire already left and now Helene Cousin leads the team with the help of another female maitre d'hotel, Nadia. Even though many of the staffs are still young, they are professional, efficient and vigilant. Perhaps, due to a rumour about the inconsistency service at L'Arpege that might have caused the restaurant its 3-star Michelin, Chef Passard decided to change more than half of the team. Based on my previous visits, I never experienced any short fall with the service at this place. In fact, I loved it. They made me feel at home; the service is personalized and flexible even they promised that I will always have a place here whenever I visit Paris.

Again, things here are as good as they're ever be. I began my sumptuous meal by having an aperitif - a glass of Billecart-Salmon Champagne. Then, come an artisan country bread made from a sourdough accompanied by salty butter from St. Malo. For hors d'oeuvre, I had a mixture of fresh vegetables on chips such as: carrot, mustard, beetroot and apple. After that, here come the real deal - for the dinner, I had a magnificent ten-course tasting menu and for the lunch a week later, I had a wonderful carte-blanche as recommended by the L'Arpege's former restaurant manager. Below are the dishes I had (A few of them are repeated, so I will not mention them twice)

Menu Cuisine Choisie

1st meal (Dinner)

Œuf à la coque quatre épices (A coddled egg yolk served in its shell and mixed with four spices - sour cream, maple syrup, clove and sherry vinegar) - Simple yet complex, and it's still delicious as usual. The egg is rich and smooth, probably this is the best amuse-bouche ever

Tomate naturelle à la moutarde d’Orléans onctueuse crème glacée (Natural tomato gazpacho served with Orleans’ mustard ice cream) - The combination of tomato puree (fresh & a bit sour) with mustard 'ice cream' (strong & a little spicy) may not be intuitive, yet they work amazingly well together

Homard de l’archipel de Chausey conjugaison (Chausey island’s lobster served cold with turnips, sherry vinegar and honey sauce) - The lobster here is prepared tender in texture and absolutely stunning. It shows the contrast of honey's sweetness and vinegar's sourness, yet they're balanced ... about as good as the legendary lobster cooked with vin jaune

Risotto (collection légumière) au parmigiano reggiano fleuri aux herbes (Creamy rice in granular parmesan cheese served with onion emulsion, vegetable and herb collections - leeks and green peas) - To create a great sensation, you should combine all the elements. The risotto is white, but delectable and rich. The flavor of the broth & parmesan are subtle, while the peas are sweet. Equal to the Calandre's saffron risotto as the best I've ever had

Robes des champs multicolores (Arlequin) carotte purple haze, chou rave bleu azur, radis sora, courgette black beauty … (Multicolor vegetables from the chef’s garden: carrots, kohlrabi, radish, zucchini and beetroot served with semolina, argon oil and sweet onion emulsion) - The vegetables are cooked in different length of time. They're all fresh, pure with deep flavor. The autumn veggies are rather hard and crunchy, also ... colorful and beautiful

Pêche côtière estampillée dorée sur écailles sole de l’Ĭle d’Yeu (Line caught Sole from Yeu Island served with yellow wine sauce) - A long strip of Sole in precise thickness. The fish itself is already delicious and firm plus the warm and fragrant wine sauce, even better than Ducasse's version. The smoked potatoes and herbs puree are also good. It's almost as good as Passard's famous Turbot or Monkfish

Ris de veau de Corrèze au bois de réglisse grillade (Grill veal Sweetbread from Correze region served with licorice, celery and leek) - Passard never stops to amaze me. The wonderfully cooked sweetbread is delicate and balance, crunchy and creamy at the same time. The buttery juice and peas extraction are also nice. Try to combine all elements together. I like this sweetbread better than Le Bristol's

Fromage de Bernard Antony affineur (Assorted cheeses of Bernard Antony) - I don't bother to try other cheese but the 48-month old comte. This the 1st time I have it shaved & it is insanely good. The comte is purely creamy and fresh. Hands down as the best cheese in the world!

Fruits rouges et noirs du jardin framboise (Red and black fruit from the garden - raspberries served with hibiscus syrup) - The raspberries are good as expected, but I do not particularly like the China rose syrup, it's a bit too intense. Serving the fruit with olive oil or mascarpone should be better ...

