how to fan girl at restaurant l'arpege in paris

L'Arpege.

Chef Alain Passard is one of the most famous people in the culinary world. His restaurant, L'Arpege, consistently gets three Michelin stars and is a fixture on the World's 50 Best Restaurants List. He focuses on vegetarian cuisine although he does offer meat and fish as well.

I first heard of Chef Passard when a friend served me an "Arpege egg" one time at a dinner party. My friend's version was creamy scrambled egg topped with caviar served in an egg shell. Since then, I've been wanting to try the real thing.

When Mr. Sazy Rock and I recently visited Paris, he wanted to go back to Arpege to get himself up to date on the city's dining scene. I was more than happy to tag along. I was very excited to finally eat the famous Arpege egg.

The Scene

The diners were both food tourists and French people alike. We arrived fairly early and the place was mostly empty. But, by 9 pm, when most people ate, the place was full and buzzy. Men wore jackets and women dressed smart. I should note, however, that I saw a French speaking couple wear jeans.

The Service

What excited me was Chef Passard working the room and greeting every single diner. In fact, when he first started greeting diners, I thought he knew them personally. He was that friendly. Instead, those folks were just regular diners like me and Mr. SR. When he finally came by our table, he joked with us and noted how much Mr. SR seemed to enjoy eating their bread. After saying hi, he went back to the kitchen.

In addition to the Chef's friendliness, the staff persons were all very accommodating. We had an early flight the following day and we did not wand to do a four-hour 21-course tasting menu. Our server suggested that we order a la carte. They also suggested that we share each course and that they would be happy to serve each of us half plates. And, when we said we wanted two main dishes - one lobster dish and either a fish dish or a veal dish - they suggested that we get a full portion of lobster (with each of us getting a half plate), a half portion of the fish (with each of us getting a quarter plate), and a half portion of the veal (with each of us getting a quarter plate). We definitely appreciated their recommendations and loved that they were not snooty about "no substitutions" and sharing plates. By the way, all our sharing plates did not come at an extra cost.

All the staff spoke English. Although they were helpful and friendly, they did fail Mr. SR's "napkin test." But, they did help me back to my seat when I returned from the restroom. Also, they took a while to refill our empty wine glasses. 

The Food 

The homemade bread had a crunchy crust, and the butter came soft, spreadable and seasoned. 

The amuse plate was beautiful and colorful. It consisted of various tarts. One had strawberry and balsamic vinegar, which was tart and refreshing. The pastry was crunchy and savory. I forgot the others but they were all similarly good. 

Amuses.

Although we ordered a la carte and did not opt for a tasting menu, they still served us a few dishes including: 

• A gazpacho of fava beans and a cold mustard sorbet. It was grainy but fresh.

Gazpac

• The Arpege egg. Finally! I was so excited. First, it was pretty. And second, it was tasty. The real Arpege egg was not scrambled. Instead, the egg was coddled. It was soft and fragile with a hint of maple. It surprised me that the dish was sweet. While it was different from my friend's "Arpege egg" (not scrambled and no caviar), it was a different kind of amazing.

The Arpege Egg.

• Vegetable parmentier, which was like a casserole of mashed potatoes and sorrels with a crunchy top. The sorrel reminded me of the Burmese lahpet (crunchy fresh tea leaves).

Parmentier.

We ordered a dish with thin ravioli stuffed with asparagus and beets, and lemon verbena with asparagus broth with a hint of mint. It reminded me of tea. 

Ravioli.

The white asparagus, which was sweet and crunchy, was served with a parsley and white spinach emulsion and sorrels for acidity.

White Asparagus.

Before our main dishes even arrived, I must admit I was already full.

I should note that prior to serving our main dishes on a pretty plate, the servers first came to our table and showed us the whole lobster, the whole veal and the whole turbot in their pre-plated state.

The lobster was from Chaussy (?) island near Mt. Saint Michel and served with yellow wine sauce. Unlike Maine lobsters, which I think are meaty, these lobsters were more delicate and sweet. The sauce was rich. 

Showing off the pre-plated lobster.

A half portion of the Lobster.

The veal was from Correz (?) and served with chicken liver sauce.

Showing off the pre-plated big chunk of veal.

A quarter portion of the veal.

The fish was a turbot served with sorrel sauce and vegetables from the Arpege farm, which included zucchinis, carrots, and wild grass.

Showing off the humongous pre-plated Turbot.

A quarter portion of the Turbot.

We were served a variety of petit fours. One of them was a turnip-shaped petit four made with whipped cream made from turnip. They also served brandy snaps (light and crisp and sticky), Mille feuille, half a macaron with lemon filling and topped with a brûlée, and others. They were not only beautiful and sweet, but not overly so.

Petit Fours.

It was a bucket list meal.

The Fan Girl Moment

I should note that when Chef Passard came by our table earlier in the evening, I asked whether I could take a picture with him. He said of course but that we should take it at the end of the meal. When he went back to the kitchen, we did not see him for the rest of the meal (presumably because he was cooking or expediting or what not). When we finished all our dishes, we did not want to ask the server to call the Chef. So, we were prepared to leave with no pictures.

But, lo and behold, right after we got the check, Chef Passard came out to our table and made good on his promise to take pictures. And, he also kindly signed a menu for us to take home. He then walked us to the door and offered to call us a taxi. It bears repeating that Chef Passard himself offered to call us a taxi. When we declined because we were staying close by, he gave us a hug before we left. Now, that is hospitality. It reminded me of the amazing hospitality we received in Japan (minus the hugging). 

Chef Alain Passard.

The Verdict 

It was a memorable meal made even more special by Chef Passard and his staff's hospitality. It now makes absolute sense why Arpege has three Michelin stars and is in the top 50 restaurants in the world.

What dish or restaurant is in your bucket list?