The 2019 prices have risen nearly across the board, though quality remains ever so high here at L’Arpege. Spontaneity and creativity reign supreme, Passard and his kitchen still immensely spirited in their practice of gastronomy at the highest levels, they continue to introduce new dishes to their menu, not bad for a restaurant now in its 33rd year. As usual, Tony Beldroega was in charge of the affairs today, with the Chef himself making an appearance mid-way through lunch to greet punters. I had wanted to try Alain’s latest Frankenstein creation, the Chimera, pigeon stiched together with a rack of lamb, but alas it wasn’t on the menu on this visit.
For this meal, I decided to try the Gardener’s lunch again, now 175€ , supplemented with a half portion of the lobster/vin jaune (now 210€ for the whole, 105€ for the half) and also asked kindly if I could try their vegetable tatin as well as their strawberries, now in its prime.
As you might be familiar, the lunch menu is essentially themed around whatever vegetables they have in abundance from Alain’s two gardens. They tend to repeat themselves over the course of the longish meal. In the case of this meal, yellow round courgettes and white asparagus appeared to be at peak. If you arrive at the restaurant around 11ish, you’ll see the little white van delivering their daily haul of greens.
I feel that April/May is the best time to visit L’Arpege, especially if you are interested in vegetables. All the colours are in full bloom, lobster and turbot are near their peaks, peas are sweet and strawberries are ripe and ready. Cigalines instead of mara de bois or gariguttes this year.
L’Arpege is a restaurant that continues to enthrall me, the cuisine is very much based on improvisation and it is very rustic and homely in many ways, the antithesis of rehearsed, static crafted tasting menus. The food here is fine in its eating, while the dishes are beautiful to look at, the kitchen spends the majority cooking rather than plating little things perfectly. Some people do not like it for this very reason, but I love L’Arpege because at the heart of it all, the restaurant is about pure cooking, slow grilled proteins cooked grand and whole, and daring la minute preparations for everything else. It might seem counter intuitive to say this, but in today’s world of foraged, water bath modernism, L’Arpege is in the minority when it comes to actually delivering hot food on piping hot plates. A pre-requisite as it always should be for any fine food that is cooked with love and respect!
When you visit, it really is worth spending some time to study all their menus deeply, and then to make sure you speak up and ask for anything you want to try. They can mix and match anything on their menus, and also stuff that’s not on their menus. I cannot stress this enough, if you simply leave it up to them, chances are you will almost definitely be disappointed and wonder what the fuss is all about. These guys love a challenge believe me, the more bespoke your menu is, the better the meal becomes. It’s going to cost an arm and leg regardless of what you do, so if you’ve made up your mind to go here, then do like Magnus Nilsson when he left L’Astrance and do it in style.
I drank a most interesting wine, 2017 Les Vignes de Paradis Terroir du Léman Un Matin Face au Lac, which is made from 100% Chasselas, a grape that I don’t believe I’ve ever come across. I wrote down chalky mango and peach on the nose, more of that on the palate, with oiliness to it. Superb wine.
I paid 335€ in total, meal for one.
Piccies and descriptions below. Meal took place in late May 2019.
1. Canapes of tartelettes
2 The classic Hot/Cold egg
3. Trilogie de ravioles potageres au consomme printanier, saveurs ephemeres
Today with a consomme of asparagus, mint and thyme. One of Alain’s classics, and one of my all time favourites from his oeuvre of vegetable cooking.
4. Courgette sushi with black olive tapenade
5. Carpaccio of White asparagus, yellow round courgette, radishes, cigaline strawberry, timut pepper, parmesan
All raw, beautifully composed, delicate and glassy textures. It is very lightly seasoned, it doesn’t even have much in way of oil, a very sensitive and pure dish showcasing the natural flavour in which the Grand Cru vegetables from Alain’s gardens possess. This is what I love about L’Arpege.
