31 octobre 2008
Bigarrade, à essayer absolument ! A must-try restaurant !
Date of lunch : october 2008.
Résumé en français
Vraiment, à ne pas louper ! Nous avons passé un excellent moment, entre la dégustation de mets très fins, la découverte de nouveaux ingrédients (Yuzu kushu, mojama, fleurs de coriandre, fleurs d'aneth, mouron des oiseaux,...), notre discussion très décontractée avec le Chef et son second....Un rêve de bloggeuse culinaire ! Même si la cuisine est épurée voire zen (beaucoup de cru et de cuissons courtes), il y a énormément de travail en amont dans la préparation des accompagnements, condiments, marinades et autres. Le cadre est agréable : un restaurant petit mais zen, une cuisine ouverte où l'on voit et entend tout mais sans odeurs désagréables. Pour tous les détails en français, je vous recommande vivement d'aller sur le blog de Lili qui a partagé ce repas avec moi; son diaporama est superbe !
The Chef
Sperenzi and Pelé (center). Copyright L'internaute.
Christophe PELE 's first restaurant positions were at Lasserre and Ledoyen in Paris. Later he worked at le Royal Monceau Hotel, where he was Head Chef of "Le Jardin" gastronomic restaurant (one michelin star) and found out about his passion for fish.
He opened "La Bigarrade" in 2007 and hired as a second the talented Giuliano SPERENZI, met at Ledoyen.
Pelé and Sperenzi seemed to be two very nice and warm persons. My friend and I took advantage that the restaurant was not full (and our table the closest to the open kitchen) to ask them plenty of questions about the dishes and the conversation followed on after the meal. I think they were happy to have such curious guests and they showed to us many things in the kitchen, gave us some recipes...Great teachers !!
The Food
Two tasting menus for lunch : 35 euros for fish/seafood only and 45 euros for fish/seafood and meat. We both chose the fish menu.It included 1 amuse-bouche, 2 starters, 2 main dishes, cheese and 4 desserts ! It seems quite pantagruelic written like this, but actually the portions are very small (bite-size), the quality prevails over the quantity there. Two friends of mine who are Rugby players (known for their insatiable appetites) love this restaurant, so if it is not a problem for them, the tiny portions should not be a problem for you neither, specially if you are looking for amazing flavors.
The amuse was an excellent focaccia served warm with a tasteful olive oil. It reminded me of an amuse I had in Barcelona in a wonderful restaurant of New Catalan Cuisine called Hisop (review to come) and we had been told there that the focaccia and olive oil were served to open one's appetite.
First appetizer was a a "velvet swimming crab" cream with carrot bites, topped with a foam and ciselered verbena herbs and served, in another plate, with raw red mullet fillets, cilantro flowers, soy sauce, sesame oil, topped with a sort of caviar. Everything was incredibly tasty and fresh. And I can't even describe how powerful (but not too overwhelming) the cilantro flowers were. Fisrt time I had them, and Pelé seems to enjoy edible flowers a lot, as you will see in the review.
Second appetizer was a bite of scallop carpaccio topped with little solid squares of salted almond butter, cilantro and yuzu kosho condiment. You may ask, yuzu kosho, what's that ? haha, I have to admit that I had to google it once back home, so here is what I found : it is a japanese sauce made from yuzu (asian citrus fruit), chile peppers and salt.The almond butter was caramelized and crunchy and it made a nice contrast with the softness of the scallop.
Then we had glazed eel, beetroot juice, dill flower, red and green radishes.The red color of the sauce made a beautiful contrast with the white plate and it was excellent. Different textures again, Pelé tends to serve the vegetable raw hence crunchy and they are great with the meltiness of the super fresh fishes.
Before serving the cod, we had a smoked vegetable broth, with borage flowers (beautiffully purple and star-shaped), absinthe wormwood and chervil. Wow, so many unknown flavors...A good "break" before the rest of the meal.The edible flowers and fresh herbs all come from the Batignolles organic market close-by.
Then it was onto the slightly roasted cod, sweet pepper sauce, mojama ( filleted salt-cured tuna) and an incredible ginger cut into paper-thin filaments marinated in rice vinegar and clove. The reason why I have so many details on all ingredients is that we chatted a long time with the Chef and his second Giuliano and we asked them everything about what what being served to us. This is how we realized how much work was done beforehand in the restaurant's kitchen and even though the dishes seem simple, almost zen-like, all the sauces, marinades, condiments, and accompaniments need long hours of preparation.
Cheeses were matured goat cheese and comté. Some edible chickweeds aside (Stellaria media) and a small drop of bitter orange cream (or was it grapefuit?). Cheese were excellent, they come from the Batignolles organic market (ask for Philippe).
