Sunday, September 12, 2010

Les Ambassadeurs at the Hôtel de Crillon (Paris, France)

There was a Gourmet Buzz in town, we read that the new & young chef of Les Ambassadeurs at Le Crillon was amazingly good. The gifted young chef is Christophe Hache and worked at La Grande Cascade apparently he did wonderful things at that restaurant. This was not the only reason why we decided to try Les Ambassadeurs for lunch. Hôtel de Crillon already is a myth in itself as a hotel to the stars, dignitaries and royalty. It is a stunning hotel situated in one of the most gorgeous areas of Paris. This hotel is the epitomy of luxury.


Les Ambassadeurs has one of the most beautiful dining rooms and is considered one of the classiest and opulent. When we walked into the dining room; we automatically felt the richness of the history, decor and ambiance. We knew that they wanted to keep the tradition of the old charm & opulence of the time with its 25-foot ceiling, chandeliers and marble in seven different colors. However, the décor presents a new look with updated materials, colors and shapes. Lighter tones for the curtains, chairs and table enhance the light streaming in from the Place de la Concorde. Our senses exploded with delight at our surroundings. I already knew that we were in for a delightful treat for lunch and I could not wait to get started.


The first starter was the in season Cèpes. The cèpes tasted incredible and the presentation was stunning. The quail eggs added another dimension of texture and flavour to the dish. All together; the dish was spectacular.


The second starter was Fois Gras. The fois gras was so creamy and so dreamy. The seasonal fruits were constructed like a piece of art. I did not want to touch it because it was so beautiful. However; I had to try them and the fruit gave a lovely sweetness to the fois gras. A great dish.


The first main dish was Volaille Jaune. This was one of the most tender & juiciest chicken's I have eaten in a very long time. Not only was the chicken of the greatest quality but because it was cooked perfectly that the tasted so so good.


The second main dish was Rouget. The fish was deconstructed and then constructed again into a gastronomical art piece. I had to take a photo of the dish in every angle to make sure we could appreciate the beauty of it for a long time. The fish was cooked so perfectly that it was soft & tender yet the crispy outer shell added another texture to the dish. Just brilliant!


The mini sweets to go with the coffee; from top to bottom, cherry tarts, chestnut macaroons & chocolate covered pistachio cake. Our favourite was the chocolate covered pistachio cake...they were divine.


The first dessert was Strawberry. What can I say about this dessert...absolutely fabulous! A work of culinary art. It was too beautiful to eat. But of course the more important part was that it tasted so delicious. The intense flavours of the strawberries were out of this world.


The second dessert was Chocolate & Banana. How on earth does the pastry chef come up with such stunning desserts? Not only did this one look too good to break up...the textures and flavours just exploded in the mouth. Wonderful stuff.


The majestic dinning room.

Overall; the sommelier was so friendly and generous, the service is just perfect (except that they kept forgetting to fill our water glasses).

For a decadent lunch, this has got to be the place. This is the not cheapest lunch in Paris but surprisingly it is also not the most expensive either. For the the quality/ price ratio...the lunch at Le Crillon is a foodies dream and delight. Can't wait to return and have another chance for decadent gluttony.

10 Place de la Concorde
75008 Paris
01 44 71 16 16

2 comments:

Graham said...

Brilliant photos. I presume this is a three course lunch - portions look a bit large and in the wrong order for a six course tasting menu.

Hungry in Bangkok said...

Hi, you are very right...this was a three course meal. Sorry, I should have explained better; there were two of us at this lunch and I described what we both ate. Sorry for the misunderstanding.