6. Nettle and cress veloute with a crème soufflée of speck whipped stiff
7. Spring gnocchi, carrot puree and sorrel sauce
8. House made pork pate, petit pois, spring onion, parsley, cauliflower florets
I greatly enjoyed this meaty pate, loosely packed with the savouriness of duck fat and perfectly seasoned. The peas were absolutely top notch, popping with brilliant sweetness. I could eat a bowl of them! Printemps in overdrive.
9. Palourdes from the bay of Quiberon, snow peas, carrots and vin jaune sauce
10. Grilled white asparagus from Laigne-en-Belin, sorrel emulsion and a very fine sauce of parmesan
11. Yellow round courgette with its flower stuffed with vegetables. With a dollop of parsley puree and an emulsion of cauliflower and verbena
Passard’s grand cru vegetables from his gardens meeting his kitchen’s three starred calibre craft. This was incredible – roasted and fully imbued with smokey, charred flavours, the courgette itself of prime quality. Meanwhile the flower was stuffed with a medley of superior savouriness, cooked down vegetables, onions, garlic, other things which my limited palate could hardly identify. The sauce had deep flavour itself, backed up by luxurious and low density frothed creaminess and acidity, acting as a counterpoint to the roasted courgette.
The layering of flavours fan out to cover all four tastes simultaneously leading to a wide gamut umami that had me scratching my head as to how they manage so much flavour extraction from purely just vegetables. Genius dish, with its composition guided by the saturation of nature’s primary colours. Exactly the sort of dish that only L’Arpege is capable of producing.
12. Bouquet de homard bleu nuit acidule au mile de notre rucher, petales de navet globe
I don’t have much love for this dish, as in the past I find the sweet and sour honey sauce both overly sweet and too acidic at the very same time. On this occasion however, the sauce is reigned in, the sweet and acid gentle as opposed to a punch in the face. Now I could taste the dance of sweetness between the ocean of the lobster and the earth of the translucent globe turnip slices. The lobster this time round was cooked a pointe – just a touch mi-cuit. This is a lovely dish when they get it right for sure.
13. Tarte tatin feuilletée of Spring cabbage with smoked eel purée. (Requested)
Decidedly simple, homely in appearance, adorned with chive flowers, though as we are at L’Arpege, the craft involved is a world class marvel. It came piping hot, and no doubt cooked la minute as the pastry was still warm on arrival.
As you must already be aware from the in-trend BBQ hispis that grace many restaurants today, this caramalised cabbage too transformed its raw, crunchy sweetness into something significantly more complex – meaty, smoky, fully softened yet remaining juicy at the very same time, suped up savouriness.
The smoked eel puree was very concentrated, a swipe of it on the cabbage, buttered and well seasoned, and the flavours begin to harmonise – then the a-ha moment arrives – to the point when it feels like things are about to explode on the palate. An inspired pairing, so simple, so perfectly seasoned and so utterly delicious.
Of course the secret here is their supremely fine puff pastry, so delicate in its flakiness, that it gifts the tatin a soft and smooth texture, collapsing like a hot knife through butter with the gentlest push. An embodiment of the genius comfort food and the exquisite craft of L’Arpege.
14. Roasted spring cauliflower, parsley, carrots and an emulsion of oyster from Saint-Coulomb.
15. Aiguillettes de homard breton bleu nuit au Cotes du Jura (ordered from ALC, half portion, supplement of 105euroes)
Today with Spring cabbage, new potato and yellow round courgette. Quartered lengthwise, each “aiguillette” position plated facing opposite directions with tail, tomalley and claw on the plate. This dish is always served on a heavy plate that is piping hot, including the sauce taken to the highest temperature, frothed up to a lightened texture.
It remains for me, the greatest preparation of Lobster I’ve ever tasted. The vin jaune sauce, like all sauces at L’Arpège, is simply the finest. The gastrique is perfect, the salt and acidity, the oxidative nuttiness of the wine, all these elements pulling and pushing to create harmony and tension with the lobster flesh and tomalley. Put simply, I have not tasted a better sauce than this. Today Tony has blended in some coral, yielding a light orange pigment, and adding layer of ocean sweetness to the sauce.
