A traditional cafe in the St-Germain district
Bon appétit, Paris
A newfound confidence and flair is setting the Paris restaurant scene buzzing, reports French resident Nicola Corthay.
Few would dare dispute that France is famous for gastronomy but, in the last few decades, visitors to Paris might well have wondered whether that reputation was deserved – especially if they had dined in those parts of the city frequented by tourists. But those who’ve long grumbled about the quality of the fare on offer in the French capital should revisit, because they’ll find themselves in for quite a treat. The Paris dining scene is hotting up, old traditions are being revamped and restaurants are better than ever before.
The freshest of ingredients from Hyatt Hotels
For centuries, the city has been a bastion of rigid rules and long-held traditions, but change is truly coming to the kitchens of Paris. Many of the French capital’s top chefs are reinventing themselves and a much more relaxed dining style is emerging, with far less snobbery than once typified Paris’s top eateries. Jean-François Piège, chef at legendary Le Crillon, has even lauded the Tagada marshmallows and Carambar candy sticks that all French kids grow up eating.
In short, it’s goodbye to the old straitjacket rules of French gastronomy and ‘allo ‘allo to interesting fusion dishes and fashion-forward cuisine, new interpretations of classic French dishes and a welcome revival of traditional, basic favourites such as country roast chicken or lamb with white beans. And France’s ethnic influences are – at last! – flavouring its food, with an increasing use of spices and other ingredients from North Africa, Vietnam, China, Spain and Japan. In fact, Japanese chef Sadaharu Aoki is now considered the best chocolate-éclair maker in town; he even does a version filled with Kyoto green-tea cream.
The Seine River and Notre Dame
One of the most striking changes to Paris’s dining scene has been the resurgence of the old-fashioned bistro. Even top chefs have been opening informal bistros, serving the likes of rustic pot-au-feu (a stew of beef and vegetables) and other dishes built upon on simple, fresh produce. Joël Robuchon – widely lauded as France’s greatest chef – started the trend when he “retired” a decade ago and opened a small hobby bistro. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon is still one of the best places to dine in Paris: head there for some really lovely fare, such as caramelised quail, eaten under swinging Spanish hams in front of an open kitchen.
The bistro movement is a fine thing for visitors, making the creations of famous chefs more accessible and more reasonably priced. One of the city’s most outstanding bistros has been taken over by Alain Ducasse, the six-star Michelin legend. Aux Lyonnais has a wonderful 1890s style and specialises in the cuisine of Lyon. Another very special bistro is Crèmerie-Restaurant Polidor which, for well over a century, has been packing in students, artists and intellectuals. The place has barely changed since Hemingway and James Joyce dined here: try the beautiful boeuf bourguignon or the veal in cream sauce.
Le Train Bleu restaurant inside the Gare de Lyon
The emergence of all these exquisite bistros has given rise to a new term: bistronomie, a sort-of-classic cooking style with interesting global twists. Among other top contenders in the city’s hip new bistro scene are the sleek and arty Ze Kitchen Galerie, with fusion cuisines that include pasta, raw and cooked fish, and seafood cooked on an open griddle; and Spring, owned by a young chef called Daniel Rose. Despite being an American, Rose has wowed all Paris with his tiny, 16-seat eatery, plonked defiantly in the “wrong” part of town.
If you can’t make up your mind where you’d like to eat, head to the Rue Paul Bert, where you can perambulate past several great dining establishments before making your decision. L’Ecailler du Bistrot has superlative Normandy oysters and other seafood while, across the street, miniature Le Temps au Temps is a local favourite. Around the corner, Unico is decorated like a butcher’s shop and is Paris’ latest and hippest steakhouse. Put on your coolest clothes and ponder whether the décor is kitsch or cutting-edge as you wait for your beef.
A stylish four courses from Starwood Hotels
Something else that’s been emerging slowly across Paris over the past decade, but is only now coming into its own, is the wine bar. Curiously, wine bars have never been a feature of Paris, with most patrons heading to restaurants or cafés for their drop. Now, chic wine bars are the place to be, most boasting esoteric wine lists and various light dishes: cold cuts, cheese, foie gras and perhaps a hot plate or two. La Crèmerie serves organic, artisan wines accompanied by quality cheeses and hams from France, Spain and Italy. Le Rubis has wines by the glass sourced from just about every great wine region in the country, with rustic breads and cheeses on the side. Unpretentious Juvéniles even offers Aussie wines and – considered just as daring in Paris – English cheeses and a fine selection of Spanish tapas.
