L’Ambroisie

Our visit to L'Ambroisie was the best meal during our 5-day visit to Paris. The space was quiet, clean, and decorated with chandeliers and geometric wall art in red and white which evoked 80's "art." The food was excellent in flavor, presentation, and creativity. The ala carte menu was a refreshing departure from fixed course menus at many fine dining restaurants in the city. We thoroughly enjoyed eat dish, and every bite was a surprise. I had the lamb in five preparations, and it was great. The bream came in a bowl full of caviar,.which was also excellent. The William pear dessert will haunt me for the rest of my days - the caramel sauce was true perfection. Service was also extraordinary, with the perfect balance of professional and friendly which made us comfortable for the meal. The waiter made a couple of jokes that elevated the dining experience by defusing what otherwise might have been awkward situations. The entire staff was attentive and performed as if choreographed. We will definitely visit L'Ambroisie during our next visit to Paris.

There are plenty of other places to chose when visiting a gastronomic city such as Paris. We were excited to visit with a new chef despite the loss of a Michelin star (downgraded from 3 to 2) and we were very disappointed. Service was cold, unwelcoming, and felt prejudiced against non-French, non-Caucasiuans. The menu is entirely in French (this is well-known, and was expected), but I was asked why I didn't speak French (sorry, I'm a tourist). I used Google Translate to navigate the menu and we ordered several of their well-known dishes. Note; the menu is only a la carte. Also, do not show up early. They will not let you in and the door will have a chain on it and we were only let in after our reservation time. The dining room we were seated in was the same one we were in a few years ago. There is a still a section of ceiling lighting that is out in the corner by a beautiful tapestry (not the corner pictured below). The fresh flowers in the room are gorgeous. I suspect they may put all the tourists in the same room. Starters: several starting dishes were brought. We were given a sliver of scallop with probably the worse sliced chives I have ever seen. There was a brioche bread that was warm and had a good flavor and consistency. Two potato puffs but one was crisp and the other slightly soggy. There were two other starters, a green soup and an artichoke bite. I should have taken notes as they were otherwise completely unmemorable. Langoustines: excellent curry sauce. The sauce was fragrant and could probably have been eaten on it's own. It came with two sesame crisps, which went well with the sauce. My issue was the the langoustines were not consistent. One was fresh and sweet, the second was relatively fresh, but the third was mealy. This dish cost a whopping €145. Seabass with caviar: This was more problematic. i could smell the fish when the plate was brought to the table. There was some gristle left on the seabass. The caviar was also subpar with an unpleasant fishy taste which only became more revolting as the sauce congealed. The artichokes hidden beneath the seabass were beautifully sliced and cooked. This was €155 a plate. Absolutely shameful. Bresse chicken: probably the relatively best dish of the night, but at a staggering €380 for two. The chicken was presented tableside prior to serving. First was the breast, which was cooked fairly well. Additional truffles were shaved over the chicken at tableside, but these tasted dry and rubbery and I could have done without. The skin was also mostly tough, but have sections that did not have the fat rendered out. The sauce was fine, if a bit salty. The second service was two pieces of the thigh. The skin here was nicely crispy and the meat fairly tender. Flavors were fine. I don't know who this restaurant expects to serve. At these prices, I expect top quality ingredients and at least better service. The inherent prejudice against anyone who is not French is readily apparent. If the food was truly incandesant, then maybe I could overlook some of the other flaws. Spend your lunch or evening elsewhere and have a better meal.

After having been to multiple fine dining restaurants in Paris, L'Ambroisie is probably the best so far. Despite not having the typical tasting menu, the à la carte experience is just as astounding. I decided to skip the Appetizers since none of them appealed to me so instead, I had 2 main courses and a dessert. For the first main, I got the Turbot and I would say it was good if not the best. I've had a spotless version back in London and this didn't quite live up to the mark. Still, the sauce and the ravioli accompanying it elevated the dish to another level. The 2nd main was the Lamb in 5 expressions, and this was probably the best meat dish I've had in a Michelin star setting. It was outstanding in almost every aspect. I'm not a fan of cold foods like the carpaccio, but I'll make an exception this time. The 4 other techniques were simply extraordinary!! Finally for the dessert I had the William Pear and again - Sublime! Both the lamb and the pear courses were pure works of art! The mignardises after the dessert were equally impressive. Truly magical! The only thing I noticed - all other tables had bread and butter served and I wasn't! I hope it's because they forgot. Was going to take off a star here but given the amazingness of the luncheon, I'll let it pass.

This was my second visit to this restaurant and I loved it even more! I’m glad we made the trip back to Paris and could get a reservation here. It’s actually one of my favorite 3 star Michelins out of the others in the city. Main reason is the consistency of the service, food, and ambiance. You can’t go wrong here, the food is just superb, the taste is exactly what you’re looking for when you ask for French fine dining. It also wasn’t too heavy because we chose the seafood options for lunch. The dessert is always so perfect The staff is lovely and so friendly. It’s one of those restaurants you just need to try once in your life. And if you’re going to splurge, do it the right way. This is it.