Tarte aux pommes Bouquet de Roses création Hiver 2008 (Apple tart prepared in the bouquet of roses shape) - An excellent dessert. It's just very right, neither too soft nor too crisp. The crust is flaky yet tender, and the apple is sweet yet sour. This is even much better when you add the yummy caramel, at the same time it never dominates the apple tart

Vanilla Souffle served with honey, chocolate and sugar powder - Not in the menu, but this bonus dessert is just perfect - not heavy and hardly eggy with correct sweetness, no element is too dominant. I could have a second helping actually ...

Sucrerie 3 macarons du jardin (Sweets and three different flavors of macaroons) - Petit four a la L'Arpege. The macaroons' flavors are tomato, basil and rhubarb. There's also a mini apple tart, sweet lemon grass biscuit and jelly in veggie flavor with sesame

2nd meal (Lunch)

Melon and mozzarella cheese served with sesame, olive oil and balsamic vinegar - A fresh mixture of melon's sweetness with semi-soft cheese plus the fragrance of the oil & sesame. It's simple yet sensational when you combine them all the elements

Sweet onion and peas served with the emulsion of peas and parmesan cheese - The peas, while, are sweet and good, they're a bit too dominant here. I could hardly taste the onion or parmesan flavor

Fines ravioles potagères (belle saison) consommé vegetal (Vegetables ravioli served in clear soup) - The tasty soup is a tomato and basil consomme. The 3 different raviolis are having onion, basilic and red onion inside

Yellow beetroot carpaccio served with walnuts, balsamic vinegar and olive oil - The beetroot is sweet and refreshing, work well with some acidity from the vinegar and oil, lastly the walnut gave some crisp taste and feeling. Another simple but thoughtful dish

Aiguillettes de homard de Chausey savagnin (A long slice of Chausey island lobster served with savagnin grape sauce from the Jura) - A succulent and slightly firm lobster with deliciously sweet and buttery sauce are simply incredible. Previously, the side dish is sour sorrel which I like better than green beans

Oignon doux de Florence au citron de Menton mesclun de Sylvain (Florence sweet onion served with lemon and green salad) - The fragrant onion is almost as sweet as honey, mixed with parmesan cheese and some black pepper. I prefer when the onion is crispier, like my 1st visit here

Volaille de Pays (Grande Tradition) à la casserole poulet du Haut-Maine (Free range of Haut-Maine chicken cooked with hay and wine in a casserole) - A juicy and scrumptious chicken ... yummy. An example of old-style and rustic preparation, the skin with thin layer of fat is not so crispy, but very tasty nevertheless. The leek does not enhance the chicken, a variation of garden vegetables should be better

Selection of fresh goat cheese at L'Arpege - My cheese: Tomme de Chevre (slightly salty), Anneau du Vic-Bilh (balance between salty and sour), Chevre de Corse (strong one). I forgot the other 2 goat cheese names

Millefeuille (caprice d’enfant) goûter croustillant (Crispy puff pastry in thousand of layers filled with sweet cream) - One of the best desserts I've ever had.The layers of pastry are extremely thin and as light as air. It is dynamic by itself: crispy, colorful and flaky in texture, at the same time the sweet cream and caramel work in harmony

The wine list is quite extensive, with emphasis on Burgundy and Bordeaux wines. However, the mark up price is, honestly, exorbitant. I always have the wine by the glass here, the choices are usually good in terms of matching with the food. The new head sommelier is Steeve Jicquel, he has similar personalities as his predecessor, Stephane Thivat - fun, easy going and friendly. For dinner, I had few glasses of wines: an aromatic dry white wine from 2001 Leon Beyer Cuvee des Comtes d'Eguisheim (yellow-gold color and austere in flavor), a rich and dry white Burgundy from 2002 Bernard Morey Saint Aubin and a sweet dessert wine with a bit of spice from 2002 Alsace Riesling SGN Vincent Sipp. Whereas, for lunch, I consumed less wines: a dry and buttery Riesling Grand Cru Rosacker Alsace as well as a refreshing Domaine de l'Hortus blanc Val de Montferrand. Not only the wine, the tea and coffee collection are not bad at all. I enjoyed my infusion of mint and sage tea as well as a cup of Ethiopian espresso.

