Meals
can be memorable for many reasons. They can
mark life’s greatest moments, of both joy
and sadness. Meetings and partings can take
place over them. They can be times of love
and times of anger. Yet seldom do they
remain in our minds because of that
coincidence for which every gourmet seeks –
when exquisite food, ravishing wine,
beautiful surroundings and solicitous
service come together to create a moment
which reveals perfection. Such occasions are
rare, indeed. But they do occur, and then
the memory turns the key in the lock and
opens the door marked ‘Never To Be
Forgotten’. Allow me to tell you about my
lunch at Le Grand Véfour.
But first, let us go back for a moment to
1784. The place is Paris. Monsieur Aubertot
decides to open an eatery in the arcade at
the bottom of the Palais Royal gardens. He
calls it the Café de Chartres. Eventually,
it is bought by Jean Véfour and before long
– Mr Véfour not being one to stand in the
way of a little self-aggrandizement – the
name of the dining room is Le Grand Véfour.
And thus it is today. In this place Napoleon
discussed tactics with Josephine, Victor
Hugo thought about the miserable ones and
Jean-Paul Sartre pondered the mystery of
existence. As a destination for lunch, there
is no better.
I
was met at the door by the maître d’
Christian David. Mr. David is tall and
elegant and full of charm. In fact, he is
exactly what the maitre d’ of one of
France’s most famous restaurants should be.
He welcomed me back, for I have had the
privilege of eating at Le Grand Véfour on a
number of occasions. Then he led me into the
dining room and I wondered, I hoped... and,
yes, I was being taken to my favourite table
in the corner. This, too, was the chosen
table of the writer, Colette. To this
precise spot she would be carried when she
was crippled with rheumatism. And here, we
hope, she found comfort and relief in the
enjoyment of La Cuisine Française.
I perched on the crimson velvet banquette, a
white tablecloth before me, and sipped from
a flute of pink Taittinger champagne. On the
table were red roses in a silver vase and
butter (salted and unsalted) in a tiny
silver commode. Everything was right and in
its proper place. I looked about and admired
once again this exquisite jewel box of a
room. Few spaces can boast such a delightful
mixture of black and gold, of red and white.
It is a confection which both pleases and
relaxes, for it is the product of refinement
and good taste. Nothing jars. As the tables
filled, an atmosphere of easy enjoyment
filled the air and the waiters, in black tie
(and there were many of them), began to
bring forth the kitchen’s splendours.
Those
splendours are created by a brilliant and
inspired chef. Guy Martin comes from the
Savoy region and was born in 1957. I mention
the year of his birth, because Mr Martin
always looks much younger than his age. (It
is a characteristic I wish I shared.) His
kitchen, which I have visited, is vast and
is located beneath the dining rooms. From
here come some of the finest dishes known to
mankind. The anticipation I felt as I waited
for my food was itself worth the journey
from London.
It was the season for black truffles, so I
really could not do other than start with
perhaps the simplest offering on the menu:
salade de pommes de terre ratte et truffes.
How can I convey to you the pleasure of
eating one of the most sublime dishes it has
ever been my privilege to consume? Words
seem inadequate, but let me try these:
delicate, harmonious, flattering,
ravishing... The slices of boiled potato
(the very, very finest potato) were covered
with slices of the divine fungus. “He who
has not feasted on truffles has not truly
lived.” In my glass was the perfect
accompaniment, a Meursault of low acidity,
discreet fruit and perfect balance (1er Cru
‘Les Cras’, Boillot, 2003 – 199ε). Sometimes
life is good.
Next
came another temptation to which I yielded
eagerly: les ravioles de foie gras à
l’émulsion de crème truffée. On each visit
to Le Grand Véfour I have eaten the foie
gras ravioli with truffled cream, for I
regard it as one of the great dishes of the
world. Its presentation has changed from
time to time, and now it appears on a black,
oblong plate. But the exquisite pleasure
yielded by the translucent pasta and the
warm, luscious liver within is immutable.
Like a pussy cat I purred with pleasure, and
thought how clever the splendid Chef
Sommelier, Patrick Tamisier, had been to
recommend the Meursault, for again it glided
elegantly up to the food and kissed it
gently on the cheek.
My main course showed – as if I needed any
evidence – that the kitchen is not afraid of
complexity and hard work. This fillet of
lamb was stuffed with marinated salsify and
the plate had intriguing elements of lemon,
chervil and potimarron (a winter squash). I
ended with another dash of brilliance from
Monsieur Martin, the famous crème brûlée
with artichokes. It does, indeed, sound
rather odd. Yet the unusual combination,
with its touch of asperity, is an inspired
confection. This remarkable pudding should
certainly be tried by anyone who is visiting
Le Grand Véfour for the first time. (These
four courses from the carte were 320 euros.
A set lunch is available for 88 euros.)
You would expect the wine list to be French
and to be full of gems, and it is. But
modestly-priced bottles are available. There
is, for example, a Greek red at 40ε. Still,
you might want Mr Tamisier to pour something
rather grander into the Schott glasses, so
here are a few decent bottles which caught
my eye: 1910 Lafite (5,000ε), 1981Latour
(722ε) 1999 Yquem (900ε), 1999 Romanée-Conti
(8,500ε) and 2005 Montrachet, Drouhin
(750ε).
Was this the best lunch I have ever eaten? I
am not sure. I know that it was one of the
best, and the contemplation of whether it
should go right to the top of the tree
enables me to keep vividly alive what was a
wonderful experience. So of one thing I am
sure: this lunch at Le Grand Véfour will not
be forgotten.
LE GRAND
VÉFOUR
17 rue Beaujolais, 75001, Paris, France.
Telephone +33 1 42 96 56 27
Fax +33 1 42 86 80 71
Email:
grand.vefour@wanadoo.fr
www.grand-vefour.com
Closed: August, Friday evening, Saturday,
Sunday
Set lunch: 88 euros
© 2010 Francis Bown. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. For reviews of hotels and
restaurants across the world, visit
www.BownsBest.com
