2008-08-18
The charm of Paris is being able to contemplate Monet's Nymphéas at the heart of the Tuileries and immediately follow on with a delicious menu of the day at an affordable price! Here is our selection.
 © E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelinWhere to eat around the Musée du quai BranlyLes Ombres in the spotlight Honour where honour is due! After visiting the Musée du quai Branly, the easiest solution for lunch or dinner is to head up to the fourth floor, where you'll find the museum's restaurant, Les Ombres. Simple? Not really, in truth, since you actually have to book two weeks in advance for a table at lunchtime, and three weeks ahead for the evening! It must be said that this restaurant, which officially opened on 23rd June along with the museum, boasts one of the finest terraces in Paris: on the port side, a close-up of the Eiffel Tower; to starboard, the Seine, Palais de Chaillot and Butte Montmartre. A 180-degree panorama! So although fashionable Paris society is beating a path to its door, it is nevertheless not one of those trendy new places where the slightest Thai soup will set you back 40 euros*! The young chef, Arno Busquet, who trained at the Pré Catelan, Ritz and at Joël Robuchon's restaurant, offers a seasonal menu at 32 euros. His brilliant cuisine, which is simple and unpretentious, is French style "reinterpreted", i.e. open to world flavours, for example his foie gras from Les Landes served with spicy mango chutney, or his Tahitian vanilla millefeuille. For starters, we enjoyed his tomato and basil tart spiced up with a lovely marinaded sardine: deliciously light! The bread is made by Jean-Luc Poujauran, one of the best bakers in the capital, and the multicultural team of waiters are young and attentive. The wine list, inherited from Drouant (the restaurant where the Goncourt jury meets) has few white wines and is not very affordable, with Bordeaux wines at over 100 euros a bottle... Fortunately, the sommelier Christophe Journé (who trained with the excellent Jérôme Moreau at Le Bristol) is in the process of updating it, with the possibility of ordering wine by the glass. In short: a sublime view, a young team, and a cuisine full of promise.  Armen Petrossian and Rougui Dia © PetrossianPetrossian's "Le 144": when Russia meets Africa...Founded in 1920 by two Armenian brothers who had fled the Bolshevik revolution, the Petrossian company has for 86 years been introducing Parisian high society to the subtleties of caviar from the Caspian Sea. The historic boutique at no. 18, boulevard de La Tour Maubourg is visited like a museum, with its magnificent 1.8 kg tins of Beluga, Ossetra and Sevruga, each tin containing the eggs of just one sturgeon, matured for 18 months… Above the boutique, Armen Petrossian, son of one of the two founders, opened a restaurant in 1999 whose entrance is located at no. 144, rue de l'Université (hence its name: "Le 144"). Here you will discover the cuisine of the very beautiful Rougui Dia, a Frenchwoman of Senegalese origin who, before becoming head chef at the age of 30, was trained in this very place by Philippe Conticini and Sébastien Faré. Following the latter's departure in 2005, Armen Petrossian entrusted the reins of the restaurant to Rougui, convinced that the young woman (whose dream was to make a career in the army!) had what it takes to lead her squad and give the establishment a new lease of life. With an attractive menu at 35 euros*, Rougui treats us to a tasty hybrid cuisine, using spices from India and the West Indies and African traditions such as plantain bananas served with the famous "yagouline" lamb, which is cooked for 7 hours. Her Iranian shrimp steamed with citronella is already a classic, as are her pieces of monkfish flavoured with mahaleb (a cherry-like fruit) and her mango tart... For those fond of real risotto, we recommend her Carnaroli rice with giant crab from Kamchatka (a Russian peninsula located at the eastern tip of Siberia) whose flesh is exceptionally tender and flavourful: it's hard not to ask for seconds! A stone's throw from the Esplanade des Invalides and a 10-minute walk from the Musée du quai Branly, this is a restaurant that everyone can afford. (Reckon on 29 to 39 euros extra for a caviar-based dish. You can sample pure caviar from 58 euros for 30 grams.) The return of André Le LettyAt right angles to the Quai d'Orsay and rue de l'Université, rue Malar is on the way to becoming one of the most popular places for Parisian gastronomy. Until now, people came here mainly for the creations of Michel Chaudun (twice hailed as best chocolate-maker in France) and for the famous restaurants Chez l'Ami Jean and L'Affriolé, two of the best value for money eateries in the capital. From November, one will also go to rue Malar for André Le Letty. This Breton, who was chef at La Tour d'Argent for a time, is preparing to open his new restaurant, one year after the closure of L'Anacréon in the 13th arrondissement. So those familiar with his polished little dishes, full of freshness, will beat a path to the door as soon as it opens! Oysters in cress jelly, pan-fried scallops with thinly sliced endives and orange, pressed duck and braised hare... André Le Letty is the epitome of the homegrown French chef, both meticulous and at one with the land.  © E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelinWhere to eat around the Grand Palais and Petit Palais El Mansour: to discover the age-old cuisine of Fez Set in a "golden triangle" between the Seine, the avenue des Champs-Elysées and the Place de la Concorde, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais are surrounded by prestigious restaurants: Lasserre, with its famous retractable roof, Ledoyen, set in a neo-Classical pavilion from 1792, Laurent with its elegant shaded terraces... Institutions of gourmet Paris, where the slightest lunch menu costs 75 euros without drinks. To give yourself a treat without spending a small fortune, we therefore recommend taking rue François 1er as far as rue de La Trémoille, a stone's throw from avenue Georges V and just beyond avenue Montaigne. Here, you will discover one of the best Parisian specialists of great Moroccan cuisine: the El Mansour restaurant run by Bouhcine Amenzou. The chef, Mohamed Ezzyat (who learned the ropes at the La Mamounia luxury hotel in Marrakech) prepares the traditional cuisine of Fez here, which is renowned for its refinement. The tajines (of fish, young pigeon, lamb or free-range chicken) are deliciously cooked, seasoned with almonds, raisins, lemons and olives and served in precious Moroccan porcelain. The El Mansour couscous (lamb, chicken, brochette and vegetables) is one of the finest in the capital. As for the green tea from Meknès with fresh mint, it should be savoured slowly while admiring the elaborate woodwork of the dining room and biting into a marvellous milk pastilla, a dessert dating back to the 13th century... 23 euros for a tajine, 28 euros for a couscous, 13 euros for a milk pastilla, 5 euros for tea.  © E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelinWhere to eat around the Musée de l'OrangerieThe Hôtel Meurice, a setting for the cuisine of Yannick Alléno Founded in 1835 opposite the Tuileries, then completely refurbished in 1902 in order to compete with the Ritz on Place Vendôme, the Hôtel Meurice is one of the most beautiful luxury hotels in the capital! Its grand Salon Pompadour with white and gold woodwork, its marble columns and gilt bronzes, its large glass roof with wrought iron that overhangs the winter garden, plunge you into the Paris of the Roaring Twenties when the Louis XVI style strangely cohabited with jazz, business and literature… But today the Meurice is not content with being a luxury hotel for fun-loving stars! It is also one of the most high profile French restaurants. With his actor's physique (somewhere between Andy Garcia and Adrian Brody), the young Yannick Alléno creates a brilliant cuisine, which brings up to date certain classics of the great Parisian tradition, such as the famous Dodin-Bouffant pot-au-feu served in four courses, which he is the only one to offer in Paris to date. This native of Lozère, from a modest background, has had an amazing career; after earning his spurs at the Lutétia, Royal Monceau and Drouant restaurant, he is endeavouring to prove the worth of a classic cuisine that many consider a "has-been"! For 45 euros, you can discover his lunchtime market menu served in the winter garden: fillet of red mullet with Pipérade (a Basque omelette with peppers and tomatoes) and saffron jelly, fillet of veal with onion conserve and garden pea velouté, panacotta with exotic fruits. The gourmet menu at 75 euros will gain you entry into Yannick's refined yet fun universe. Whether it be his "simple" mackerel in white wine (taste it and you will see that it is not as simple as that!), his Parisian-style chaudfroid of crayfish, his portion of turbot stuck with verbena, his roast veal with mushrooms or his roast pear in vanilla, it is the elegance and humour of the Paris of Sacha Guitry which are recreated here on your plate...  © E. Tresmontant / ViaMichelinWhere to eat around the Passerelle Simone de Beauvoir and Joséphine Baker swimming poolChez Nathalie: a very peaceful little spot Not very touristy, the 13th arrondissement of Paris has in recent years undergone a veritable metamorphosis on the fringes of the Bibliothèque Nationale de France. As in the films of Tati, it is a district undergoing profound change where new mixes with old, as illustrated by the big old mills of Paris which, from October, will house the Paris VII University… If you want something to eat, you can of course explore the capital's "Chinatown", located around avenue d'Ivry, where the Tang brothers have their two immense shops. But we recommend a charming place 15 minutes' walk from the BNF: Chez Nathalie. Set in a pedestrian street above the little Montgolfière garden, near the Tolbiac metro station, this intimate restaurant has a terrace, which is very pleasant in fine weather. For around thirty euros, Nathalie offers a simple market cuisine using fresh seasonal produce: terrine of artichoke hearts and fresh duck foie gras, small pan-fried cuttlefish with Espelette pepper and creamed potatoes with olive oil, vanilla flavoured French toast, etc. Besides the relaxed and friendly female service, it's worth noting the presence on the wine list of some nice "vins de terroir" such as Marcel Richaud's Cairanne: a fine red wine, spicy and full, with a taste of the garrigue! * One euro is worth approximately GBP0.67. Informations pratiquesLes Ombres 220 rue de l'Université. Tél. : 01 47 53 68 00 Le 144 de Petrossian 144 rue de l'Université. Tél. : 01 44 11 32 32 El Mansour 7 rue Trémoille. Tél. : 01 47 23 88 18 Hôtel Meurice 228 rue de Rivoli. Tél. : 01 44 58 10 55 Chez Nathalie 45 rue Vandrezanne. Tél : 01 45 80 20 42 |