The Chausey island lobster – tied rostrum to tail to keep the tail straight during its boil– is usually timed to mi-cuit, however on this visit, the tail was quite firm (firmer than the lobster/turnip served a few courses earlier), and to my taste a touch over, by a minute perhaps. This was a pretty big lobster, looks 1kg mark. It’s massive claw and knuckle on the other hand came out just right. Saying this, the bounce on the meat was a sign of a healthy crustacean and didn’t detract from the overall experience. I feel very fortunate to have had this a few times, I am perpetually in awe of it. A dish of timeless magnificence.
16. Profiterole with hay ice cream centre, pralines and hot caramel sauce poured over it
A decadent sugar rush that is incredibly light at the same time – such fine pastry work. It evoked childhood memories of cream and honey, sugary sweets and honeyed ice cream. I loved it.
17. Chocolate millefeuille with a ‘savoury’ ice cream
For me, this remains the gold standard of puff pastry. Incredible fine and delicate flakes. The chocolate is very pure, you can taste the bitterness and it comes without too much sweetness. Personally, I prefer the vanilla MF over this one, but the all-chocolate puff pastry is definitely something to admire. Class.
18. Cigaline du Bois Giroult strawberries, with honey from their apiary, citron and l’Alentejo olive oil (requested)
Gariguttes have become synonymous with the European Spring and typically shows up on the menus here, so with a different DNA, I thought to give this a go. These aren’t as fragrant as the gariguettes, rather balanced in flavour but quite juicy. I wouldn’t say they are better than Mare des Bois either.
It is pretty much as it says on the tin – strawberries in a honey sweet sauce that is followed closely by a jolt of acidity, finally the oils coating the palate.
Other visits: Nov 2018 • April 2018 • Nov 2017 • June 2016 • April 2016
The 2019 prices have risen nearly across the board, though quality remains ever so high here at L’Arpege. Spontaneity and creativity reign supreme, Passard and his kitchen still immensely spirited in their practice of gastronomy at the highest levels, they continue to introduce new dishes to their menu, not bad for a restaurant now in its 33rd year. As usual, Tony Beldroega was in charge of the affairs today, with the Chef himself making an appearance mid-way through lunch to greet punters. I had wanted to try Alain’s latest Frankenstein creation, the Chimera, pigeon stiched together with a rack of lamb, but alas it wasn’t on the menu on this visit.
For this meal, I decided to try the Gardener’s lunch again, now 175€ , supplemented with a half portion of the lobster/vin jaune (now 210€ for the whole, 105€ for the half) and also asked kindly if I could try their vegetable tatin as well as their strawberries, now in its prime.
As you might be familiar, the lunch menu is essentially themed around whatever vegetables they have in abundance from Alain’s two gardens. They tend to repeat themselves over the course of the longish meal. In the case of this meal, yellow round courgettes and white asparagus appeared to be at peak. If you arrive at the restaurant around 11ish, you’ll see the little white van delivering their daily haul of greens.
I feel that April/May is the best time to visit L’Arpege, especially if you are interested in vegetables. All the colours are in full bloom, lobster and turbot are near their peaks, peas are sweet and strawberries are ripe and ready. Cigalines instead of mara de bois or gariguttes this year.
L’Arpege is a restaurant that continues to enthrall me, the cuisine is very much based on improvisation and it is very rustic and homely in many ways, the antithesis of rehearsed, static crafted tasting menus. The food here is fine in its eating, while the dishes are beautiful to look at, the kitchen spends the majority cooking rather than plating little things perfectly. Some people do not like it for this very reason, but I love L’Arpege because at the heart of it all, the restaurant is about pure cooking, slow grilled proteins cooked grand and whole, and daring la minute preparations for everything else. It might seem counter intuitive to say this, but in today’s world of foraged, water bath modernism, L’Arpege is in the minority when it comes to actually delivering hot food on piping hot plates. A pre-requisite as it always should be for any fine food that is cooked with love and respect!