The restaurant was full in both occassions, including the "cave" at the basement. For the dinner, I had the honor to be seated at the "chef's table" - a single table below the picture of Passard's grand mother - Louise Passard. Personally, I like the atmosphere during lunch which is very laid back, and it was a nice, cooling, and sunny day - a perfect companion for my birthday (It was a bit drizzled in the late afternoon though). The price tag for all of these? It does not come cheap of course, but there was a pleasant surprised ... they only charged me less than half of the normal degustation menu for the carte blanche meal. I am not sure whether it's due to my birthday or I was already treated as a friend of the chef; it is known that the regulars at l'Arpege usually paid a lot less than common clients. I hope I was considered as the latter one, let's see when I come back again. Nowadays, chef Passard often visits the dining room and has some conversation with the guests - either at the beginning or the end of meal. Once, he sat down, and enjoyed his own lunch - a few langoustines with some vegetables - and a glass of wine. Thus, another memorable meal at l'Arpege. The amazing thing about this place is that even when I put high expectation, they almost always deliver (A few even better than what I've imagined). My meal here in Autumn is ranked as the best meal in 2008. For the pictures, please check the following link - L'Arpege 3rd and 4th visit

Food (and Wine): 98 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 98 pts

Overall: 98/100

L'Arpege Alain Passard - 2nd visit

Michelin 3-star establishments have always been identical with places serving excellent food and wine accompanied by outstanding hospitality set up in unique and comfortable ambiance. Being an adventurous person who loves surprises, I do not want to return to the same place twice unless that restaurant is, of course, exceptional. By that time I arrived at this place, I have been fortunate enough to eat at more than ten different 3-star restaurants in Europe. After having breathed fresh air along the sides of Hôtel des Invalides, I finally reached a deathly quiet street near Musée Rodin just before the sunset. Where was I? The title above should tell it all … yes, at the end I “betrayed” my own tradition. L’Arpege, the place serving me the meal of my life a year before, is the first and only 3-star temple so far where I’ve visited twice. At first, I prefer to try other places like: Guy Savoy or Le Meurice after receiving several excellent reviews from many foodies whom I respected. However, the cooking of L’Arpege’s chef patron – Alain Passard, a great chef who is almost certain to go down in history as one of the best ever, is very difficult to resist. Throughout the year, I could still “taste” his prawn carpaccio with osetra caviar, slowly cooked monkfish with mustard emulsion or free range chicken with garden vegetables in my dream. With such wonderful memories, I was convinced that I had to return to L’Arpege, especially after having found out from the website that it offers many dishes I’ve never tried before.

Upon entering the restaurant through the heavy door, I was escorted to my table located in the center of the restaurant. For most part, the décor at L’Arpege looked familiar to me – it is (still) relatively small and informal in which brown and earth-colored orange dominate the wall. A candle lit at each table as well as the place’s limited cove light make for an austere ambiance; at the back of the restaurant, one could see the portrait of Alain Passard’s grandmother, from whom the chef drew his inspiration. In addition, a watermelon from the chef’s farm is put at every table this time. Unlike the décor, I hardly recognized any L’Arpege’s staffs except for one – Helene; the lady who fried my all-time favorite dessert – crystallized tomato with 12 flavors. Later I found out from Laurent Lapaire, the restaurant manager that half of the L’Arpege’s front team has changed including the former chef sommelier, Stéphane Thivat who currently managed a wine cellar outside Paris. But we know that Passard’s team members usually leave because of bigger opportunities to improve their career – Pascal Barbot and L’Astrance is probably the most famous example. Not only that, even Passard gave his regular customers’ contact lists to help L’Astrance took off faster. Furthermore, the chef’s former apprentices are spread out all over the places including Singapore and Tokyo.

Anyway, let’s get back to the main theme: my 2nd experience at L’Arpege. As soon as I sat down, I was offered an aperitif - this time I had a glass of Champagne Krug Brut Grande Cuvée - balanced and full of finesse, wonderfully creamy and more importantly has a long, lingering finish. In short - simply stunning! After that, while flipping the menu, I indulge myself in Monsieur Bordier’s irresistible salted butter from Saint-Malo spread over in-house freshly baked bread. Upon reading the menu, I “happily” decide to order the degustation menu (combining the elements of earth and sea) even though it would break my bank account. The only dishes that were not changed compared to what I had before are the house specialties – the famous poached egg (Good news: it’s the restaurant official amuse bouche and you no longer need to order the tasting menu anymore in order to taste this dish) and cheese selection by Bernard Antony. Moreover, this time chef Alain Passard was in the kitchen, so it’s normal to expect that I would have a better overall dining experience compared to the first one.