For dessert, we had a quadrilogy of mini-desserts. We had to eat them in a certain order, from left to right. A delicious lemon mousse (not too tart) topped with mandarin jelly.A passionfruit frozen parfait with a coconut and rum whipped cream, topped with incredibly sweet and crunchy black olive shavings (yes, you have read well). A coffee and caramel mousse served with a cinnamon stick-shaped biscuit and cristallized squares of bitter orange (in french, a bigarrade is a variety of bitter orange, hence the name of the restaurant). Last but not least : an amazing chocolate fondant with celery syrup (yep). My friend and I were totally amazed by the desserts and the whole menu in general, especially for that price.
With coffee, we had two mignardises each : a mini lemon tartlet and a flaky danish filled with a vanilla whipped cream.
The wine
My friend could not drink wine, I had a glass of white wine recommended by the waiter. Cannot remember the name, sorry.
The customers and the decoration
La bigarrade is located in the 17th arrondissement near the Batignolles area. Not the most touristy part of Paris, it is more residential but you will have the opportunity to visit a picturesque and authentic part of the city.
Only 4 tables were reserved that day (which was surprising, but as Pelé told us, they could already feel the effects of the economic crisis as it was the first time the restaurant was not full for lunch), mostly by french customers apart from an Italian couple.
The decoration is very simple, but charming. It has a modern and fresh feeling with its white and green tones.The open kitchen is a key element in the decoration, it is extremely neat and the most surprising was the absence of cooking odors in the restaurant.
The Service
The waiters were corteous and friendly.They gave us detailed description of the dishes.
The choice and the Cost
Pelé works only with "blind" tasting menus : it means that you cannot choose on a menu, he decides for you after asking about your allergies or dislikes.
Two menus for lunch: 35 euros (fish only) or 45 euros (fish and meat).Each menu has an amuse bouche, two starters, two main dishes, cheese and a selection of several mini-desserts.
Two menus for dinner : 45 euros and 65 euros.
Chef Pelé's good addresses
Cheese : Ask for Philippe at the Batignolles organic market
Fresh herbs and edible flowers : Batignolles Market
As a conclusion
This restaurant is a bargain. For 35 euros (for lunch) only, you have the feeling of a Haute Cuisine food in a nice and modern atmosphere.Chefs are really nice and enthousiastic and the waiters are friendly.
Practical Information/Infos pratiques
Bigarrade
106, rue Nollet 75017
Tel : 01-42-26-01-02
Metro station : Brochant
Map : click here.
Open from Monday to Saturday for lunch (12pm to 2 pm) and dinner (8 pm to 10.30 pm).
Website : http://www.bigarrade.fr/
Pictures : copyright FoodieFroggy except cod picture by Lilibox.
05 juillet 2008
Un Piège merveilleux aux Ambassadeurs/A wonderful Piège (trap in french) at Les Ambassadeurs.
Date of lunch : june 2008.
Résumé en français
La magie à l’état pur, tout simplement. De la haute gastronomie
comme on l’aime : goûteuse, raffinée, créative voire ludique, résolument
moderne, le tout dans un cadre élégant (quoiqu'un peu froid à mon goût) et avec un service discrètement
parfait et décontracté. Le menu « affaires » du déjeuner (servi du
mardi au vendredi) est abordable (88 euros) et d’un excellent rapport
qualité/prix au vu de la qualité des plats et des innombrables amuse-bouches
servis. On se délecte du début à la fin …
Pour une critique en français très détaillée, rendez-vous
sur le site de cuisiner en ligne, je suis 100% d’accord avec ses commentaires
et en plus, nous avons dégusté quasiment la même chose ! A ce propos, les photos m'ont été aimablement prêtées par Stéphane, car mari à moi pas content quand moi "mitrailler" endroits chics !!
Réservation indispensable (au moins 15 jours à l’avance
pour le déjeuner, 2 mois pour le dîner ou le brunch dominical).
The Chef
Jean-François Piège comes from the Drome region, in the southeastern part of France.His first restaurant position was at the
restaurant Chabichou, in the French Alps resort, Courchevel. Later he worked at
Chateau Eza on the French Riviera, under Bruno Cirino.
After a stint in the kitchens of the French
presidential palace during his military service, Jean-Francois Piege again
joined forces with Bruno Cirino at Les Elysées, the restaurant of the Hotel
Vernet. Then, at the famed Louis XV in Monte Carlo, he entered the world of
Alain Ducasse in 1992.Chef Piege’s passion for excellence made him the natural
choice when Alain Ducasse needed someone to take over at the Plaza Athenee in
2000.