Though not a wine bar, and also serving food, the Buddha Bar is one of Paris’ most famous and trendy establishments. Some say it is now overrated, and it’s certainly expensive, but the monumental room, scattered with Asian artworks and overlooked by a giant and serene Buddha statue, is truly spectacular.
Nobody would want everything about the Paris dining scene to be reinvented. You can still expect plenty of classic haute gastronomie and you’ll certainly want to try such classics as coq au vin, boeuf bourguignon and escargots. Unfortunately, the temples to gastronomy that serve such fare don’t come cheaply, though there’s something to be said for making the splurge of a lifetime at perennially famous La Tour d’Argent, or Taillevent, which serves a lobster soufflé so good it will send you straight to heaven, and has one of the world’s most magnificent wine lists. Then there’s Le Grand Véfour, a historic monument at which Napoleon once dined, and which reputedly hires only the world’s best chefs. Also considered one of Paris’s top restaurants is Le Pré Catalan, a pavilion in the Bois de Boulogne, its recently redesigned interior more beautiful than ever. Save space for the cheese course: Le Pré Catalan has what is, arguably, the best cheese cart in all of Paris.
An imaginative dessert from Hyatt Hotels
It’s difficult to decide who is the best chef in Paris but Alain Ducasse is, perhaps, the reigning champion, with no less than six Michelin stars. His dishes at Restaurant Plaza Athénée manage a delicate balance between classic French regional cuisine and Mediterranean and contemporary flavours: try the roasted pigeon or the Bresse fowl with crawfish and cep mushrooms.
The truth is that you’ll pay more than 100 euros a head in any such top-flight restaurant. Dining in Paris doesn’t come cheap, but those on a budget need not despair. Take full advantage of lunchtime prix-fixe menus and enjoy your drinks inside cafés – always less expensive than sitting at outside tables.
Modern style comes to the Paris cafe
Eating on the hoof isn’t the done thing in Paris but an exception is made along the Rue de Rosiers in the Marais district, well worth a visit anyway as it is the heart of the city’s Jewish quarter. L’As du Falafel, on this street, is perhaps the best cheap eat in town, with freshly made falafels and sandwiches. Marais is also known for its savoury crêpes, filled with cheese, sausages or ham, best washed down with a cold cider: those at Le Breizh Café are especially good.
Budget or none, a picnic in Paris is one of the best experiences you can have. All you have to do is pop into a few of the city’s numerous specialty food stores for cheese, ham and a pastry or two, and voilà! The banks of the Seine, the gardens of Versailles and Paris’ numerous parks are all fine spots in which to indulge in a leisurely déjeuner sur l'herbe.
By the way, Paris’ museums incorporate some fine dining establishments that shouldn’t be overlooked. The Musée Jacquemart-André houses a superb collection of art and was the residence used in famous 1958 movie Gigi, which starred Maurice Chevalier and Louis Jourdan and netted nine Oscars. You can enjoy some of the elegance and style of the movie by taking afternoon tea in the ornate dining room, with its glorious Tiepolo ceiling.
A lunchtime special of pork and prunes advertised outside a restaurant in Montmartre
Fine museum dining can also be found at the Restaurant Musée d’Orsay – all Second Empire grandeur, with gilt mirrors and chandeliers – and at Café Marly in the main courtyard of the Louvre, its terrace overlooking the famous glass pyramid and its walls painted a rich burgundy, trimmed with gold. And incidentally, even the Gare de Lyon train station has a fantastic eatery, Le Train Bleu, where you can enjoy classic French fare under the most amazing stucco and gold ceilings and Belle Époque décor.
Last, but by no means least, you can sample the regional cuisines of France without ever getting on a train. Despite the development of a new and fashionable dining scene, one thing the French aren’t likely to discard anytime soon is their obsession with terroir: the regional origins of ingredients, where they are grown and how they acquire their distinctive tastes. Parisians still love regional food and often pay handsomely for it. Without leaving Paris, you can enjoy oysters and fish from Brittany, dishes full of tomatoes and garlic from Provence or truffles and foie gras from Périgord.
