MANILA, Philippines—On a recent trip to Paris with my family, it was decided that we would dine in at least one French restaurant that has been awarded the coveted 3 Michelin stars. After all, Paris is considered the culinary capital of the world, and not to have experienced fine dining the “French” way would be a gastronomic tragedy.
Taillevent is considered one of the grandest dining institutions in Paris. Founded in 1946 by André Vrinat, the restaurant was named after Guillaume Tirel (nicknamed Taillevent), the court chef to King Charles V in the 14th century who was known to have written the first ever cuisine book.
The town house that Taillevent sits on since 1950 is steeped in French history itself. It was built in 1852 as a bachelor pad for Napoleon III’s philandering half-brother, the Duc de Morny.
Jean-Claude Vrinat, the son of Taillevent’s founder and the man responsible for personally handpicking the 3,000 or so selection of wines in the restaurant cellar, has presided over the dining room since 1972 and was rarely absent from personally welcoming his faithful clientele as well as new patrons until his passing last January.
Taillevent has held 3 stars in the Michelin guide since 1973, with chef Alain Solivérès at the helm of the kitchen since 2002. The restaurant has played host to the likes of political heavyweights Mikhail Gorbachev and Jacques Chirac, technology giant Steve Jobs, fashion legend Hubert de Givenchy, and Hollywood royalty such as Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie.
In 2007 however, the restaurant was stripped of a Michelin star. A number of restaurant correspondents decried this almost-unceremonious demotion, and this intrigued me immensely. And that was the clincher—I booked us a table there for that “unforgettable luxury dining experience,” also with the hopes of finding out for myself if the restaurant indeed deserved 2, instead of 3 stars.
And so my gastronomic journey began at Taillevent with taking bites of the warm cheese chouxes as I pored over the menu—all in French. With much help in translation from the very affable Jean- Marie Ancher, the restaurant director who has been with Taillevent for 35 years, we got around to ordering.
A small, almost plain-looking bowl of chicken mousse arrived shortly after. A spoonful of this fine mousse immediately unmasked a surprisingly delightful aftertaste of popcorn. To say it’s an inventive dish is almost an understatement.
I ordered the mousseline de pommes de terre ratte—this dish of puréed potatoes, topped with a circumference of finely minced black truffles, came full circle in the taste department with the egg yolk center. I’ve honestly never had anything so remarkable—it was like tasting heaven on my lips. The plating itself was an aesthetic achievement and was almost too beautiful to eat.
To complete the meal, I went with the classic baba au rhum (rhum cake), and I was glad I did. The cake was very moist, and soaked with just the right amount of rhum.
As we went about dinner, we could also not help but notice the conscious yet unobtrusive service that each diner received. With nary a gesture, our glasses were constantly refilled with our wine of choice, a moderately priced Bordeaux Red 1993 Mouton de Rothschild. Service was par excellence.
The three hours or so of dining at this fine institution was truly unforgettable. In the end, Taillevent will continue to be a temple of culinary and service perfection, with or without that last Michelin star. In my book at least, Taillevent is one of, if not the best restaurant in Paris and deserves those 3 stars.
Photos:
Potato mousse with black truffles and egg yolk
Lamb with artichokes
Pigeon
The Closet Glutton with Chef Alain Soliveres in the Taillevent Kitchen
4-1-1 on TAILLEVENT:
PRICE FOR SET MENU FOR ONE: EURO 250++
SERVICE: 3 stars (***)
AMBIANCE: 3 stars (***)
FOOD RATING: 3 stars (***)
AFFORDABILITY: $$$$ Very expensive but definitely worth it!
WILL I GO BACK? Definitely.
ADDRESS: 15 Rue Lamennais, 75008 Paris (from Champs Elysee, turn into Rue Washington *near Lido*, a street after is Rue Lamennais. Easy to find)
EMAIL: resa@taillevent.com
NEXT TIME WILL TRY: Frog legs spelt and risotto or the Lobster spelt and risotto
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