Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée - 1st visit

Thursday, April 20th, 2006 marked my visit to another Alain Ducasse’s top restaurant located inside the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, an art nouveau marvel. This time I brought my parents to experience a meal at 3* Michelin restaurant for the first time. Before coming there, I briefed them on what to expect and what it is like to eat at this kind of place so that they would not be overwhelmed. Actually, I am also relatively new to the world of haute cuisine, just started around November 2005 and then I find it difficult to resist this temptation. After having a marvelous meal at Alain Ducasse New York (ADNY) in the Fall 2005, I came here with a high expectation as many people told me that Ducasse’s Europe establishments – here and Le Louis XV are much better than the one at the Essex House.

After doing a window shopping along avenue Montaigne for the whole afternoon, we arrived at the restaurant 10 minutes later from our initial reservation at 8 PM. The restaurant is actually located not too far from the main entrance of the hotel. Once our reservation was confirmed, we entered the restaurant by passing through discreet engraved glass doors. Our table was at the front corner, so we had a very good view of the restaurant’s ambiance without involving ourselves in the middle of the crowds. The décor’s style is a combination of classic and modern with the most notable thing being the chandelier with 10,000 crystals pendants dangling that alters lighting into a hologram show. Everything here is designed with careful details, for instance: the pink-colored chairs had pull-out plastic trays where ladies can put her bags, and the dining tableware seems to be customized for the restaurant (some are engraved with ADPA). Perhaps the decoration itself is one of the reasons why many people are curious about visiting this place. However, no matter how good or grand the restaurant’s design is, what served on the plates matters more above anything else.

The meal started with the pre-appetizer – something like gougères containing spinach with concise saltiness, I still prefer the cheese cream puff at ADNY. Following this, a waiter came with champagne cart. I opted for a glass of 1998 Henriot Brut Rose Champagne Millesime, the Rosé offers smooth texture and firm structure – a refreshing aperitif indeed. One thing a bit surprising to me is to find the limited bread selection; this is not typical of Ducasse’s top restaurant; whereas the butter, both salted and unsalted, is soft. The menu in ADPA is very interesting where the restaurant provides a holder and thus the guests do not need to hold the menu with their hands. Alain Ducasse always offers dishes made of rare, fresh and precious ingredients. Since I rarely go to Paris, I decided to order the best that the restaurant can offer. All of us ordered the collection menu and here what I had.

Menu Collection

Langoustines rafraîchies, nage réduite, caviar osciètre - bouillon parfumée - (Brittany Langoustines with Court Bouillon Reduction and Osetra Caviar from Iran - served warmed) – The restaurant’s main signature dish. The langoustine is firm, the caviar is one of the world’s best and they are both enhanced by a cup of shellfish broth containing some subtle ginger flavors. Comparable to Passard’s Carpaccio de langoustines - personally, I slightly prefer the latter one

Coquilles Saint-Jacques snackées coco/curry (Seared Scallops served with Coconut Curry) – This dish is arguably the most delicious scallops appetizer I’ve ever tasted (the other is Esnault’s Saint-Jacques Poelees with shaved white truffles). The scallop is very fresh and juicy, with the combination of delectable fruity curry sauce. There are many colorless sago that seduces the overall experience of the dish

Homard de Bretagne, asperges vertes de Pertuis, jus de la presse (Blue lobster of Brittany served with “chez blanc” green asparagus) – A very high quality (as well as generous portion) of lobster (has some sweetness in it and cooked to the right texture) that makes Maine’s lobster pale in comparison. The asparagus is fresh, combined with the sauce make this dish extremely wonderful.

Volaille de Bresse en fricassée, morilles à peine crèmes (Fricassee of Bresse chicken served with mushrooms and crayfishes) – I’m blown away with this chicken dish (a perfect 20/20 - unbelievable to eat 2 perfect dishes within 4 days). Just when I thought that L’Arpege’s chicken is the best ever, ADPA tells me I have yet tasted the best one. The seafood, carrots and mozzarellas etc. do not actually interfere the overall harmony and balance of the succulent chicken. All of the additional ingredients in fact complement the chicken in many different positive ways. This dish has a little Chinese influence too I suppose.

Fromages affinés pour nous (Refined cheeses) – If I could recall correctly, the comte is 3 years old and it’s good, the blue cheese smell is very strong, yet tasty. The cheese, served with special knife and fork, also comes with salads and marmalade as sides. Last but not least, finally the soft olive brioche shows up - served hot from the oven.

Caillé de brebis, caramel-poivre, miel d’arbousier (A very light, fresh goat milk cheese in yogurt-like texture served with pepper caramel sweetened and Corsican honey) – I have a hard time on how to describe this exciting and adventurous dessert. The saltiness of the cheese is reduced with the sweetness from the ice cream, honey and caramel and vice versa. The dessert is accompanied by a glass of light and sweet wine – 1996 Chateau Coutet.

Our multi course meal was accompanied by a bottle of 1999 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, this almond and flower-scented white Burgundy is tight with tangy acidity. Furthermore, it has a medium-bodied with excellent density and depth to its white fruit. I find the wine to be well-balanced and harmonious; it goes well with our dishes since it does not dominate the food’s taste. The pre and post-desserts, such as chocolates and candies are not inferior compared to the Ducasse New York’s establishment. The home-made assorted chocolates is very good and macarons, both chocolate and coffee, are very crunchy (outside) and soft (inside). I did not have a chance to sip in a cup of tea here as my mother would like to go back to the hotel (it’s closed to 12:30 AM and we had to fly for Barcelona the next morning). Here, the herbal tea infusion is presented in pots on a cart.

There are two things that I do not particularly fond of the restaurant. In my humble opinion, the head sommelier – Laurent Roucayrol is a bit arrogant. It is no doubt that he’s very knowledgeable about the wines, but he’s not willing to listen to the customer’s opinions. He usually forces the diners to always follow his suggestion; this could be a problem had he encountered a short-tempered guest. Another thing, the restaurant’s restroom, located outside, is shared with lobby and tea guests, for me it is not very convenient. Moreover, it is not very clean given the level of both the hotel and the restaurant.

While many people are worried when Jean-François Piège moved to Les Ambassadeurs, the food qualities here will be dropped, I could boldly assure that this will not be the case. Christophe Moret, the former Chef at Paris’ Spoon food and wine, may not be the most creative chef, but he really understands and fully capable of executing the dish with a very high precision the way Monsieur Ducasse wants it to be. The service, lead by Denis Courtiade – the dining room manager, is very courteous and efficient. This should come to no surprise since the staffs are actually outnumber the number of diners. Despite a full dining room, they provide seamless service and there are no certain waiters assigned for particular tables (except one person who assisted us for the menu-ordering, he was very patient to accommodate our needs). Furthermore, the staffs never misstep or collide with each other. Overall, I am extremely delighted with our dinner, one of the best I’ve ever experienced (only my dinner at L’Arpege is slightly better than this). Alain Ducasse Paris could be the best place for people who would like to try the 3* experience for the 1st time at Europe. One could enjoy pretty much everything – from an elegant dining room with an extraordinary service to a wonderful French food accompanied by a wide variety of wine selection. Click the following link for the pictures, http://picasaweb.google.com/Andi.Chahyadi.Hermawan/AlainDucasseAuPlazaAtheneeParisFrance1stVisit##

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