Menu Pleine Terre, Pleine Mer

L’oeuf à la coque (A warm egg poached in its shell served with sherry vinegar and maple syrup) - If you just take the top without mixing it with the syrup, it’s rather acidic due to the fresh cream - but the mixture of it (bitter and sweet) is fantastic – pristine taste with silky texture. The egg itself is barely warm and runny. A good way to awaken my palate

Parfums (belle saison) crème soufflé au Speck (Veloute of vegetables served with cream of smoked ham) - This "soup" served warm; the saltiness of the ham is reduced with the vegetables - leaving out the possible cloying taste from this dish. Oh … that Krug champagne helps too

(Radisotto) printanier à la moutarde d’Orléans parmigiano reggiano (Spring radishes “Risotto” served with mustard and parmesan cheese) - My anticipation is high, but I just realized that the best ingredients for any "risotto" dish is still rice. The flavors worked just fine, but some mustard and the cheese make it a bit too sour

Jardinière Arlequin à l’huile d’argan (cuisine choisie) à la coriandre (Selection of fresh herbs from the garden – beetroots, couscous, turnips, different kind of carrots - served with Argon oil from Morocco) - Is this supposed to be the star for the night? Well, surprisingly I’m not too impressed. Most of the vegetables are freshly prepared and excellent, especially the carrots - crunchy and sweet - and the Argon oil - light and delectable, but they don’t mixed too well … I prefer to enjoy each vegetable separately as side dishes

Turbot de Bretagne (belle saison) (Slowly cooked Brittany turbot served with butter sauce and fava beans) - I expected much more in L’Arpege than simply some vegetable dishes. Here is the savior: a thin and precisely cut turbot (the whole fish is cooked in low temperature for several hours). The taste is unbelievably delicious, one can taste the tasty meat integrated with the full flavor of the fish’s skin and fat. I could not tell which one is better - this or the monk fish I ate a year before

Aiguillettes de homard des Îles Chausey côtes du Jura (Lobster from the Chausey archipelago braised in the yellow wine foam of the Jura and peppered cabbage leaf) - A perfect dish! The portion is generous; the lobster is ethereal - deliciously sweet and buttery with "tender" structure. In addition, it’s enhanced with the acidic taste from the yellow wine and sorrels. Mamma mia! Another back to back perfect dish - the last time was the monk fish followed by the chicken

Fines ravioles fleuries aux herbes consommé vegetal (Thin vegetables ravioli served in clear soup) - Somehow, it took quite some times for the kitchen to prepare the lamb. That’s why I receive this bonus dish - simple consommé where the vegetables, along with the soup’s salty essence, are right and balanced

T-bone d’agneau de Lozère aux algues et escargots de mer poivre noir Serawak (T-bone of Lozere’s lamb served with sea snails, parsley sauce, potatoes and Sarawak black pepper) - Another perfect dish? Well, almost … the sides part of the lamb’s tender meat served with its crispy skin plus the sinful layer of fat are amazing. The potatoes and parsley sauce are good. The only weakness is that the meat’s part near the T-bone is slightly overcooked hence rather hard; the flavor there was also weakened unfortunately

Fromages de chèvre de Bernard Antony affineur (Goat cheese supplied by Bernard Antony) - I was a bit sad when only goat/sheep cheeses are available for that night (aka no comte at all). However, they actually did not disappoint. I have soft La Gayrie, nearly sweet Chevrotin des Aravis, creamy Laurentine, and buche du Gers

Framboises à l’infusion de l’huile d’olive, le vinaigre et le miel (Raspberries served with olive oil, white vinegar and honey) - I requested this special dessert (the original version is with strawberries, but they’re not in season). The taste is a bit funny since they do not blend together nicely, but one can still enjoy the sweet raspberries

Citronnelle crème brûlée (Rich custard in lemon grass flavor with caramelized sugar on top) - Simple but decadent. The lemon grass custard is smooth, silky and refreshing with clean caramel flavor

