May 12th (Thursday) - After a pleasant stroll around the Marais area, the crew returned to our apartment for the ultimate jetlag-cure: a big fat afternoon nap. When we woke up, it was already 8pm - an hour till the lines form in front of Le Chateaubriand, recently deemed "World's #11 best restaurant".
Us being a party of 3 gave us an edge. We were seated not long after we were allowed in (yes the line goes all the way outside!). This shot was taken at 11pm - this tells you how haute this restaurant is.
The space is small (in a cosy way) - but nevertheless, the tables are packed tightly such that waiters would have to excuse themselves while squeezing through the isles.
Amuse bouche - cheese puffs sprinkled with sesame seeds. Meh, nothing too special, but we were starving at 9:30pm so this was a nice little welcoming snack.
Second amuse bouche - cold hamachi soup - more like a shot - refreshing but just a tad unexpected.
Thinly shaved asparagus.
Anchovy with dried raspberry flakes and a dollop of olive. Minimalist flavors such that you can really taste the freshness of the fish. Delicious.
More asparagus - this time with a rich fish broth.
This was a puzzling dish I did not know how to appreciate. A few leaves of market veggies served with fresh sashimi and a cucumber cube, with the awkward kelp-like decoration. not very edible.
sea bream. the dollops make an appearance again.
joue de boeuf - beef cheek. An 8/10 in terms of a Western preparation, but bland to Chinese tastebuds...hail the mighty niu nan (braised beef brisket).
Mom's pork dish on the other hand, was one of the best pork dishes I've ever had! Gorgeous garden presentation too.
Dessert was fraises - young strawberries sprinkled with sugar, with a green pea puree and mint leaves. A refreshing palate-cleanser. And a veggie pairing done well. green peas and strawberries - who knew!
chocolate mousse cake with wafer flakes. Chocolate can never be bad, and this was an exquisite and light preparation to end our meal. The crispness of the wafer flakes and the softness of the cake were well complemented.
Chef Inaki Aizpitarte's minimalistic cooking is admirable if not laudable - if this is the future of French bistros, let there be more Le Chateaubriands!
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