There are two branches of this restaurant in Paris that specializes in truffles, as recommended heartily by Eva and Fiona. I have good memories of a dish that S. and I had in the South of France last year, a creamy polenta with truffles, and so thought why not? I’m not connoisseur of truffles, I think I’ve only tried to cheaper varieties, but what I’ve tried I love – a nutty, earthy, mushroomy flavour. Or is it that I’ve always tried it in dishes filled with butter, cream or both?
The branch that I went to is not from the Champs-Elysées on rue Marbeuf. A lovely arcade was in the next block.
What a mission allows, while travelling, is to get lost while doing it, to wander, and to explore, and every restaurant that I found in my gastronomic tour allowed me to see new areas and streets in Paris. I think on one of my first trips to Europe, I would find the English-language book store in each city and trade in whatever book I had just finished!
The restaurant, as you can see, is all in white, the tables set up already for lunch, wine glasses aglow. I think I was also amazed by the number of waiters in each restaurant that I went to, even ones not quite as busy, had a lot of staff, all attentive and efficient. Adam Golpnik’s book describes a fundamental part of the French character as a pride in their professions, it seemed not just according to particular professions but in doing a good job, providing an important service. This I found.
The website speaks of a quick, set menu, a businessman’s lunch, but there wasn’t one when I was there. The menu is online! And voilá, what can I say?
The soup, which I noticed was the choice of all the rest of the tables around me, was not even called a soup, but instead a Chestnut Cream with truffles of the season and smoked bacon. I found it a cloudful of heaven (a heaven where everyone is carrying a little extra weight…) with perfectly balanced flavours.
The ravioli with summer truffles and truffled cream was pretty much as expected. Two creamy dishes, I should have perhaps chosen two that varied from each other, but it wasn’t a setback, and that cream, soaked up with bread, what I couldn’t get with my fork.
Readers, I did not let those efficient waiters take away either plate until they were wiped clean!