Category: French

Le Clarence, Paris

restaurant details: website , IG I finally made it here and can genuinely say that I totally believe all the fanfare bandied around Christophe Pele’s gem in the house of Haut Brion. His cuisine is one of modernity, subtlety and clarity. Decidedly French with flourishes…

Greenhouse Mayfair, Oct 2019

restaurant details : website , IG It’s now been over a year since Alex Dilling took over the reigns from Arnaud Bignon, and what year it has been for this this charming little restaurant that has survived the decades with its series of chefs. Alex…

L’Arpège, Paris. May 2019

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…

L’Arpege, Nov 2018

other visits: May 2019 • April 2018 • Nov 2017 • June 2016 • April 2016 This time out at Rue Varenne, it was a full-on ALC affair, in the deep Autumn of 2018, during which arguably the best White Truffle season in memory was in full swing. The Celerisotto…

Florilege Tokyo <-> logy Taipei

Having followed the rise of Restaurant Florilege with great interest for the last few years, I’m glad to have finally made it not just to honten, but also to the crew’s sister restaurant located in Daan, Taipei. I’m certain you’ve already come across Hiroyasu Kawate,…

Frantzén x Bosi at Bibendum

Bjorn Frantzén was in London for one night only, pitching up at Bibendum’s on a tuesday night in May to do a collaboration with our Claude Bosi. I was rather excited about it, a dinner with two two leading lights in gastronomy at the peak…

Claude Bosi at Bibendum – 2x 2018

Restaurant Details: website instagram I had written about Bosi’s then new digs in the house of Bib in 2017 just before they refreshed his double stars, and thought then that the opening year at two stars was the right call, with a feeling that more…

Passage 53, Paris

As you know, L’Inconnu is one of my favourite haunts in Paris, and its connection to Passage53 is through Chef/Owner Koji Higaki who was the sous chef there for five years, but I hadn’t yet paid a visit to this two starred restaurant of quiet…

Abri, Paris

If I had to pick one restaurant this year that surprised/excited me, it would most definitely be Abri. Opened by Katsuaki Okiyama in 2012, it is part of the original set of Japanase-French restaurants that has long since become a permanent feature in the Paris…

La Table d’Aki, Paris

You’d think he would have got tired of the fish section after 20 odd years manning it for the great Bernard Pacaud at L’Ambroisie, but evidently not, as here is Aki san going strong at least 5 years now with his solo gig doing only…

L’Arpege, April 2018

Other visits: Nov 2017, June 2016, April 2016 Photos and some descriptions from an ALC meal at L’Arpege in early April 2018, just as Spring crept up on us. This time round, I was interested in another of Passard’s classics, whole blue lobster with vin…

L’Arpege, Paris – ALC Autumn 2017

You might recall my previous write-ups of L’Arpege here and there. As I finished my meal last summer at Alain Passard’s landmark restaurant in the 7th Arrondissement, I was filled with disappointment and dread, his improvised cuisine of vegetables spectacularly crashing, making the Lunch menu…