Jean-François Piège was only 34 when he came to
Les Ambassadeurs in February 2004 to become Head Chef.
(source : Crillon Hotel)
A side note about the pictures : The pictures on this reviews are not mine, they were taken by Stéphane, a Chef and foodblogger (you can see his site, “cuisiner en ligne” here and his review (in french) here) who had lunch at “Les Ambassadeurs” a month ago and he gave me permission to use his pictures, to give you an idea of the beauty of the dishes. As the menu has very little changed since his lunch, they were totally appropriate for my very own review.
For lunch on week days, you can choose between
a tasting menu (210 euros), the business menu (three courses, 88 euros, wine
and coffee not included) or "à la carte" selection.
We chose the business menu for obvious reasons,
and we also noticed that all the items were also on the “à la carte” but much
more expensive. For instance, my main dish alone was 70 euros à la carte!!
In the business menu, you have the choice
between two starters (one with seafood, one with meat), two main dishes
(seafood/meat) and two desserts. This is more than enough. We managed to taste
everything as we chose different items from starter to dessert !
Before starting, one is served a selection of 3 different individual breads,
and two butters : a salted one made by Jean-Yves Bordier, one of the most
famous cheese artisan in France. His world-known shop is located in Saint-Malo,
Brittany. And an unsalted one, “a beurre de baratte” (freshly churned butter).
As an amuse-bouche, we had one of Piege’s famous dish : like a “Plateau TV” (his very own interpretation of TV platter, served on a tray) : 5 items to be eaten in a certain order, from left to right : two shots glasses, one filled with celery lemonade and vodka, the other one with crayfish sauce and a foie gras (duck liver) foam. In the center of the platter, a tiny ball (named here a “cromesquis”, never heard that word before) in a tiny bowl (haha) which was a round crunchy croquette filled with a liquid crayfish sauce. Fourth item was a thin cigarette-like tube made with brick pastry and filled with “niçoise” cream (basil, cream and probably anchovies and bellpeppers). Last was butter with black truffle bites, wrapped like a candy. Needless to say that this amuse-bouche was incredible, with a wide variety of sensations and tastes.
As a starter, my husband chose the “Foie
gras de canard des landes, en gelée Montmorency et en spaghetti
cerises/amandes” (duck foie gras from Les Landes, served in two plates :
one cold with a jelly of “Montmorency” cherries and the other served warm with
almonds and cherries in the shape of spaghetti pasta).
I took “araignée de mer decortiquée, en
salade et vinaigre fumé et en bouillon au satay” (shelled spider crab, both
ways : cold with smoked vinegar and warm with a satay broth). It was
served with very fresh sushi-like granny apples. Both main dishes showcased
contrasts in textures, temperatures and taste. I have no word to describe the
sensationalness (does that word exist ? If not, well, it should!) of the
dishes. Like in many high-end restaurants, the portions are small but believe
me, it was more than enough. At this point, I was almost full (I said “almost”,
lol).
Main dishes : Ah, I had ris de veau de lait blanc/brun
au gout d’une pissaladière (veal sweetbreads with an accompaniment which
tasted like a Provencal pizza). Sweetbreads are something I often choose in restaurants as I am totally
unable to make them at home. They were served with the best onion and potato
purée I have ever tasted.
A.chose “Bar de Ligne piqué au vin jaune,
morilles/riz au comté” (seabass with yellow wine, morels and rice with comté
cheese) : the seabass was “swimming” in a yellow wine sabayon sauce,
simply topped with melted comté, and with an asian-style rice tuile.Still a lot of contrasts between crunchy and soft textures and all tastes were amazing, extremely well-balanced.
The presentation of the dishes is very modern,
almost architectural, very zen-like.
Cheese : Two carts full of affineur cheeses arrived to our table, each cheese under its own glass “cloche” . The cheese came from Antony, another famous cheese shop. I chose a comté, a pont l’évêque and …can’t remember the third one !
Desserts : oh.my.God !! Spectacular. But before the desserts, we had so many amuse-bouches that I can hardly remember all of them. First, a silver “tower” with three floors, each displaying miniature size sweet bites : pineapple macarons, rhubarb pastries and mini pims (chocolate and orange). Then a “S” shaped tray with triangular chocolate and hazelnuts ganache and two bite-size crèmes brûlées wrapped in plastic film, that we were told to crush in our mouths before removing the film. Followed by a Malibu and coconut Eskimo ice-cream coated with chocolate. And last but not least, a tray with a very funny sparkling sugar, some pastry sticks and a caramel sauce. We were asked to soak the sticks in the caramel first then coat them with sparkling sugar, which made an hilarious sensation in our mouths. Can you believe these were not even the desserts ??
