Our lunch at Robuchon
Jul 4th, 2005, 04:35 PM
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Our lunch at Robuchon
As promised, here's the full report. This is the one place I had paper and pen on my lap during the meal to scribble notes, as I knew I'd never be able to remember the name and details of 10 courses. Enjoy!!
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We ate very little breakfast to prepare for the feast which awaited us at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. We wanted to experience a different side of Paris cuisine -- newer and more contemporary, and my McDonald's-loving hubby was up for a food adventure, so off we went. We put on dressier day clothes, took a cab, and anticipated needing to wait in line, only to find the place half-full at noon, and most people dressed more casually than we were. Perhaps dinner is the time for lines and dress clothes. Nonetheless, we walked in and had the most amazing 3-hour lunch of our lives (the ONLY 3-hour lunch of our lives!) Much has been written about their 98e "discovery" menu so we had to try it. WOW. Not every course of the 10 was a total WOW, but the overall experience definitely was. Here's the rundown:
1. Amuse-bouche of gazpacho -- unlike any gazpacho. Hubby actually doesn't like gazpacho usually...he drank every drop of this! Pureed, smooth, creamy, not too spicy. A couple of crunchy croutons floating on top. Loved it.
2. Le Tourteau -- THE dish of the meal. It looks like avocado soup with almonds floating on top. But it's thicker than soup, totally silky and creamy, and there's a creamy crab concoction underneath. The textures and flavors are to die for. I don't think I saw Glenn's eyes light up over a food all week like it did when he tasted this. And I was ready to sing again! WOW. There were little drops of chile oil floating on top as well, and my chile-phobic husband ate it all up and said those chile oil droplets "balanced the dish" and I about fell off my barstool.
(Remember, there are no tables here...just a bar with high bar stools.) We wanted to skip all the courses and have 8 more of this. Really amazing. Go to this place just for this. Seriously.
3. Les Palourdes -- 3 little clams, served hot in open shells on a bed of rock salt. Much like traditional escargots -- a garilc-butter-parsley sauce with very finely minced mushrooms. Quite lovely.
4. Le Volaille -- a deep-fried chicken wing drummette with the bone whittled down to a twig, We couldn't figure out what kind of bird we were eating so we asked. Served with a sweet-and-sour sauce on a razor-thin slice of pineapple. Nice.
5. La Morue -- Cube of codfish, draped in a wonton, with a beautiful leaf of some kind of herb peeking through. Art on a plate. This artful cube was set in a light broth, with parsley oil and veggies floating about. Very very delicate flavors, so in contrast to the first 4 dishes, it seemed rather bland. But in saying that the bland flavors were quite fresh. I know that doesn't make much sense. Anyway, I think this dish served to cleanse the palate for what was to come.
6. L'Oeuf -- This was another WOW for me. Served in a martini glass, the top layer was a froth, with sauteed girolles (mushrooms) floating in it. Dig deeper, and you break into a warm coddled egg in butter, dig even deeper, and there is a parsley puree. Scoop it all into your mouth at once, and die happy. Another "I need to sing" moment. Glenn wasn't as wowed by this, but I forgave him.
7a. -- Glenn's meat choice (of 2) was the L'Agneau de Lait -- 2 little lamb choplettes with a smidge of mashed potatoes. He was happy. I had a taste of the lamb and it was pretty good.
7b. -- I chose the other meat called Le Ris de Veau -- my biggest food adventure of the trip -- sweetbreads! I was impressed. Delicate flavor, texture just fine. Not sure I'll order them again, but so glad to say I tried them, enjoyed them enough, and ate the whole little mound.
8. La Framboise -- First dessert...fresh raspberries in a thin sauce with lychee and vanilla, with both grapefruit and raspberry sorbet. A paper-thin lemon-lime cookie on top with a twig of chocolate. Another artistic presentation with bursting flavors. Loved the combination of grapefruit and raspberry. But since they are 2 of Glenn's favorite flavors, he wasn't sure he liked them combined. He tends to like one intense flavor at a time. This dish definitely cleansed the palate for the intensity of the next dessert which was...
9. Le Chocolat Sensation -- another top dish of the week. A large serving (more than I should have eaten) of a layered masterpiece. Dark chocolate on the bottom -- really thick and smooth (almost like a fondant, not quite though), then layered with chocolate cookie crumbs, with white chocolate ice cream, and a milk chocolate mousse layer on top. This chocoholic was swooning.