When you visit, it really is worth spending some time to study all their menus deeply, and then to make sure you speak up and ask for anything you want to try. They can mix and match anything on their menus, and also stuff that’s not on their menus. I cannot stress this enough, if you simply leave it up to them, chances are you will almost definitely be disappointed and wonder what the fuss is all about. These guys love a challenge believe me, the more bespoke your menu is, the better the meal becomes. It’s going to cost an arm and leg regardless of what you do, so if you’ve made up your mind to go here, then do like Magnus Nilsson when he left L’Astrance and do it in style.
I drank a most interesting wine, 2017 Les Vignes de Paradis Terroir du Léman Un Matin Face au Lac, which is made from 100% Chasselas, a grape that I don’t believe I’ve ever come across. I wrote down chalky mango and peach on the nose, more of that on the palate, with oiliness to it. Superb wine.
I paid 335€ in total, meal for one.
Piccies and descriptions below. Meal took place in late May 2019.
1. Canapes of tartelettes
2 The classic Hot/Cold egg
3. Trilogie de ravioles potageres au consomme printanier, saveurs ephemeres
Today with a consomme of asparagus, mint and thyme. One of Alain’s classics, and one of my all time favourites from his oeuvre of vegetable cooking.
4. Courgette sushi with black olive tapenade
5. Carpaccio of White asparagus, yellow round courgette, radishes, cigaline strawberry, timut pepper, parmesan
All raw, beautifully composed, delicate and glassy textures. It is very lightly seasoned, it doesn’t even have much in way of oil, a very sensitive and pure dish showcasing the natural flavour in which the Grand Cru vegetables from Alain’s gardens possess. This is what I love about L’Arpege.
6. Nettle and cress veloute with a crème soufflée of speck whipped stiff
7. Spring gnocchi, carrot puree and sorrel sauce
8. House made pork pate, petit pois, spring onion, parsley, cauliflower florets
I greatly enjoyed this meaty pate, loosely packed with the savouriness of duck fat and perfectly seasoned. The peas were absolutely top notch, popping with brilliant sweetness. I could eat a bowl of them! Printemps in overdrive.
9. Palourdes from the bay of Quiberon, snow peas, carrots and vin jaune sauce
10. Grilled white asparagus from Laigne-en-Belin, sorrel emulsion and a very fine sauce of parmesan
11. Yellow round courgette with its flower stuffed with vegetables. With a dollop of parsley puree and an emulsion of cauliflower and verbena
Passard’s grand cru vegetables from his gardens meeting his kitchen’s three starred calibre craft. This was incredible – roasted and fully imbued with smokey, charred flavours, the courgette itself of prime quality. Meanwhile the flower was stuffed with a medley of superior savouriness, cooked down vegetables, onions, garlic, other things which my limited palate could hardly identify. The sauce had deep flavour itself, backed up by luxurious and low density frothed creaminess and acidity, acting as a counterpoint to the roasted courgette.
The layering of flavours fan out to cover all four tastes simultaneously leading to a wide gamut umami that had me scratching my head as to how they manage so much flavour extraction from purely just vegetables. Genius dish, with its composition guided by the saturation of nature’s primary colours. Exactly the sort of dish that only L’Arpege is capable of producing.
12. Bouquet de homard bleu nuit acidule au mile de notre rucher, petales de navet globe
I don’t have much love for this dish, as in the past I find the sweet and sour honey sauce both overly sweet and too acidic at the very same time. On this occasion however, the sauce is reigned in, the sweet and acid gentle as opposed to a punch in the face. Now I could taste the dance of sweetness between the ocean of the lobster and the earth of the translucent globe turnip slices. The lobster this time round was cooked a pointe – just a touch mi-cuit. This is a lovely dish when they get it right for sure.
