As I expected the dinner in
Le Pré Catelan was flawless like
last
time . The only problem was that the autumn menu didn't
differ that much from the spring menu. Also the choices in
the menu were quite small , so unless you want to eat the
same dishes every time, Le Pré Catelan is not the restaurant
to go very often...
On the menu...
"Onion and mushroom amuse
bouche" . If you can call mushroom soup a masterpiece- this
is it.
\"La
Langoustine. Prepared in ravioli, served in extra
virgin olive oil broth, perfumed with pepper and mint. Fried
nems of langoustines, Romaine
juice and peanuts" . French gastronomy - Asian influences.
Very good.
"L'Os
à Moelle (marrow bone). One - perfumed with black
pepper and grilled. The other- stuffed with
cèpes and stewed cabbage
à l'ancienne. Simmered
in juice of Rôti" .
Great classics of Frédéric Anton.
"Le
Bar. Pan fried,covered with browned and acidulated
sesame and Aquitaine caviar.
Fregola Sarda (toasted breadcrumb like pasta from
Sardinia ) cooked in broth. Perfumed with white dry wine and
olive oil. Small chanterelle
mushrooms and shavings of Parmesan"
Fregola Sarda was almost
like risotto. Excellent.
The same
dessert i had last time. "Puffed-up sugar apple, "Carambar"
ice cream, cider and sparkling sugar."
I have a new favorite Chef in Paris
and his name is Frédéric Anton. It's not that
I didn't know him- he used to be a frequent Joel Robuchon's guest in Gourmet TV(
I was a big fan!), which is unfortunately not airing anymore. Frédéric Anton definitely stood out from other featured Chefs on that program. He had wild imagination, was very precise (In the same way as Joel Robuchon is, who was his mentor.) and was actually able to cook something that was not only creative but delicious at the same time. How could
I know if the food was tasting good as it was on TV you might ask. Well, a foodie like me can smell good food from very far away, even through TV
:)
So, to make a long story short, it was last Friday's night and as always we had no idea where to dine. You see, its on Fridays evenings when you realize that you are in Paris, one of the most busy and visited cities in the world.
I had my Gault Millau book in front of me and was calling to all restaurants
I wanted to go: Le Chateaubriand or Bistrot Paul Bert in 11th, La Table de
Joël Robuchon in 16th , anywhere we called we got the same answer- "Désolé, complet!". Desperate to eat something good
I even called to L'Astrance, but, of course, it was full. And then, "Eureka!", there was still one free table in
Le Pré Catelan, a three Michelin stars restaurant, well hidden in Bois de Boulogne. As they say, good things happen unexpected-
I was very excited to discover this place, especially, that it was not planned.
First of all, this restaurant's location is exceptional- a Napoleon III style house in Bois de Boulogne forest that makes you feel as if you are in a fairy tale.
Something in the mood of La Grande Cascade
(which is also located in that area), but even more mysterious and exclusive. I will not explain too much how the interior looked as you can see in the small video above. Its quality is not very good, but you can have the idea. (It is also a little discrete as
I was ashamed to film the people :))
What I want to speak about is the food though.
The very first amuse bouche we had was an excellent onion and peas soup. Slightly sweet and very fresh.
(You can't see in the picture.) But there were fresh green peas in the soup.
The starter. Cooked green asparagus, Aquitaine caviar, blinis and whipped cream; poached white
asparagus, Hollandaise sauce. Perfection. I begin to prefer French caviar to Russian or Iranian, as the French caviar is less salty and fresher.
The main dish. Slowly cooked turbot covered with almonds, small capers, "cebettes" (vegetables similar to leeks), bitter almond juice. Pan-fried cuttlefish risotto, black pepper and fat juice.
I am not used to eat turbot with such strong flavors as almond (
I like it simply with lemon and butter sauce), but the dish was delicious. I also loved the cuttlefish risotto. Salty and a little greasy.
The dessert. Puffed-up sugar apple, "Carambar" ice cream, cider and sparkling sugar. The dessert was something very special. In fact, even if the flavors were totally different, the idea of the dessert reminded me the dessert "Le Sucre - Violet and Lychee Sugar Sphere with Milk Ice Cream"
I had last autumn in
Joel Robuchon New York. Just this time, the sugar sphere was filled up with apple sorbet and it was somehow lighter than the Robuchon's version. A wonderful and a very creative dessert.
I think that Frédéric Anton will continue to surprise us with his magic cuisine. Le Pré Catelan is the restaurant
I would love to return again. I hope I will.