Île flottante moka-mélisse caramel lacté (Mocha sorbet floating on a lemon grass sauce and caramel milk) - Another bonus dish from the restaurant - the idea is that the pastry chef try to create harmony between the sweet caramel and blend lemon grass, but the strong mocha sorbet makes the overall flavor slightly too sweet. Refreshing and the portion is big

Dessert de cuisine trios macarons du jardin (Three different vegetable flavors of macaroons) - The tasting menu’s dessert consists of (rhubarb, sorels and veggies mint) macarons; the sweet part comes from chocolate and almond biscuits

Another meal, another feast – that’s how I would describe my 2nd visit at L’Arpege which currently is my favorite restaurant in the world. The cooking of Alain Passard is shockingly simple (home style/peasant technique), but somehow he proficiently is able to transform the simple tastes and textures of the ingredients into memorable dishes. Like many other top notch chefs, Passard always pays the ultimate respect to the finest ingredients; perhaps the ultimate distinct identity of his food is that he sources the vegetables from his own gardens (around Sarthe and Normandy) where he often dirty his own hands just to pick the best available vegetables for the customers. However, I was not really moved by many of the vegetable dishes during this dinner; the only terrific one was the different kinds of carrots (really out of this world). I guess I’m more on the carnivore side. Even though Passard abandoned cooking red meat in 2001, thankfully he still does so sometimes, such as preparing the lamb’s dish for that night. His skill is still fantastic; I think he should not give up cooking red meat. Then, when I brought this issue to Laurent Lapaire, he told me that currently Passard only completely stops cooking beef with the exception of Kobe beef once in a while.

The wine-pairing that I had last year under the guidance of Stéphane Thivat was wonderful, but the cost was too much for me to repeat it again this time. Many people know that the wine’s price mark-up at this restaurant is possibly one of the highest in Paris. Therefore, I did not bother to open the list and settled on a glass white and red wine. The champagne I mentioned before was the best. Other wines I drank were: Domaine Laroche Les Vaillons Premier Cru Chablis 2004; it is fruity and full bodied with mineral structure and very good balance, a lovely choice for the turbot and the lobster. For the lamb, the sommelier suggested: Château la Gordonne Domaine Listel 2002; this still wine is fresh and light; barely sweet which is good since the lamb is palatable. There were 2 sommeliers for the night and they seem to be “equal” in position – neither was the chef sommelier yet; both of them are friendly, have good sense of humor and patiently explain the guests about their recommendations. The service here, as usual, is graceful and rather relaxed with the sole purpose to take care of the guests. Laurent Lapaire, in my humble opinion, is the best among all of the maître d’hôtel I have ever met. He is not only very good in leading his team, but also is superior in directly serving the guests. Speaking superb English and some Japanese, monsieur Lapaire is willing to excitedly go over the dishes in the menu one by one with the customers as well as answer whatever questions one may have. For instance, he took 2 lobsters from the kitchen – one is cooked and another one is still alive – and showed me how the lobster from Îles Chausey was different from the regular blue lobster. This establishment indeed has a wonderful hospitality.

Naturally, some of you may wonder how this experience compared with the first time I visited here. Well, startlingly I would say that the first one was better despite the fact that Alain Passard was not behind the stove (it was an Easter Monday holiday); the sous chef Anthony took care of the kitchen. Food-wise: in my 1st visit, I had many of L’Arpege classic dishes since the restaurant celebrated its 20th anniversary. The main differences were: the appetizers - nothing I had in my 2nd visit that’s as good as Carpaccio de langoustines du Guilvinec, caviar osciètre royal d’Iran or Bavarois d’avocat et caviar osciètre royal d’Iran, huile de pistache. The main courses are about the same level - the first time I adored the monk fish and chicken while this time I loved the turbot and lobster. When it comes to the desserts - Tomato confite farcie aux douze saveurs, sucre à l’orange or Millefeuille pralin simply killed whatever sweets I had this time around. Furthermore, L’Arpege was run out of comte … I could not help but conclude that I was fed slightly better the first time I ate here. Wine-wise: the champagne (1996 Billecart Salmon Cuvee Nicolas Francois is on a par with Champagne Krug Brut Grande Cuvée) and the Chablis are equally good. It’s just that in my first visit, I drank a terrific 1991 Porto Colheita Niepoort and 2002 Mambourg Grand Cru - Marcel Deiss. As mentioned before, there was not much different regarding the décor except I found that the restaurant “forced” to put 2 additional tables in the middle to accommodate more guests that made the small dining room even more crammed. Consequently, it affected the service a little bit as the staffs could not move as smoothly as they’d like to. Probably, because it’s Friday night and very packed – sometimes they were incapable of responding to customers’ request as fast as they want to; nevertheless the staffs still enthusiastically served the guests without any signs of tiredness. Regardless of the “flaw” above, my 2nd dining at L’Arpege still ranked very high (3rd place according to my notes), only below my 1st encounter here and Alain Ducasse Paris, and thus L’Arpege solidify its position as my numero uno dining destination in the world. Please check the link below for the pictures: http://picasaweb.google.com/Andi.Chahyadi.Hermawan/LArpegeParisFrance2ndVisit#

