Gastronomic Lunch Menu at Le Meurice, Paris

To round off a wonderful weekend in Paris, I decided to head to Le Meurice for lunch today. This grand old hotel is situated on the posh Rue de Rivoli, along the beautiful Jardin des Tuileries and within walking distance of the Louvre museum. Not sure who heads the kitchen now, but until his recent departure in January, highly respected young chef Yannick Alléno led the restaurant to its current 3-starred status. I was eager to experience whether the standards expected of such an illustrious establishment have been maintained since then.

The opulent dining room is fashioned after the famous Salon de la Paix in the Palace of Versailles, with modern furnishings by the famous designer Phillippe Starck. The crockery has also been specially made for the restaurant using fine Limoges porcelain.

Apart from a standard menu and a tasting menu, Le Meurice also offers a multi-course Gastronomic Lunch Menu (a lighter version of a tasting menu) during the day at an extremely reasonable price by Parisian fine-dining standards. Compared to the tasting menu I sensed that this actually might be better value for money, so I went for it, and added a glass of wine to go with my main course.

'Aperitifs': oxtail beef fritters with bone marrow and parsley, tomato and goat's cheese tartlet, and crispy tuile with tuna cream.

These canapés were a very pleasant way to start the meal indeed. The combination of succulent and gelatin-rich oxtail mince with creamy and fatty bone marrow produced a most luxurious texture beneath the black crust. The intense flavours of oxtail and marrow were also effectively balanced by a touch of parsley purée, which provided lovely fresh aromas. The tomato and goat's cheese tartlet was a refreshing and clean-tasting morsel that struck a most delicate and effective balance between the sweet and the savoury. The last, a serving of tuna mousse, was my favourite - incredibly rich and smooth in texture (unlike the fibrous tuna spreads one usually encounters), further enhanced by mixing with olive oil. The deep and characteristic flavour of the fish was also very well balanced by the fruitiness and nuttiness of the olive oil. It was simple yet exquisite; indulgent yet wholesome.

Soup: creamy stock of young leeks.

Another modest but no less excellent offering, this soup had an incredibly smooth texture, with just the right density so that it didn't come across as cloyingly rich (as many cream soups do). Its lightness belied the deep flavours and aromas that emanated with each spoonful; the sweet onion-like taste was pure delight. Completing the soup was a small amount of boiled leeks which had a lovely soft and juicy texture, with coriander garnish for a welcome hint of freshness.

Bread and butter: black olive sourdough bread and multi-grain baguette with salted and natural butters. All lovely, and the butter was something to remember with its rich creamy texture and deep flavour.

'Starters and curiosities': first up, warm Fine de Claire oysters wrapped in lardo di colonnata, with shallot jelly and salted butter, in fake shells made of seaweed, flour and egg white. Served on  bread mousse.

I personally felt that serving the oysters cold would have highlighted their fresh and clean-tasting qualities; the warmth made them feel somewhat mushy and stale (I'm sure that wasn't the kitchen's intention). Thankfully the lardo and salted butter within the shell enhanced the savoury taste of the oysters and also gave them a creamy and luxurious mouthfeel that compensated for the lack of a firm texture, while the shallot jelly covered any potential traces of staleness with its pleasant aroma. The fake shells were lovely with a crunchy meringue-like texture and a lovely umami from the seaweed. I didn't quite understand the role of the bread mousse other than for the purpose of presentation; it tasted just like, well ... plain bread, with an oddly fibrous texture - not the most appealing, I have to say. I thought the kitchen had tried a little too hard with this dish, and that it was a bit of a hit-and-miss on the whole.

Second, a cocoon of seasonal vegetables deglazed with mirin and saké, brought to my table on a trolley and plated very nicely by my friendly server Lucas and his supervisor. Really luxurious service.

Despite its apparent simplicity this was remarkably effective. The vegetables were fresh, tender, juicy and sweet, and the surrounding pool of vegetable sauce, made by heating and dissolving the cooking residue with mirin and saké, was incredibly tasty - imagine a concentrated sweetness combined with a deep umami. I didn't think a plain dish of vegetables could be so delicious; this was surely proof that the best ingredients will always speak for themselves even with minimal preparation.

Final starter: roasted foie gras with ginger jelly, chewy pineapple strip, mango pulp wrapped in fine leaves of pineapple and topped with citrus fruit (orange and lemon) preserve.

By now I have sampled many foie gras dishes, but none as sublime as this. It was so flawless in every way that it was almost unreal. A uniformly thin and crisp skin, beautifully browned from the roasting, contained a most luxurious centre that somehow managed to strike the perfect balance between creaminess and a firm structure. The foie gras' deep musky flavour was effectively balanced by the mildly piquant ginger jelly, and enhanced by the other sweet and fruity accompaniments. Not forgetting too my first impressions of this dish - including the lovely roast aromas that wafted to my nose before I had taken a bite, as well as the exquisitely crafted presentation. What an euphoric experience for all the senses! I would return to this restaurant just to have its marvellous foie gras dishes.

Main course: roasted monkfish tail with garlic cloves, razor clams seasoned with preserved lemon, artichoke purée and chips, lobster sauce.

Wine pairing: 2010 Domaine Xavier Monnot, Meursault, Les Chevalières.

Piping hot and smelled really good with a combination
of garlic, chives and lobster sauce!

