L'Ambroisie Bernard Pacaud - 3rd visit

My third visit to L'Ambroisie (you could find the reviews of my earlier visits at the blog archive), the place that arguably presenting French haute cuisine at its finest, took place at early Feb '10 - finally I had a chance to dine here during the black truffle season. In L'Ambroisie, many things simply would never change: there are always two kinds of bread (white and wheat), one will start the meal with its wonderful gougeres served with delicate cheese and minimum salt, and the decor in the dining room was exactly the same as my first visit in the summer of '07, perhaps it's always been this way for a longer period. Except one thing change: Pierre Lemoullac, a legendary sommelier and restaurant manager, resigned at the end of 2009. It seemed trivial, but somehow I felt that something was missing. It would never be the same. It sounded funny since my previous interaction with Monsieur Lemoullac was rather minimal, but his presence made a difference. To me, he's L'Ambroisie's ambassador in the dining room, the same way Bernard Pacaud is the true master in the restaurant's kitchen. It looked as if half of the restaurant's soul was gone, but I think Pascal could take the baton and carry on. The current sommelier is Christophe - he's been with the restaurant on my previous visit as well.

I observed that the maitre d' always promoted two things: langoustine with curry sauce and chocolate tart for the dessert. No wonder these dishes became more and more famous though I don't think they're the best items L'Ambroisie could offer. However, this time I knew exactly what I wanted and did not really bother to consult with him for my main three dishes. Here are my dishes,

Crème de chataignes (Chesnuts cream) - Warm chesnut veloute served with truffle cream and foie gras. Luckily, these three ingredients were prepared in light flavors

Velouté de cresson aux noix de Saint-Jacques, emulsion de truffe noire (Scallop in the cream of watercress and walnut served with black truffle emulsion) - The tender scallop is barely heated to retain its texture and sweetness. The black truffle was not that strong but it gave smoky and earthy sensation; the watercress veloute is rather thick and focused

Fricassée de homard sauce civet, purée Saint-Germain (Lobster tail fricassee served with stew sauce of smashed Saint-Germain peas) - A beautiful presentation. Lobster tail cooked here is consistently firm, sweet and meaty while the claw is more tender. The peas puree balanced the strong flavor generated from the red wine reduction - rather intense, quite typical for winter dish

Feuilleté de truffe fraîche “Bel Humeur”, frisée à la crème (Golden brown puff pastry of fresh black truffle served with truffle puree and mache salad) - Thick black truffle sandwiching a tranche of foie gras. The airy pastry is excellent; the truffle including its puree is solid, smoky and earthy while the duck liver is relatively light. The zingy and sour salad is useful to bring down the truffle's richness

Biscuit fondant tiède, sorbet à la mandarine (Warm melting biscuit served with mandarin sorbet) - The tasty biscuit is slightly eggy, hence tasted like souffle. The tangerine sorbet is great - balancing some sweet and sour flavor. A good recommendation by monsieur Pascal, especially after eating truffe "bel humeur"

Confiseries et friandises (Sweets and petit four) - Canele (decent), Opera, Banana biscuit and excellent home-made dark chocolates

For this visit, I had a half-bottle of 2005 Mersault to accompany my entire meal. The wine was not really dry with medium aroma of citrus and light golden color; it has some apple and peach taste with a nice and balanced finish. The reservation at L'Ambroisie is relatively easy; similar to my previous two visits, only about another dozen of people filling its dining room. Despite being not so busy in general, it is still one of the ultimate places to eat for gourmands, especially during the truffle season. There are several wonderful dishes executed precisely with Tuber Melanosporum supplied by monsieur Pebeyre. As a matter of fact, this was my best meal at L'Ambroise, possibly because they know and understand me better. Service wise, it was a standard one (professional) within 2-3 star institutions, but do not expect enthusiastic and guest-is-king type of hospitality that's consistently offered at Le Meurice, Ducasse or L'Arpege. After visiting this place at a few different seasons, I'm not sure if I will return here in the near future since I've tried nearly all of its delicious dishes. Bernard Pacaud, the living legend of French gastronomy, is not getting any younger. If any gourmand has not been here, come before he retires and focus on the food - you will enjoy it. Don't be too picky about the service and ambiance (I enjoyed the atmosphere though). It's not my favorite, but certainly in my top 3 or 5. Below is the link for the pictures,
https://picasaweb.google.com/Andi.Chahyadi.Hermawan/LAmbroisieParisFrance3rdVisit#