Food (and Wine): 98 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 96 pts

Overall: 97.5/100

L'Arpege Alain Passard - 1st visit

Almost a year ago I had my first taste of 3-star Michelin restaurant at Alain Ducasse New York (ADNY) and it was excellent. However, I’m still curious what it would be like to dine at the one in Europe especially in France – the home of the Michelin guide book I suppose. More than 4 months ago, on Easter Monday in 2006 I, all by myself, had a dinner at the French 3* restaurant called L’Arpège, the home of one of the world’s best and most talented chefs – Alain Passard. Honestly, L’Arpège was not my first choice in the beginning simply because I’m quite scared with its prices. I tried to book either Pierre Gagnaire or Le Grand Véfour, but alas both were closed that day since it was still an Easter holiday in Paris. Then L’Arpège came next on my list and it’s available. I guess I was quite lucky as well to secure one place right there as the restaurant is small and full on the day I ate there. This year Easter Monday was actually very special for me. It could be said that day I had my best meals in my life. Earlier, I had a 3-hour lunch at Le Bristol and it was awesome as well. Hence, there was only 3 hour break in between my lunch and dinner. Personally, I was quite full and wondering if I would fully enjoy the meal at L’Arpège. How was it actually? Well, I was blown away. It’s the best dining I’ve ever had in my life, not only the meals but also the experience.

L’Arpège, located in the corner of Rue de Bourgogne and Rue de Varenne at 7th Arrondissement near the Rodin Museum, is set in a modern, contemporary setting in which the large gilt frame could be the only touch of classicism. The size is relatively small (I believe the place could at most allow 40 people to dine at the same time), yet the guests will not feel cramped inside. The decoration is sparse, perhaps only an old violin and a black-and-white portrait of a lady (the grand mother of the chef – Louise Passard) are the only distinguished furniture here, yet impressive. In addition, it is nice, clean and comfortable. About 7:35 pm I got off at the Varenne metro station. It was not too difficult to find the restaurant since I’ve been to Rodin Museum before. If one is not carefully observe the place, he could easily miss this wonderful place to eat. From the outside it looks very simple, nothing special about the entrance-door or the wall outside. It was a quiet evening but the sun was not yet set. I was a bit doubtful to enter the place, maybe it’s not opened yet so I was just walking around. 20 minutes later, I decided to open the door and a lady quickly greeted me and checked if my name was there. After that, Helène (one of the leading waitresses) accompanied me to my table. There had been 10 people seating inside when I took my seat.

The fun began with the (chef) sommelier, Stéphane Thivat, came and offered me a glass of champagne to start my unforgettable journey of eating that night. I accepted the offer and let him choose whatever best for that night and considering the one which would match well with the restaurant’s amuse-bouche and/or appetizers. The dishes inside L’Arpège’s menu are not that many – only 11 appetizers and main courses combined plus 5 desserts; whereas only one choice available for the dégustation menu. This year L’Arpège celebrated its 20th anniversary, so in the savoring menu we could see the dish’s name plus the year it was invented there. At first, I was tempted to let the chef to give me a surprise and cook me whatever he wanted according to the best ingredients offered. Then, Helène told me that Alain Passard was actually not present that day, because of this I decided to play safe and choose the tasting menu. Another reason is that it’s the first time I dine here so it should be best to be conservative. Here it goes; I ordered the grand classic menu as well as wine-tasting to come along with the food. The bread, butter and pre-appetizer here are good, in particular the vegetables. It should come to no surprise because the master of the stove here is the world’s top for vegetable-oriented Haute Cuisine. However, when the real dishes arrived, and then I just realized why and how the food here is considered by many food critics to be extremely exceptional.

