The atmosphere at L'Ami-Jean is always cordial with very happy people talking & eating. You cannot miss your neighbor's conversations and seeing their food because we are jammed pack like sardines into a small space. If you have claustrophobia; perhaps, L'Ami-Jean is not for you. But you will have to believe me when I say that one night of claustrophobia is so worth it at L'Ami-Jean...the food is so amazing!
L'Ami-Jean is one of the hardest reservations to get in town. So be warned that you will need to reserve a table several days in advance and confirm your table that day.
Before we received the menu; the waiter place a huge complimentary slab of home-made Pâté on the center of the table. I really really hate it when they do this! The reason is the damn pâté is so good (the bread as well) that I end up eating so much of the stuff before even looking at the menu.
The next complimentary dish was jambon de Bayonne (I actually don't know but I swear it was really yummy).
This was so unique and we never saw it before on the menu...jambon de Wagyu Boeuf. The colour, texture and flavour of this jambon was very prominent. Not like any ham we had before. Not bad at all.
L'Ami-Jean truly spoiled us.
The were six of us at the table and some of us had the same starters and main course. The first starter was
The second starter was Cèpes. The arrival of the huge iron cast skillet with the beautiful mushroom was a sight to behold. The cèpes were firm yet very tender. They simply tasted wonderful...so much flavours for a simple dish.
The first main course was Grouse. It was the hunting season for grouse and it is very rare to find this game on menus. Not many people like this bird for the fact that it has a very gamey smell & flavour. But when cooked well; this is an incredible tasting bird. At L'Ami-Jean there is no doubt that he would have cooked the grouse to perfection. The grouse was tender, juicy and slightly gamey. So worth waiting for the hunting season to eat this.
The famous L'Ami-Jean's Pommes Purée. We guestimated that this dish had 20% potato and 80% butter & cream. But, no one was complaining. The pommes purée is one of the smoothest, most velvety, creamy & rich pommes purée you can find in Paris. Another dish to really hate because we know its not good for our cholesterol levels and waist lines but we just could not help ourselves and kept sticking our spoon into this damn dish. Way too addictive!
The second main dish due to hunting season was le Canard Sauvage. This duck was so fresh from the hunt that I think I found a bullet still in this wild duck. The duck was cooked to perfection; it was tender & juicy (which was great for such fresh game). The chef truly knows how to bring out the flavours of the game.
The iron skillet with the roasted potatoes with cèpes & chestnuts (my favourite). The combination of all the ingredients gave this side dish fantastic colours, textures and flavours. Another dish to hate!
We all ate so much but at the end...we could not resist the all time dessert that makes us all hate L'Ami-Jean; the world famous rice pudding. The richest, creamiest, smoothest and tastiest rice puddings anywhere. This is a dish to die for.
Overall; the hardest working & friendliest staff around. The food is simply one of the best in Paris and the proof is in trying to get a reservation. The chef is the most talented around. L'Ami-Jean will always be on the top of our list at the best bistro in Paris. It's absolutely one of a kind and out of this world.
Address : 27 rue Malar
Zip code : 75007
City : Paris
Website : www.amijean.eu
Opening hours : Tues-Sat: noon-2pm and 7pm-midnight
Prices : à la Carte from 35 to 45 euros - Menu at 33 euros.
Phone : +33 (0)1 47 05 86 89
Metro/Bus : Invalides, Tour Maubourg, Alma, Ecole Militaire
No comments:
Post a Comment