Chez L'Ami Jean (Paris, France)

We had a dinner date with our friends at our favourite bistro in Paris...L'Ami Jean. We all planned this weeks in advance, since we were all in Paris the same time. This was also suppose to be our last dinner in Paris because we were suppose to fly back to Bangkok the next morning. But; we learned that our flight was canceled due to the Volcano eruption in Iceland. So; all we could do was eat & drink as much as we can and just be happy.


You probably have read and will be reading lots of post about L'Ami Jean since we eat there every single time we are in Paris. It is just so so good. Since we were a table of 7; we agreed to go for the carte blanche...meaning that we leave it to the chef to decide we will eat for the evening. We do love surprises.


We were first given three different wood platter of different types of meats to snack on before the real deal arrives. L'Ami Jean is known for their generosity with food. You never leave the place hungry.


The first dish was a seafood bisque with crispy bacon & herb bits. WOW! This soup was so silky, creamy and full of flavour with loads of texture with the crispy bacon & herb bits. A sensation in the mouth.


The next dish was langoustine. Beautifully presented and once tasting it; you did not want to put the creature down. We sucked on every bit of the langoustine to get out the amazing tasting juices. The meat was firm but yet tender & moist. A great dish.


The next dish was a big chunk of turbo. Practically everyone's favourite fish on the table. The fish was cooked perfectly. The fish was so fresh, firm and tender. The simple sauce just made the dish wonderful.


The next dish was scallop with moelle (bone marrow). What a combination! This was a first time for everyone to have such a combination. It turned out to be stunning. The mixture of the firm scallop and the soft bone marrow was lovely. The taste of the scallop, the bone marrow and the sauce was made in heaven.


The last dish was ris de veau (sweet bread) with morel mushrooms. We seldom get this dish any where. Everyone was surprised to be offered this dish. It is a rare dish either because its unavailable or its very expensive. The ris de veau was soft, tender & sweet. The morels were firm and added the savoury part to the dish. The combination was absolutely fantastic.


The break before dessert was Basque cheese with black cherry confiture. A lovely combination of the acidity, sweet, sour and salty. Really nice.


The first dessert was of course the house specialty...the rice pudding with roasted pistachios & almonds and the creamy caramel sauce. Even though everyone thought they could not eat another bite after all the food; the temptation was too great to resist. After one small spoon full of the combination of creamy & rich rice, crunchy pistachio & almond and the sweet intense caramel; everyone had to have another small spoon full. So so good.


The second dessert was seasonal strawberry with cream. A simple but delicious dessert. The perfect combination of sweet, sour & tangy.


The last dessert was milky chocolate with mint bits. We thought this dessert was too sweet; but the flavours of chocolate and mint was so intense. The combination really works and it was really yummy.


The kitchen team and Chef Stéphane Jégo does amazing Basque food from a tiny tiny kitchen. We often wonder how on earth they do it. But for us; we are just happy they do.

We have not had one bad meal ever since we have been going to L'Ami Jean. I cannot even count the amount of times we have been there. The consistency in the creativity, quality & deliciousness of Chef Stéphane Jégo's cooking is absolutely unrivaled.

27 Rue Malar 75007 Paris
01 47 05 86 89