My dessert : a cylindrically-shaped strawberry sorbet with
rhubarb center surrounded by a meringue cage. A generous scoop of fraises des
bois was added at the table. The cage was decorated with gold leaf flakes. Gorgeous.Excellent.Fresh.
Hubby had a chocolate/banana dessert wrapped with thin
leaves of sugar, just like a gift. It was beautiful, crunchy and airy at the
same time (yes, I know, hard to imagine, but that’s the way it was).
We ordered
a coffee (large selection) , but if you prefer tea or herbal infusion, you will
be impressed by the cart with fresh herbs in their pots and cut in front of
you.
After
coffee, we were served a chocolate and frozen mint bonbon.
The wine
A glass of Rosé Roederer Champagne to start for both of us and a glass of white wine for hubby. I
stayed with water for the rest of the lunch. We are not really wine
connoisseurs, but if you are, you won’t be disappointed : the wine menu is the most extensive I have ever seen : it is literally several meters long, folded like an
accordion.
The customers and the decoration
Maybe my only little disappointment. I found
the room to be extremely elegant but cold : too many space between tables,
which is great for intimacy but lacks of coziness. And the marble everywhere
did not help to heat atmosphere. The room is large, with only a dozen tables.
Also, many reviews mention the view on the Place de la Concorde, but actually
there is no view. First, only half the tables are close to a window, and
secondly, only one of them has an unobstructed view on the outside.
The customers were mostly French, and
businessmen, apart from two other couples.
The table decoration was quite sober, but the
silverware (Christofle), and plates (Bernardaud) were wonderful : modern and
classy.
The
Service
We had at least 4 people
taking care of us, but they were not too formal. We could chat and joke with
them. They were quite young, but professional.
As
a conclusion
The perfect restaurant for a very special occasion. The lunch menu is really a
bargain for what you get and is an opportunity not to be missed to enter the
world of Haute Gastronomie.
Practical Information/Infos
pratiques :
Les Ambassadeurs
Hôtel de Crillon
10 Place de la Concorde
75008 Paris
Tél. : +33 1 44 71 15 00
website : www.crillon.com
Other pictures : Copyright : L' Internaute
09 juillet 2007
My Restaurant Reviews
(last updated october 28th, 2008)
In Paris
(By Alphabetical order)
- Le Beurre Noisette in the 15th arrondissement : New "Bistrot Parisien".The food was OK but the slow service spoilt it all. Read my review
- Le ChateauBriand in the 11th arrondissement. One of the trendiest restaurant in Paris, but maybe the food was actually too trendy for my palate. Read my review
- Le Pré Catelan in the 16th arrondissement. A stunning lunch in a wonderful place. Read my review
- Le Saïgon in the 13th arrondissement.Exotic food in our local Chinatown.Non adventurous eaters must avoid the place ! Read my review
- Les Ombres in the 7th arrondissement. A good meal with a stunning view on the Eiffel Tower. Read my review.
- Pause Café in the 11th arrondissement. A no-frills Café in the bobo Bastille neighborhood. Food has never disappointed me though.Read my review
- Spring in the 9th arrondissement.An excellent meal in a very laid back and tiny restaurant. Daniel Rose's set menu is a bargain. Reservation needed weeks ahead.Read my review
- Le Temps au Temps in the 11th arrondissement.A very good meal in a tiny restaurant. A new Chef since January 2008, who has nothing to envy to former Chef Sylvain Sendra. Read my review
- New ! Les Ambassadeurs in the 8th arrondissement at Hotel de Crillon. Jean-François Piege is a genius of Haute Gastronomie and our lunch there was a pure moment of bliss. Read my Review.
- New ! Bigarrade in the 17th arrondissement. A taste of Haute Gastronomie for a fraction of the price. Tempted ? Read my Review.
- More restaurant reviews ? Please visit the friendliest english-speaking forum : Our Paris.There you will find reviews about Bofinger Brasserie, Atelier de Maître Albert (5th arr), Le reminet (5th arr), le Florimond (7th arr), Le Durer (18th arr).Click on the names to read the reviews.
In France
- Le Torrent, in Megève, French Alps. Comfort food in a cozy restaurant. Read my review.
- Le Refuge, in megève, French Alps.Regional produce with a creative touch.A talented Chef. Read my review.
- La Ferme de Victorine, in Notre-Dame-De-Bellecombe, Frech Alps. Traditional Alpine recipes with a modern twist.Read my review.
- L'ancienne auberge, in Vonnas, Bresse region. Simple and good food by great Chef George Blanc at cheap prices.Read my review.