So after Copenhagen, Paris! For all the hustle and bustle of Asia, there's just something about Europe that just seems to spring intrigue and wonder. I think the city of love needs no introduction, so I'll just leave you with a few pictures of Paris in all her lustre and glory...
But anyway, off to the food! So the first restaurant I visited in Paris, was this little( from the outside at least) place near the hotel called Le Taillevent. Apparently, its a 2 michelin star joint, so gents, please put on your sunday best. A little background info about this restaurant, it's located at 15,rue Lamennais, 75008 Paris, France, just a stones throw away from the main shopping belt in Paris, Champs-Élysées. It's been around for ages, I think, according to Wikipedia since 1946 and it used to hold 3 Michelin stars. Apparently, the restaurant's attention to detail is such that even the pastries and chocolates they serve up are prepared fresh daily at their very own pastry workshop.
This is the official website of the restaurant : http://taillevent.com/le-restaurant
You can check out the décor of the place via the website, but basically I think its in French so non-speakers will probably have a hard time figuring out what they're on about. In any case, here's a portion of the menu
Sorry if the pictures aren't that clear! It was a combination of the lighting and the fact that I'm using my iphone as a camera(ok more of the second reason). So anyway, from the menu you get an idea of the prices. Honestly, I don't remember what half of them mean. I do know I had a lamb dish for 2(the other portion to share with my companions) and it was excellent. For those of you(myself included) who do not understand French, the waiters and sommeliers who wait on you are more than happy to explain the menu for your convenience.
So basically, you order a starter and a main, and if you feel like it you can order dessert as well. I confess. I have a sweet tooth. That coupled with the fact that France is famous for her pastry meant I was definitely going for dessert.
First up came the rolls and breads westerners are so famous for. Accompanied with butter and olive oil, perfect. Then for my starter, I had an escargot risotto recommended by the friendly waiter at the restaurant. Yes I know...snails. But I've had escargot countless times and honestly, I have yet to taste a bad escargot dish. Plus, being in France, I just had to have escargot. As they say, when in Rome, do as the Romans do!
Don't be put off by the greenish hue of the dish. It was delectable! The flesh of the escargot had a little bite to it. If you've had escargot before you'll know what I mean. And the risotto was creamy with a little nutty flavour. They added shaved white truffle onto the dish, so that deep musky mushroomy flavour gave the dish an extra kick. It was a little bit on the salty side, but having said that, it really was delicious. At first glance the portion seemed a little bit small, but after a while you get why it comes in this size. Had they served a bigger portion of it, after a while, you get sian.
Then came my main, and the star of the show...
I think, I THINK...it was veal kidneys with lamb. The pinkish portions were definitely the lamb. I should have documented it better, but when I was in Europe I hadn't decided to come up with this blog! The dish was served with a side of wild musthrooms and small potatoes. But anyway, if you're really interested in figuring this out, you can translate the menu. I definitely had the Selle D'Agneau de Lozere en Rognonnade. And using google, apparently a rognonnade is a piece of meat rolled around its kidney.
The flesh was extremely juicy and yet still had a little tension within the meat. It was slightly chewy but definitely not tough. I had expected kidneys to taste a little bit gamier but it was surprisingly light. The sauce went perfectly with the entirety of the dish. I'm not quite sure what was in it, but definitely black pepper, and perhaps some red wine.
We had 2 portions of this dish so the other dish went round the table and received rave reviews compared to what my companions had. So all in all, I would say good choice by me!
Last but not least...
Dessert was a pastry of some sort, crispy, apple strudel type top drenched with tangerine syrup and cream in the middle. I had expected something sweet, but it was sour. Apart from that it was still a pretty decent dessert though I have to say I was a little bit disappointed with it because like I said, I have a sweet tooth. But to each his own, I'm sure some people will find this to their palate.
The whole meal took about 3 hours. I think, that's the average time you have to commit to dinner if you really want to be out and about having a good meal in Paris or Europe for that matter. In Europe, dinner and dining in restaurants is a form of entertainment, nobody rushes through their meals. Everybody enjoys their food over good conversations and good wines. So meals take a long, long time...relative to how we dine over here in Singapore where the dishes are served thick and fast.
It certainly does take some getting used to, but if you can get past that, then the culinary experience you can garner from spending some time in eateries like Le Taillevent can be truly rewarding(albeit a bit expensive)!
Vive La France!
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