Since,
dear Reader, I know that you are a person of
some significance, I have little doubt that
the time will come when you need to visit
the President of France. For the occasion
you will require an hotel within a few
moments’ stroll of the Elysée Palace, in the
very grandest part of town. And, as someone
of taste and refinement, you will need your
lodgings to be of unsurpassed (but discreet)
elegance, to be possessed of a restaurant
which is recognised as one of the very
finest in the French capital and to be
served by a staff which is renowned for the
virtues of courtesy and propriety. You will
therefore head for Le Bristol.
In
1925 the architects Ubdenstock and Cassan
constructed on the rue du Faubourg
Saint-Honoré a handsome pile in the manner
of an 18th century town palace. Into it were
taken Gobelins tapestries and fine pieces of
period furniture. Then, just before the
Second World War, the Louvre Museum decided
to sell some of its ‘spare’ paintings, and
many of them went to the hotel. The result
is that Le Bristol is a treasure house of
good taste and delicate refinement. It is
entirely appropriate that it should be named
after that renowned 18th century traveller
and aesthete, the 4th Earl of Bristol – who
was also the Bishop of Derry. I am sure,
from his heavenly perch, he would approve of
the delightful fountain from his own day,
which – newly restored – now adorns what is
the largest hotel garden in Paris
(pictured).
I certainly approved of
the atmosphere in the spacious entrance
lobby. I seldom arrive at a great hotel
without having in my mind some image of its
previous guests. At Le Bristol I knew that I
had been preceded by Harry Truman, Charlie
Chaplin and Marilyn Monroe. This medley of
high politics, low comedy and blonde
iconography kept me smiling as I was taken
up to the third floor in the beautiful lift.
Room
311 is called a ‘Prestige Double’ and is
therefore 810 euros a night for two,
breakfast extra. Beyond its proper hallway I
found an oval chamber in cream and white.
(The colour scheme throughout the hotel’s
162 rooms is similarly light.) Behind the
mirrored doors of the fitted wardrobes was
both an abundance of hanging space and my
private safe. Lighting was provided by 5
table lamps and a (dimmable) crystal
chandelier. Items of furniture, like the
chairs and writing desk, were in the Louis
XVI style. A sofa provided soft seating and
the controllable air conditioning ensured
that the temperature was to my taste. In the
white marble bathroom (of generous size)
were two wash basins, a tub of good capacity
and a separate shower. Bars of my favourite
soap (by Hermès) facilitated my ablutions.
All in all, I found this accommodation to be
quiet, spacious and comfortable.
Still,
I am a restless little soul, so I was soon
on my way downstairs for tea. Those of us
who are English tend to suppose that we
alone, among all the nations of the world,
can prepare a proper afternoon tea. We are
wrong. The set afternoon tea at Le Bristol
(pictured) is a small masterpiece for 30
euros. Overlooked by a portrait of
Marie-Antoinette by Drouhais (not quite as
appropriate as some might suppose, for when
the Queen said, “Let them eat cake”, she was
actually – rather sensibly – enquiring
whether the hungry might be fed with
brioche) and served by a charming waiter
called Vincent, I was deeply impressed by
the superb quality of these sandwiches and
cakes (the work of the Pastry Chef, Laurent
Jeannin). The taste of the gorgeous coffee
éclair, topped with gold leaf, remains with
me still. I chose to drink Assam tea –
favori des Anglais, as the menu
informed me. But here was a mystery. I
looked into the pot, and looked and looked.
Where were the tea leaves or the tea bags?
Nowhere. My puzzlement was dispelled by
Vincent: the guests’ tea pots were filled
from larger tea pots in the kitchen. I had
never before come across this arrangement.
Thus fortified, I
wondered whether to stretch my limbs in the
swimming pool on the 6th floor (pictured) or
submit myself to a bit of pampering in the
hotel’s Anne Semonin Spa (pictured). But a
pleasant languor began to overtake me, so I
decided instead to return to my room for the
afternoon doze. This was a ritual much loved
by my father, and I commend it to you. It
prepares the constitution for dinner.
Le Bristol has two dining
rooms, one for summer and one for winter.
The former (pictured) is bright, flooded
with natural light and overlooks the hotel
garden. This being in the October to April
period, my destination was the Winter
Restaurant (pictured). It is my custom to
dress as well as I can for dinner – starched
collar, suit from Savile Row, bespoke shoes
and so on – and I was particularly pleased
to have done so on this occasion. To enter
this ravishing and sumptuous apartment was a
joy. Chandeliers of Baccarat crystal,
Regency panelling of Hungarian oak,
paintings from the 1920s by Gustave-Louis
Jaulmes and 18th century Lille tapestries
combined with the warm colours of thick
carpet and silk upholstery to make me feel
thoroughly pampered and at ease.