Menu Grands Classiques

L’oeuf, fermier de la Bigottière (Poached egg served with maple syrup and sherry vinegar) - This is very impressive, the best egg dish I’ve ever had - easily top the egg from JG’s NY and even Calandre’s. It’s rich yet smooth; I could taste the balance flavor of sweetness, acidity and a little salt. As I “fish” further, I found the depth and precision of this coddled egg yolk

Carpaccio de langoustines du Guilvinec, caviar osciètre royal d’Iran (Prawn carpaccio served with osetra caviar) - An excellent and classic dish from L’Arpege. The pristine caviar, with cream of light emulsion, is served generously. They matched well with the fresh langoustine. It is about as good as the famous langoustine caviar with bouillon served at Alain Ducasse Paris

Bavarois d’avocat et caviar osciètre royal d’Iran, huile de pistache (Avocado mousse served with osetra caviar, oils of pistachio, tarama, and prawns and osetra) - This dish is not in the degustation menu’s list, but they kindly gave me as a surprised one. How’s it? This is one of the best dishes for the night, and truly the best caviar dish ever for me. The mixtures of the mousse (soft with high quality of an avocado) and caviar are excellent!

The first 3 dishes were accompanied by wine: 1996 Billecart Salmon - Cuvee Nicolas Francois, Brut Champagne

Fines ravioles fleuries aux herbes, consommé vegetal (Thin raviolis served with vegetable soup) - A simple dish with strong Asian influence, but as usual - it’s good where the fresh vegetables are wrapped in thin pasta. The slightly dark yet clear consommé is simply the purest essence of the vegetable

Gratin d’oignon doux au citron, parmigiano reggiano (Sweet & soft onion gratin served with parmigiano reggiano cheese) - It’s actually possible to create tasty food in haute cuisine without using too expensive ingredients. The onion is truly fragrance and sweetly appetizing, it’s prepared to my likeness – a bit crispy

These 2 appetizers were accompanied by wine: 2002 Verre de Chablis - Rene et Vincent Dauvissat

Homard des Îles Chausey en aigre-doux, miel d’acacia (Blue lobster served with acacia honey and turnip petals) - One of Chef Passard’s signature dishes. It combines the sweet and sour taste of the turnips and honey sauce. The lobster itself has a nice texture. The only bad thing I would say the size is too small … really

Lotte de Bretagne à la moutarde d’Orlèans, huile de noisette (Monkfish served with mustard emulsion and oils hazelnut) - Honestly, this is the first time I eat monkfish and it’s really delicious. The sides, such as the slowly-cooked at low temperature spinach and roasted beets with aged balsamic vinegar, truly enhanced the dense and meaty fish, grilled gradually for more than 2 hours. Wow … even better than the lobster!

Antique poulet du Haut-Maine au foin, jardinière (Free range of antique chicken served with garden vegetables) - I thought I could not eat a better poultry than Esnault’s white truffle blue foot chicken (ADNY), well L’Arpege proved me wrong. This is indeed the best one and also the highlight of the night along with avocado caviar and the tomato dessert. The skin is crispy, the meat is juicy and succulent (even the breast meat) combined with wonderful raw and cooked vegetables - here it goes a 20/20 dish

The 3 main courses were accompanied by wine: 2000 Saumur Blanc - Chateau Yvonne

Fromages de Bernard Antony, affineur (Assorted cheeses of Bernard Antony) – What more could you expect rather than an amazing cheese selection when a master like Bernard Antony prepare them for you? The captain kindly gave me 6 different kinds of cheeses. Mixtures of cow, goat and the age varied from 3-month to 4-year old. Since I’m not a cheese expert, I do not really know their names exactly. Only remember one, comte … They are all good, in particular when combining with Passard’s fresh tomatoes (my new friend asked for the tomato and it actually matched well with the cheese - a pleasant surprised!)