10. Our surprise gift from the restaurant. I'd whispered to the hostess that we're celebrating our 20th anniversary (hey, why not milk the occasion all week?) and could they put a candle in my husband's dessert. Well, neither of the planned desserts came with a candle, but I was OK with it because everything was so good. The next thing I know, one of our several servers is coming to us with a plate, the entire staff starts singing "Joyeux Anniversaire" and on the plate is written in chocolate sauce "Joyeux Anniversaire" along with a cake/tarte with a candle in it. The nice man says he will cut up the dessert and bring it to us. I'm so bummed we didn't stop him to get a picture of the platter, it was so lovely. A couple of minutes later, 2 small plates are brought to us, with 2 small wedges of the most glorious dark chocolate-caramel-nut tarte, with squiggles of chocolate sauce. We were so stuffed already, but I ate both of my slices of course! Never turn away free food, esp. when it involves chocolate and caramel. We did have coffee, and they might have brought a small treat with it, but I don't remember and didn't write it down. I paid this bill, as I'd been saving up for this specifically, and we rolled out of there happy after 3 hours.
---------------
We ate very little breakfast to prepare for the feast which awaited us at L'Atelier de Joel Robuchon. We wanted to experience a different side of Paris cuisine -- newer and more contemporary, and my McDonald's-loving hubby was up for a food adventure, so off we went. We put on dressier day clothes, took a cab, and anticipated needing to wait in line, only to find the place half-full at noon, and most people dressed more casually than we were. Perhaps dinner is the time for lines and dress clothes. Nonetheless, we walked in and had the most amazing 3-hour lunch of our lives (the ONLY 3-hour lunch of our lives!) Much has been written about their 98e "discovery" menu so we had to try it. WOW. Not every course of the 10 was a total WOW, but the overall experience definitely was. Here's the rundown:
1. Amuse-bouche of gazpacho -- unlike any gazpacho. Hubby actually doesn't like gazpacho usually...he drank every drop of this! Pureed, smooth, creamy, not too spicy. A couple of crunchy croutons floating on top. Loved it.
2. Le Tourteau -- THE dish of the meal. It looks like avocado soup with almonds floating on top. But it's thicker than soup, totally silky and creamy, and there's a creamy crab concoction underneath. The textures and flavors are to die for. I don't think I saw Glenn's eyes light up over a food all week like it did when he tasted this. And I was ready to sing again! WOW. There were little drops of chile oil floating on top as well, and my chile-phobic husband ate it all up and said those chile oil droplets "balanced the dish" and I about fell off my barstool.
(Remember, there are no tables here...just a bar with high bar stools.) We wanted to skip all the courses and have 8 more of this. Really amazing. Go to this place just for this. Seriously.3. Les Palourdes -- 3 little clams, served hot in open shells on a bed of rock salt. Much like traditional escargots -- a garilc-butter-parsley sauce with very finely minced mushrooms. Quite lovely.
4. Le Volaille -- a deep-fried chicken wing drummette with the bone whittled down to a twig, We couldn't figure out what kind of bird we were eating so we asked.
Served with a sweet-and-sour sauce on a razor-thin slice of pineapple. Nice.5. La Morue -- Cube of codfish, draped in a wonton, with a beautiful leaf of some kind of herb peeking through. Art on a plate. This artful cube was set in a light broth, with parsley oil and veggies floating about. Very very delicate flavors, so in contrast to the first 4 dishes, it seemed rather bland. But in saying that the bland flavors were quite fresh. I know that doesn't make much sense. Anyway, I think this dish served to cleanse the palate for what was to come.
6. L'Oeuf -- This was another WOW for me. Served in a martini glass, the top layer was a froth, with sauteed girolles (mushrooms) floating in it. Dig deeper, and you break into a warm coddled egg in butter, dig even deeper, and there is a parsley puree. Scoop it all into your mouth at once, and die happy. Another "I need to sing" moment. Glenn wasn't as wowed by this, but I forgave him.
7a. -- Glenn's meat choice (of 2) was the L'Agneau de Lait -- 2 little lamb choplettes with a smidge of mashed potatoes. He was happy. I had a taste of the lamb and it was pretty good.
7b. -- I chose the other meat called Le Ris de Veau -- my biggest food adventure of the trip -- sweetbreads! I was impressed. Delicate flavor, texture just fine. Not sure I'll order them again, but so glad to say I tried them, enjoyed them enough, and ate the whole little mound.
8. La Framboise -- First dessert...fresh raspberries in a thin sauce with lychee and vanilla, with both grapefruit and raspberry sorbet. A paper-thin lemon-lime cookie on top with a twig of chocolate. Another artistic presentation with bursting flavors. Loved the combination of grapefruit and raspberry. But since they are 2 of Glenn's favorite flavors, he wasn't sure he liked them combined. He tends to like one intense flavor at a time. This dish definitely cleansed the palate for the intensity of the next dessert which was...
9. Le Chocolat Sensation -- another top dish of the week. A large serving (more than I should have eaten) of a layered masterpiece. Dark chocolate on the bottom -- really thick and smooth (almost like a fondant, not quite though), then layered with chocolate cookie crumbs, with white chocolate ice cream, and a milk chocolate mousse layer on top. This chocoholic was swooning.