Food (and Wine): 98 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 93 pts

Overall: 96.5/100

L'Ambroisie Bernard Pacaud - 2nd visit

As one of the most expensive and arguably the best restaurants in Paris, it is usually never easy to hold a reservation at L'Ambroisie. However, this is not the case for me (at least for lunch). For this 2nd visit, I asked the hotel's concierge to book this place and everything went smoothly. It was in the last day of September 2009; the weather was a bit chill and many leaves began to fall ... beautiful! It is not easy to resist a meal at L'Ambroisie where the master of perfection - Bernard Pacaud is notably always in the kitchen. However, due to the astronomical increase of (soft) commodity prices, I had to control my spending here ... the truffle season has not arrived yet, not sure whether it's a good or bad thing. As I was about to open the door, the staff greeted me. A few steps from the entrance, I could see both monsieur Pascal, the maitre d'hotel as well as monsieur LeMoullac, the sommelier (both of them are essential to the existence of this legendary institution). Unlike my 1st visit, this time I was seated in the middle dining room (there are crystal chandeliers and gilded mirrors in between two colorful tapestries) as requested. Nothing has changed here ... really - the food, the people, the ambiance - it is like dining in a museum featuring master pieces on the plates where many loyal clients would visit over and over again. 

The meal at L'Ambroisie always begins with comte gougeres, a fluffy, hollow and light "cream puff" followed by 2 choices of fresh breads: white and wholemeal accompanied by light and delicate butter. I decided to skip the champagne this time as I would like to have a half-bottle of wine. Once the dishes are set, Mr. LeMoullac recommended Chateau Kirwan Margaux Grand Cru 1998 which I obliged. This Bordeaux is well-crafted and enjoyable to drink after 2007 indeed. In addition, it's seductive with rounded palate and has black olive aromas, but no secondary development. This wine is not too strong, so it still goes well even with fish or sea food dishes. Earlier, I had a short discussion with Mr. Pascal and he agreed to serve the dishes in demi portion - all of them. The sad part, the menu is still from the summer season hence I was unable to order any game dishes. Anyway, my meal is pleasant nevertheless.

Mulet de rouget (Red mullet) - It's actually special dish of the day. Served in amuse-bouche portion, the thinly crisp skin & its meat fish are very tasty. The cooked mushroom puree as well as cepe with citron and olive are overshadowed by the red mullet 

Escalopines de bar a l’emince d’artichaut, caviar oscietre gold (Slices of line caught sea bass served with thin cut of artichokes and oscietra gold caviar) - The sea bass, light in taste, is pure and delicate accompanied by crunchy artichoke. For me, the best part is the creamy sauce with subtle acidity blended well with generous serving of caviar that is not soggy at all ... a harmonious dish 

Homard aux pousses de legumes, nage a l’anis etoile (Brittany lobster served with many vegetables and star anise sauce) - This is the 2nd time I tasted Pacaud's lobster ... I can conclude that he likes the lobster to be firmed with more emphasize on its texture instead of suspecting that he overcooked it (I prefer Passard's & Roellinger's version though). Nevertheless, it's still a scrumptions dish. The (sweet and silky) anise sauce is incredible, balanced with fresh carrots, leeks and zucchinis 

Agneau de Lozere en nougatine d’ail, barigoule d’artichauts violets et fevettes (A rack of roasted Lozere lamb served with garlic, artichokes barigoule and eggplant puree) - The "skin" is sinfully good, but the meat, cooked medium, has a bit too much fat. The smoked eggplant puree is tense, while the side dish may not be necessary. Overally, it's still nice except that I've tasted better lambs (cooked by Troisgros, Passard or Herman) 