Accompanied by wine: 1991 Porto Colheita Niepoort

Tomato confite farcie aux douze saveurs, sucre à l’orange (Crystallized tomato stuffed with 12 secret flavors, sweetens with orange and vanilla ice cream) - I thought all desserts are the same, something sweet could not go further than chocolates, fruits or cakes. However, this one is very unique and special. The combination of 12 stuffs in the caramelized tomato was awesome – perfect with the soft and not so sweet vanilla ice cream; the presentation is pretty good as well

Accompanied by wine: 2002 Mambourg Grand Cru - Marcel Deiss

Unlike many other 3* restaurants, L’Arpège does not serve any chocolates or candies following the desserts. Fortunately, this time I got a chance to taste another of L’Arpège’s desserts: Avocat soufflé à la pistache (Avacado soufflé with pistachio) and Millefeuille pralin (a kind of Napoleon with cream and sugar). How could it possible? For the avocado soufflé, my new friend let me try hers. First of all, there were 2 American ladies (it turned out they’re from Philadelphia) dined there on my left side. Probably, they were bored and heard me keep talking English with the waiter, Monsieur Jean-Christophe and Helène, and then through Jean they invited me to seat at their table. Since I was all alone, thus I accepted their kind invitations. Wasn’t it nice to make new friends while dining alone? The older lady is one of the restaurant’s regular customers. She’s very familiar with the food even when they’re nowhere seen in the menu. Furthermore, she has many experiences with gastronomy food, to name a few she has been to many exclusive restaurants such as: Le Louis XV, ADPA, Guy Savoy Paris, and almost all of the New York’s top dining places etc. In the end she offered me to taste her dessert (soufflé – came close to the one I had at Le Bristol for lunch). For the Napoleon pralin (thin and airy), on the other hand, the restaurant prepared a large portion of it to the Japanese guests, but there were some left over usually served to other guests ordering the same dessert. Apparently, nobody asked for it, so I boldly asked if it’s fine for me to taste the Napoleon pralin and they’re happily gave the rest to me. It was big and I could not finish it.

The wine lists at L’Arpège may be a bit inferior compared to its competitors. However, Stéphane Thivat really made the different. Not only is he an expert in picking wines in a relatively young age, but he’s also a very friendly person to talk with. He rarely told me directly what wine I was having; instead he quizzed me to find out the year and the vintage of the wine. As I’m still a beginner, I often failed to guess it correctly. Nevertheless he gave 5 glasses of excellent wines, particularly the champagne and the port – the best I’ve ever had. Clearly, the qualities count more here than the quantities. My advice is that when you come here, let the sommelier picked the wines for you and you will not regret. I was just relaxed and truly enjoy excellent food and wine here. Only wine-pairing in ADNY could top my experience here. The atmosphere is calm and comfy. The day I ate there, more than half of the guests were foreigners – some came from Japan and USA, only few French people as far as I was concerned. There were a few families (even with the small kids – what lucky ones to be able to eat here in such young ages) as well, and it’s fully booked by the way. The service in L’Arpège is extraordinary and the staffs are superb. There are not many waiters/waitresses here (only about 10 people including the ones bring the dishes from the kitchen), nonetheless they’re never shorthanded. I could not recall the time when I had to wait when I need something. They sincerely explained whatever questions I had and the ways we’re discussing or talking something, it’s as though we already knew each other for quite a long time. Last but not least, I must give two high-way thumbs up to the chef-de-cuisine, Anthony for his ability to execute Passard’s cooking tastes close to perfection. I could cry joyfully for eating such outstanding dishes here. I would be more than happy to come back here and hopefully next time Alain Passard would be around in the kitchen (I possibly would give a perfect score then).

When I finished the last sip of my sparkling water, my watch already showed 30 minutes past midnight. I was the 2nd from the last guests to leave the restaurant. It would be nice to end it with a cup of hot tea, but I realized that it’s already very late. The staffs still nicely allow me to stay for the tea; they earnestly would wait for me and I really appreciated that. However, I had to pick up my parents at the Roissy airport in the morning and at the same I was quite drunk honestly after drinking 8 glasses of wines (3 from Bristol and 5 from here) in less than 12 hours period. Therefore, I decided to go back to my hotel with the taxi. All in all, dinner at L’Arpège in fact exceeded all my expectations. The food, wine, service, and experience are all first-class. I’ve never had a better dining experience anywhere else (only Alain Ducasse Paris would come very close) as of now. If any of you would like to see pictures of what I ate, please click the following link http://picasaweb.google.com/Andi.Chahyadi.Hermawan/LArpegeParisFrance1stVisit#

Food (and Wine): 99 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 97 pts

Overall: 98.5/100