Presented and carved at the table by
assistant restaurant manager Sandrine.

Wine recommendation by Estelle,
the head sommelier.

Together with the previous foie gras dish, this monkfish was the most unforgettable part of today's lunch, exceeding even the standards set by a similar dish I had at The Waterside Inn in March last year. The tail meat is sometimes called 'poor man's lobster' due to similarities in taste and texture, and is regarded as a particular delicacy - much more so than the loin meat, which is what I've only had in restaurants so far. Indeed, this tail meat was unbelievably smooth, tender and moist, with a delicate sweet taste. The razor clams with lemon highlighted the freshness of the fish, while the rich lobster sauce (how apt!) and garlic (surprisingly tender and mellow in taste) imparted a real intensity and flair. The artichoke variations added further weight with their sweetness and slightly starchy texture. Truly a dish fit for the gods.

Tasting notes for the wine: very dry and mineral, puckering citrus flavours and grape skin aromas with a touch of sweet spice. Medium body and finish. Not particularly complex but a very pleasant pairing for the fish.

Cheese: Comice pear flakes on Riesling & citrus jelly, with Espelette pepper, olive oil and herb garnish. Served with Mimolette cheese snow and a drizzle of lemon cream on toasted cumin bread.

This was a most unusual take on the traditional cheese-and-wine combination. Shaved into ultra-fine flakes so that its naturally hard texture wasn't an issue, the Mimolette (a cow's milk cheese native to the city of Lille and created at the request of Louis XIV, the famous 'Sun King') had a lovely melon-like orange colour and a deep nutty taste that indicated its maturity. A drizzling of lemon cream aptly balanced its rich flavour, while the cumin toast provided a distinctively strong and warm aroma that complemented the cheese perfectly. A side of light Riesling jelly embedded with juicy pear slices beautifully crafted in the form of snowflakes and topped with jellied drops of olive oil and pepper delivered further refreshment, with its delicate and precise balance of acidity, sweetness and spiciness. I think even non-lovers of cheese would be converted.

Mignardises: Gianduja lollipops with candied lemon, tonic cream with tequila foam, and lemon meringue with caviar lemon and fresh mint.

A succession of bites designed to cleanse the palate before the final dessert, they were all gems in their own right. The lollipops contained a delightfully thick and runny chocolate ganache filling infused with a most unusual yet effective combination of hazelnut and lemon - the balance between the rich cocoa & nut flavours and the refreshing acidity of the lemon was just perfect. As for the tonic-tequila pairing, its feather-light textures and monochrome colour belied an intense bitterness that truly awakened the senses. The last of them, a mock lemon that looked incredibly convincing, was probably my favourite; breaking into this exquisitely constructed morsel revealed a multitude of textures. A uncannily real sugared lemon crust with little pockmarks on its 'rind' gave way to an initial layer of soft lemon meringue, which in turn contained the clincher - a gooey lemon filling with aromatic shredded mint and tiny jellied lemon balls that had a firm and juicy crunch (hence the use of the term 'caviar'). I don't think one gets more creative than this within the limits of one basic ingredient! I'm always fascinated by technical wizardry such as this.

A brief note on the service: the first 'lemon' had been destroyed by another waiter before I could take a picture, so I asked my server Lucas if I could have another one; this request was readily obliged without making me feel uncomfortable for giving the kitchen extra work or sneering at me for being perceived as cheapskate. A newly-made 'lemon' (the one pictured here) was presented shortly after I had finished the main dessert. A very nice personal touch indeed from this young man.

Dessert: 'Iceberg' - white chocolate crust with mandarin parfait and purée, coconut mousse, dessicated coconut and lemon peel sugar. Side of lemon peel sandwich with chunky lemon marmalade.

Though not particularly mind-blowing, this was a very agreeable end to an outstanding lunch. Presentation was beautiful as usual - befitting of its 'iceberg' title - with a delightful combination of exotic flavours. The citrus pairing of mandarin and lemon was fresh and delicate, while the white chocolate and coconut filled out the dish with a more intense body. A very well-balanced dessert on the whole, sweet but not cloying. I particularly enjoyed the light and frothy texture of the coconut mousse. This dessert was technically flawless in construction and a work of art to behold (like so many other dishes today), though to be picky I have to say that the repeated use of lemon throughout this menu was beginning to feel a little tired by now.

There was also no fancy dessert trolley that came after the meal like at Le Cinq or Guy Savoy which I visited on the previous days. Then again, this was a 'budget' menu so one can't expect all the bells and whistles that come with significantly higher prices. At the end of the day, I still thought that this meal had been fully worth its price tag (and then some). Both the service and ambience were extremely formal and the staff came across as a tad stiff at the beginning, though it got better throughout the course of the afternoon as we warmed to each other. I wish to commend Lucas in particular for his patience and approachability. Unfortunately, I wasn't allowed to visit the kitchen due to 'security reasons' though the head chef did come to my table to exchange a few pleasantries with me.

Final pictures of the hotel's common areas before I left:

Adjoining tea room to the restaurant

Impressive ceiling!

It had been a lovely couple of hours and although my lunch at Le Cinq the previous afternoon still holds a special place in my gastronomic memory, I certainly wouldn't mind returning to this place at some point for its great value lunch option (or more!).