Assortiment de desserts et pâtisseries (Assortment of desserts and pastries) – They consist of great madeleines, fresh figs as well as cheese cream-puffs. The wafer is sweet; the numerous chocolate biscuits do not disappoint 

I skipped the dessert because I was quite full and already exceeded my budget (also, I will have a dinner at Guy Savoy in the same evening). The restaurant was only about 60-70% full - most of the clients are foreigners, there are a couple from United States as well as a family from Spain; the front dining room was even quieter. The service is professional as expected, slightly more friendly and warmer than my 1st visit, yet it is not as impeccable as when one dines at Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athenee or Le Meurice. It is a well-known fact that Bernard Pacaud only uses finest products and never serves anything that is out of season. All of these great features are executed with almost flawless technique focusing on the purity and quality of the raw materials. Even though one may not find any over the top cutleries or chinaware, every single dish is presented elegantly - there is hardly anything superflous. I find it a bit unusual when chef Pacaud walked around the dining room yet he did not feel very comfortable even to be present at his own "house"; kitchen is truly his real home. This being said, I left the restaurant happily after being well fed and I look forward to returning to this institution in the future, however only in the truffles or morels seasons. Please enjoy the pictures here, Ambroisie Paris 2008 

Food (and Wine): 97 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 93 pts 

Overall: 96/100

L'Ambroisie Bernard Pacaud - 1st visit

L’Ambroisie, along with Le Louis XV, is the 3-star restaurant that I always really want to go. So many people talk about the perfection that the establishment could offer, from the food and wine to service and decoration. Tuesday, June 5th, 2007, in the beautiful and sunny day, I had a reservation at the restaurant for 1 PM. I came about 45 minutes earlier since I would like to take a short walk as well as enjoy the gorgeous weather along arguably Parisian’s most beautiful square – Place des Vosges in the Marais quartier. About 12:45 PM, I entered the restaurant and was greeted with smile by a middle-aged lady (I assumed she’s Madame Danielle Pacaud). As requested, they put me in the front dining room. L’Ambroisie’s interior design features a spectacular and romantic décor a la Chateau de Versailles illuminated by some candlelight. Unlike the luxurious institution of Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée, L’Ambroisie, occupies one of the historic town houses, gives the feel of a private home in which the furnishings is similar to an Italian palace with crystal glasses, polished marble floors, some tapestries and oil paintings. The harmony created in the dining room is actually also reflected in the balance of Bernard Pacaud’s cooking.

Bernard Pacaud, one of the most talented chefs in France, is known to be very particular about the ingredients, he would not settle less than the best produce of every season. For him, the ingredient is the real star, not his cooking technique – even though I think he’s too humble when he stated it. The food at L’Ambroise is truly classical as if diners were brought back to the past to indulge the traditional haute cuisine a la Français served into perfection. Do not expect any extravagant degustation menu here; everything is in à la carte menu. As soon as I sat down, I was offered 3 big portions of Gougères – it’s fluffy, warm and has a high quality of gruyère cheese (it would be perfect should the cheese is melted inside). For me, eating good French food must begin with a glass of champagne. I chose a glass of Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne, excellent and fragrant champagne! The taste is rich, yeasty blend and creamy, while being delicate and soft in texture. It also has a little touch of hazelnuts with clean and zesty finish. This was indeed an awesome aperitif before a meal. This was my first visit to the restaurant, and as recommended by many people, I decided to leave the show in the hand of Monsieur Pascal, the maitre d’ for the food and Monsieur Pierre LeMoullac, the sommelier for the wine. Both were very grateful when I let them guide me for this journey.