13. Tarte tatin feuilletée of Spring cabbage with smoked eel purée. (Requested)
Decidedly simple, homely in appearance, adorned with chive flowers, though as we are at L’Arpege, the craft involved is a world class marvel. It came piping hot, and no doubt cooked la minute as the pastry was still warm on arrival.
As you must already be aware from the in-trend BBQ hispis that grace many restaurants today, this caramalised cabbage too transformed its raw, crunchy sweetness into something significantly more complex – meaty, smoky, fully softened yet remaining juicy at the very same time, suped up savouriness.
The smoked eel puree was very concentrated, a swipe of it on the cabbage, buttered and well seasoned, and the flavours begin to harmonise – then the a-ha moment arrives – to the point when it feels like things are about to explode on the palate. An inspired pairing, so simple, so perfectly seasoned and so utterly delicious.
Of course the secret here is their supremely fine puff pastry, so delicate in its flakiness, that it gifts the tatin a soft and smooth texture, collapsing like a hot knife through butter with the gentlest push. An embodiment of the genius comfort food and the exquisite craft of L’Arpege.
14. Roasted spring cauliflower, parsley, carrots and an emulsion of oyster from Saint-Coulomb.
15. Aiguillettes de homard breton bleu nuit au Cotes du Jura (ordered from ALC, half portion, supplement of 105euroes)
Today with Spring cabbage, new potato and yellow round courgette. Quartered lengthwise, each “aiguillette” position plated facing opposite directions with tail, tomalley and claw on the plate. This dish is always served on a heavy plate that is piping hot, including the sauce taken to the highest temperature, frothed up to a lightened texture.
It remains for me, the greatest preparation of Lobster I’ve ever tasted. The vin jaune sauce, like all sauces at L’Arpège, is simply the finest. The gastrique is perfect, the salt and acidity, the oxidative nuttiness of the wine, all these elements pulling and pushing to create harmony and tension with the lobster flesh and tomalley. Put simply, I have not tasted a better sauce than this. Today Tony has blended in some coral, yielding a light orange pigment, and adding layer of ocean sweetness to the sauce.
The Chausey island lobster – tied rostrum to tail to keep the tail straight during its boil– is usually timed to mi-cuit, however on this visit, the tail was quite firm (firmer than the lobster/turnip served a few courses earlier), and to my taste a touch over, by a minute perhaps. This was a pretty big lobster, looks 1kg mark. It’s massive claw and knuckle on the other hand came out just right. Saying this, the bounce on the meat was a sign of a healthy crustacean and didn’t detract from the overall experience. I feel very fortunate to have had this a few times, I am perpetually in awe of it. A dish of timeless magnificence.
16. Profiterole with hay ice cream centre, pralines and hot caramel sauce poured over it
A decadent sugar rush that is incredibly light at the same time – such fine pastry work. It evoked childhood memories of cream and honey, sugary sweets and honeyed ice cream. I loved it.
17. Chocolate millefeuille with a ‘savoury’ ice cream
For me, this remains the gold standard of puff pastry. Incredible fine and delicate flakes. The chocolate is very pure, you can taste the bitterness and it comes without too much sweetness. Personally, I prefer the vanilla MF over this one, but the all-chocolate puff pastry is definitely something to admire. Class.
18. Cigaline du Bois Giroult strawberries, with honey from their apiary, citron and l’Alentejo olive oil (requested)
Gariguttes have become synonymous with the European Spring and typically shows up on the menus here, so with a different DNA, I thought to give this a go. These aren’t as fragrant as the gariguettes, rather balanced in flavour but quite juicy. I wouldn’t say they are better than Mare des Bois either.
It is pretty much as it says on the tin – strawberries in a honey sweet sauce that is followed closely by a jolt of acidity, finally the oils coating the palate.
19. Petit fours and espresso by Difference coffee
Me and Alain
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