Ordering a light meal at an informal eatery
Perhaps the most popular venues are the brasseries of Alsace, often open 24 hours a day and serving hearty portions of Sauerkraut and sausages. The most famous of these is La Coupole, with a dazzling Art Deco interior and columns painted by Chagall and Brancusi. But perhaps the biggest sensation of recent times was the opening of Afaria, at which chef Julien Dudoué uses the region’s best fresh produce in Basque-inspired dishes such as sausage with apples and mustard, and scallops with asparagus and pumpkin velouté.
Things really are heading to new culinary heights in Paris – what remains to be said except bon appétit?
Ultra-modern bars are now an established part of the Paris scene
Photography by Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau
Travel Facts
Getting there
- Air France, phone 1300 390 190 or visit www.airfrance.com.au
- Air Austral, visit www.air-austral.com
- Austrian Airlines, phone 1800 642 438 or visit www.aua.com/au
- Emirates, phone 1300 303 777 or visit www.emirates.com/au
- Etihad Airways, phone 1800 998 995 or visit www.etihadairways.com
- Finnair, phone 1300 798 188 or visit www.finnair.com
- Lufthansa, phone 1300 655 727 or visit www.lufthansa.com
- Scandinavian Airlines, phone 1300 727 707 or visit www.flysas.com.au
- Swiss International Airlines, phone 1300 724 666 or visit www.swiss.com
- Thai Airways, phone 1300 651 960 or visit www.thaiairways.com.au
- ATI?Tours, phone 1300 888 997 or visit www.atitours.com.au
Where to eat
- Afaria, 15 rue Desnouettes, phone +33 1 4856 1536
- L’As du Falafel, 32 rue Rosiers, phone +33 1 4277 8994
- L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon, 5-7 rue de Montalembert, phone +33 1 4222 5656 or visit www.joel-robuchon.com
- Aux Lyonnais, 32 rue St-Marc, phone +33 1 4296 6504 or visit www.alain-ducasse.com
- Buddha Bar, 8 rue Boissy d’Anglas, phone +33 1 53 05 90 00 or visit www.buddha-bar.com
- Café Marly, 93 rue Rivoli, phone +33 1 4926 0660
- La Crèmerie, 9 rue des Quatre-Vents, phone +33 1 4354 9930 or visit www.lacremerie.fr
- La Coupole, 102 boulevard Montparnasse, phone +33 1 4320 1420
- Crèmerie-Restaurant Polidor, 41 rue Monsieur-le-Prince, phone +33 1 43 26 95 34 or visit http://restaurantpolidor.info
- L'Ecailler du Bistrot, 22 rue Paul Bert, phone +33 1 4372 2466
- Le Grand Véfour, 17 rue de Beaujolais, phone +33 1 4296 5627 or visit www.grand-vefour.com
- Juvéniles, 47 rue de Richelieu, phone +33 1 4297 4649
- Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 boulevard Haussmann, phone +33 1 4562 1159 or visit www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com
- Le Pré Catalan, route de Suresnes, Bois de Boulogne, phone + 33 1 4414 4114 or visit www.precatelanparis.com
- Restaurant Musée d'Orsay, 62 rue de Lille, phone +33 1 40 49 48 14 or visit www.musee-orsay.fr
- Restaurant Plaza Athénée, 25 avenue Montaigne, phone +33 1 5367 6665 or visit www.alain-ducasse.com
- Le Rubis, 10 rue Marché St-Honoré, phone +33 1 4261 0334
- Sadaharu Aoki, 56 boulevard de Port Royale, phone +33 1 4535 3680 or visit www.sadaharuaoki.com
- Spring, 28 rue de la Tour d’Auvergne, phone +33 1 4596 0572
- Taillevent, 15 rue Lamennais, phone +33 1 4495 1501 or visit www.taillevent.com
- Le Temps au Temps, 13 rue Paul Bert, phone +33 1 4379 6340 or visit http://tempsautemps.com
- Le Train Bleu, 20 boulevard Diderot, phone +33 1 4343 0906 or visit www.le-train-bleu.com
- Unico, 15 rue Paul Bert, phone +33 1 43 67 68 08 or visit www.resto-unico.com
- Ze Kitchen Galerie, 4 rue des Grands Augustins, phone +33 1 4432 0032 or visit www.zekitchengalerie.fr
Further information
|
Capital Gains