1st maître d’ Christophe
Macaigne showed me to a red fauteuil and
immediately had brought a cushion to ensure
that my back was comfortable – helpful
fellow. Indeed, the service throughout the
evening from waiters in black tie, like
Fabrice Torres, was of the highest order.
Silver domes were lifted and damask napkins
were replaced with style and aplomb. I
noticed that a famous film star and her
husband had arrived at a table nearby, but
this caused no ripple whatever on the calm
surface of the room’s atmosphere. All was
peaceful, happy contentment – which is just
what I want at a restaurant.
Chef
Eric Frechon (pictured) has two Michelin
stars. He has worked in some of the most
prestigious kitchens in Paris – at
Taillevent, at Tour D'Argent and at Les
Ambassadeurs. His cooking at Le Bristol is
much admired. He offers a 7 course set
dinner for 190 euros. My four courses from
the carte cost 279 euros. These prices are
not low, of course, but they are for food
which is based upon the very finest
ingredients, prepared by a famous chef and
served in surroundings of remarkable
splendour. As I drank from sparkling Riedel
glasses (the Vinum range) and ate with
gleaming Christofle cutlery from the best
Bernardaud porcelain, it struck me that the
Bristol Restaurant was not only expensive:
it was also good value.
I began with blue
lobster, with honey and coriander
vinaigrette, chilled green apple and white
radish. It sounds fairly straight forward,
but there was actually a lot going on here.
This dish was precise, delicate, intricate
and beautifully made. If I may be allowed to
compare a plate of food to a wrist watch, it
was like a compliqué by Patek
Philippe. Next was macaroni, stuffed with
black truffle, artichoke and duck foie gras
and gratinated with Parmesan cheese. This
was prettily presented. Its robust flavours
went well with a glass of 1999 Dom Pérignon.
My main course brought some super meat. Rack
and saddle of suckling lamb was both tender
and tasty, and came with carrots cooked in
turmeric and chick pea and cumin mash. The
concluding hot soufflé was utterly delicious
and captured the essence of tangerine. It
came with iced tangerine sorbet and a tiny
glass of mandarine impériale.
The wine list of Chef
Sommelier Jérôme Moreau offers hundreds of
those bottles which make the French most
proud. Prices run from 38 euros for a white
from the Jura to 16,470 euros for the 1961
Pétrus, with many wines in the 60-100 euros
range. Lovers of burgundy and bordeaux will
find in this cellar the bottles of which
dreams are made. Here is a little selection
for you (all the prices are in euros): 1990
DRC Montrachet (2,680), 1990 Romanée-Conti
(13,800), 1947 Yquem (7,880), 1945 Lafite
(8,330), 1945 Cheval Blanc (7,765), 1947
Latour (4,800) and 1961 Margaux (3,660).
From my own drinking, I will recommend the
2000 vintage of the second wine of Chateau
Montrose – quite austere, with no hint of
that New World ripeness which is now so
popular, but with an intriguing blend of
blackcurrants and damp cellar (Dame de
Montrose – 95 euros).
Each morning I returned
to this handsome chamber (now more brightly
lit) for breakfast (51 euros). To my table
waiters in tailcoats brought coffee,
pastries and glasses of freshly squeezed
Granny Smith apple juice. (I will mention
here the excellence of the service I
encountered throughout the hotel. The
General Manager, Pierre Ferchaud – pictured
– has a team of which he can be proud.) From
the buffet I made it my habit to secure
dishes of pineapple, stewed pears, Rice
Crispies and bread and butter pudding (yes,
bread and butter pudding) and a plate of
crispy bacon. All these comestibles were of
the highest quality. My days at Le Bristol
started well.
And how were things at the Elysée Palace? I
do not know, for my invitation must, on this
occasion, have been mislaid in the post. But
I do know how things were at the Hôtel Le
Bristol. Le Bristol was - as she always is -
warm, welcoming, immaculately turned out and
deliciously glamorous. In truth, Le Bristol
is the perfect place to stay in Paris if you
are visiting the President of the French
Republic - and even if you are not.
HÔTEL LE
BRISTOL
112
rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris,
France.
Telephone +33 (0)1 53 43 43 00
Fax +33 (0)1 53 43 43 01
Email:
resa@lebristolparis.com
www.lebristolparis.com
Double rooms from 710 euros, breakfast extra
© 2008 Francis Bown. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. For reviews of hotels and
restaurants across the world, visit
www.BownsBest.com