Royale de romaine (Royal of Roman) - A warm mousse of peas served with cheese and duck liver. The taste blends nicely and the foie gras is not cloying … a simple and nice amuse-bouche, even though not over the top

Feuillantine de queues de langoustines aux graines de sésame, sauce curry (Langoustines tails served on a bed of spinach with sesame wafers and a light curry sauce) - The Brittany langoustine is sweet, flavorful and quite soft perfectly paired with an Indian-style curry while the wafer as well as the low-temperature cooked spinach add another dimension of the dish. One of the best cooked langoustine dishes I’ve ever tasted

Dos de sole en croûte de moutarde, viennoise d’asperges vertes (Sole’s meatiest portion served in crust of mustard with Viennese green asparagus) - A very generous portion of sole whose structure is firm, but like other sole in general - the meat’s taste is rather weak. The light mustard sauce (not too spicy) only helps a bit while the Robert Blanc asparagus is very good

Navarin de homard et pommes de terre nouvelles au romarin (Lobster in its juice served with new potatoes and rosemary) - By nature, the blue lobster is already flavourful, the sauce is a typical wonderful French-style sauce: flavorful, light, precise and balanced. The new/baby potatoes are not as impressive as I expected, nevertheless it’s still a perfect dish for me

Tarte fine sablée au chocolat, glace à la vanilla (Delicate crust of bitter chocolate tart served with vanilla ice cream) - Arguably my favorite chocolate desserts (along with Can Fabes’ festival of chocolates) - the cake/tart is ethereal along with a sweet and soft vanilla ice cream. On the one hand, the chocolate is intense but at the same time the layer below is light and sublime. A must-try dessert for all first-time visitor of this establishment

Assortiment de desserts et pâtisseries (Assortment of desserts and pastries) – They consist of great madeleines and cheese cream-puffs, the wafer is sweet, and the numerous chocolate biscuits do not disappoint

The wine list at L’Ambroisie is fairly average, in fact relatively short, compare to the other 3-star establishments in Paris. The selection here is focus on mature and top qualities of Bordeaux and Burgundy, monsieur LeMoullac does not really fancy any aggressive wines. For the appetizers and main courses, I drank a half-bottle of 2001 Meursault les Tilles Michelot Mère et Fille, a very good white burgundy that’s producing a harmonious taste while for the desserts I had a glass of 1980 Rivesaltes Mis en Bouteille Cuvée Jean-Paul Lespinasse. The service here was formal and a bit stiff, the attitude of the waiters seemed like French nationalist. Honestly, I was a bit overwhelmed in the beginning since I don’t get used to it. But as the meal flowed, things got better. I find that besides monsieur Pascal, the rests of the staffs do not really speak fluent English. I am not sure if this was the main reason why the overall service here was not as good as the other Parisian top restaurants.

Bernard Pacaud certainly does not like publication or any other media attention. Before coming to this place, I’ve never seen the face of the L’Ambroisie’s master. In fact I almost missed him while dining there. Fortunately, I had a chance to take a picture with chef Pacaud at the end of my meal. He only wore a plain gray shirt along with simple black trousers; people would hardly expect him to be one of the best chefs in the world. Pacaud prefers the blistering noise and smokes of the kitchen to the applause and public appreciation from the guests, media or even his fellow chefs – I could not find any of his pictures either at Paul Bocuse. Regarding his cooking style, I could say that chef Pacaud really emphasizes harmony in the dishes with flawless execution. He does not like any intensity of certain tastes and/or smells, it could be seen where the sauce of every single dish is relatively light – one can hardly taste any butter or cream. In addition, his humble characteristic is also reflected at the Sole dish where simplicity and modesty guided the creation of it. Ultimately, L’Ambroisie offers both luxury and down to earth ingredients in which the qualities are never compromised. This time I was eating all by myself, perhaps one day I could share this magnificent experience with my other-half in this beautiful Parisian grandes tables located in probably city of light’s most romantic square - Place des Vosges with its lovely green gardens. Below is the link of the pictures of my experience, Ambroisie Paris 2007

Food (and Wine): 97 pts

Service (and Ambiance): 94 pts

Overall: 96/100