10. Our surprise gift from the restaurant. I'd whispered to the hostess that we're celebrating our 20th anniversary (hey, why not milk the occasion all week?) and could they put a candle in my husband's dessert. Well, neither of the planned desserts came with a candle, but I was OK with it because everything was so good. The next thing I know, one of our several servers is coming to us with a plate, the entire staff starts singing "Joyeux Anniversaire" and on the plate is written in chocolate sauce "Joyeux Anniversaire" along with a cake/tarte with a candle in it. The nice man says he will cut up the dessert and bring it to us. I'm so bummed we didn't stop him to get a picture of the platter, it was so lovely. A couple of minutes later, 2 small plates are brought to us, with 2 small wedges of the most glorious dark chocolate-caramel-nut tarte, with squiggles of chocolate sauce. We were so stuffed already, but I ate both of my slices of course! Never turn away free food, esp. when it involves chocolate and caramel. We did have coffee, and they might have brought a small treat with it, but I don't remember and didn't write it down. I paid this bill, as I'd been saving up for this specifically, and we rolled out of there happy after 3 hours.
Jul 4th, 2005, 07:41 PM
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Rex,
Yeah, I know it's weird. But my husband doesn't drink, and I was trying to save some money along the way, so didn't order much wine. I'm more into food than wine right now. I think I need to make friends who are into wine who can teach more more about it, since I have no one to drink with at home.
Yeah, I know it's weird. But my husband doesn't drink, and I was trying to save some money along the way, so didn't order much wine. I'm more into food than wine right now. I think I need to make friends who are into wine who can teach more more about it, since I have no one to drink with at home.
Jul 6th, 2005, 11:08 AM
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Let's plan a re-visit together - - I feel fairly certain that "kybourbon" would go! She is (self-described) a bit of a wine-o; her name does not accurately reflect her preferred beverage(s) - - only the heritage of the part of Kentucky in which she lives.
Oct 7th, 2006, 10:21 AM
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I found this excellent report during a search for Paris restaurants, particularly ones that are single-diner-friendly. Just wondered if anyone has a recent comment or review... other than the ones that have already been posted. I have requested a seat for dinner...not sure yet if they have space.
Oct 8th, 2006, 07:30 AM
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I meant to say, "Does anyone want to share their experiences at Robuchon?" As in what to order, to get tasting menu, etc.. Apparently it is not difficult to reserve; I gave only 2 weeks or so notice.
Oct 8th, 2006, 01:51 PM
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You gave 2 weeks' notice, I gave 30 minutes' notice for a lunch there 10 days ago. This was at 12:30, and the place was half empty. By the time I left around 2:00, it seemed to be full although I saw no line waiting.
I'd assumed there was a lunchtime prix-fixe at a lower price than for dinner, as is the custom at every other fine dining place I know. But such was not the case, according to the young woman who was my server. As the 10-course tasting menu would have been well over 100 Euros--too much for lunch--I ordered the special main course of the day, which was sole (I can't remember if it was called Dover sole or not--probably not, in France).
I love fresh seafood but never order Dover sole because it is so bland (some would say "delicate"
as to be almost tasteless. But this fish was divine. Served whole and de-boned in front of me, it had been simply grilled and was served with the lightest of broths. The only side was Robuchon's signature creamed potatoes--half butter and cream, half potatoes, I've read. Taken with a glass of cold Chablis, it was delicious. So I left satisfied although a part of me was disappointed that I hadn't had an opportunity to do a luncheon version of the tasting menu. I think he's missing a bet on that one. . . even if he served, say, 6 mini-courses instead of 10.
--Logan
I'd assumed there was a lunchtime prix-fixe at a lower price than for dinner, as is the custom at every other fine dining place I know. But such was not the case, according to the young woman who was my server. As the 10-course tasting menu would have been well over 100 Euros--too much for lunch--I ordered the special main course of the day, which was sole (I can't remember if it was called Dover sole or not--probably not, in France).
I love fresh seafood but never order Dover sole because it is so bland (some would say "delicate"
as to be almost tasteless. But this fish was divine. Served whole and de-boned in front of me, it had been simply grilled and was served with the lightest of broths. The only side was Robuchon's signature creamed potatoes--half butter and cream, half potatoes, I've read. Taken with a glass of cold Chablis, it was delicious. So I left satisfied although a part of me was disappointed that I hadn't had an opportunity to do a luncheon version of the tasting menu. I think he's missing a bet on that one. . . even if he served, say, 6 mini-courses instead of 10.--Logan
Oct 8th, 2006, 01:58 PM
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Logan thanks so much for the description. That fish sounds wonderful! I debated about reserving here before going ahead and, reading your review and that of wvf4yf from last year, I am glad I did. I will post a report when I get home.
