Guillaume, Paddington - 12 September 2014

Guillaume Brahimi may have been unceremoniously dumped from his old Bennelong site in the Opera House in December last year in favour of more casual dining, Guillaume has now reopened in the Eastern Suburbs. Ironically the Opera House trust is still going through a tender process to fill the space vacated by Guillaume. Opera House's loss is Paddington's gain.

Guillaume is housed in a terrace that was once Darcy's, an Italian institution for 40 years

Unfortunately I never got the chance to eat at Guillaume's restaurant in Bennelong.  A table during their final hurrah was the hottest ticket in town so my last ditch attempt to secure a reservation of course failed. Not wanting to miss out again, I called the new Guillaume on the afternoon reservations became available (in early July), only to be told the earliest Friday night booking was 5 weeks after the opening day (which I obviously accepted).

The beautiful dining room on the ground level. There's more dining space upstairs.

Guillaume is said to have found inspiration for his new restaurant from his visit to London-based Aussie Brett Graham's restaurant, The Ledbury, last year. The Ledbury is a 2 Michelin star restaurant serving sublime food in a light, elegant and relaxed dining space in the posh suburb of Notting Hill. I was lucky enough to be able to meet Brett after my meal at The Ledbury in October last year and he mentioned to me that Guillaume had dropped by just the week before. It turns out that this was the visit that inspired Guillaume to create his own take of Ledbury in the equally wealthy suburb of Paddington!

Some of the Matisse artworks on display

The food at Guillaume is very French (obviously) and classical (if you want creative, adventurous "contemporary" cooking, you are looking in the wrong place). There's an a la carte menu (one course $48; two courses $75; four courses for $135) and an 8 course degustation menu for $175. We opted for the degustation menu and with advance notice, an 8 course vegetarian menu was prepared for my wife.

Iggy's bread and Myrtleford butter

To start the meal we were served complimentary sourdough rolls from Eastern suburbs favourite bread maker, Iggy's and cultured butter from Myrtleford. 

Amuse bouche

Amuse bouche - spanner crab, avocado mousse, finger lime, coriander & Crystal Bay prawn

For amuse bouche (served with caviar spoons of course), I was served a bowl of hand-picked spanner crab, with avocado mousse, pearls of finger lime and coriander arrives. The spanner crab was very sweet and the avocado mousse was to die for! Little bursts of acidity from the finger lime round out this refreshing, amazing little number. The other amuse was a lightly poached Crystal Bay prawn served with lime and wrapped in basil leaves.

Vego amuse bouche - Fennel, truffle, avocado mousse & asparagus, truffle

My wife's amuse bouche was fennel, avocado mousse and studs of black truffle The other amuse was asparagus with black truffle. As the winter black truffle season is practically over now, there was not as much black truffles on display tonight compared to when the restaurant opened in early August. As such the truffle flavour was mild. 

1st course

Yellowfin tuna, basil, soy, mustard seed

My first course was Guillaume's signature dish from his first restaurant, Pond: a lightly seared basil-infused yellow fin tuna wrapped with basil leaves. The balance of sweetness and peppery notes of the basil, with the subtle heat from the mustard seed and the umami of light soy went well with the beautiful sashimi grade tuna. This was a very clean and fresh dish, making it an ideal way to start the degustation.

Baby vegetables, carrot, turnip, beetroot

My wife's first course was a simple salad of assorted baby vegetables including carrots, turnips, kale, beans and red vein sorrel. Around the plate were alternating drops of beetroot and onion puree.  

2nd course

Royale of globe artichoke, truffle, mud crab, barigoule vinaigrette

Royale is another Guillaume classic and is a luxe custard of globe artichoke served at room temperature; it was smooth, creamy, flavoursome and flawless in its execution. The fine dice of little carrots and celery cubes provided a fantastic textural contrast to the creamy custard. Sitting on top of the royale were strands of sweet and delicate mud crab. The royale was served with a wonderful barigoule vinaigrette that had the right amount of acidity to balance the dish. This course turned out to be one of my favourites of the night.

Royale of globe artichoke, truffle, barigoule vinaigrette

My wife's dish was essentially mine with the mud crab substituted for globe artichoke.

Bonus course

Scallop, Jerusalem artichoke, truffle, chicken jus

The kitchen sent out an extra treat in the form of a pan seared scallop with Jerusalem artichokes, truffle and chicken jus. The plump scallop was cooked to perfection: sweet, translucent in the middle with a beautiful tan on top.

Jerusalem artichoke, truffle, beurre noisette

My wife's bonus course was also a delight. A jerusalem artichoke was beautifully caramelised and reminded us of a delicious roasted potato. The artichoke was served with a nutty beurre noissete and truffle.

3rd course

Marron, pork cheek, broad beans, cauliflower, sea spray

The butter poached marron was divine: sweet, gently cooked flesh with a nice springy texture (served with its pincher, how cute!). The marron was paired rather surprisingly with braised pork cheeks, which just melted in the mouth. The cauliflower puree was ridiculous - the smoothest, creamiest and one of the best purees I've seen! A lovely sauce of anchovies, rosemary, olive oil and lemon finished off the dish. This was an amazing course and one of my favourites of the night (hint, order this if you go the a la carte menu).

Asparagus, hens egg, potato

My wife's 3rd course consisted of steamed batons of asparagus with a hens egg and potato. The asparagus and warm, gooey egg yolk combo is a no brainer and a favourite in our household. In place of crusty sourdough, there was a wafer- thin potato crisp. And that foamy beurre blanc sauce was just pure buttery decadence! My wife was in raptures eating this dish and I was jealous watching her demolish this plate of food.

4th course

Peas & broad beans, tortellini, creme fraiche, tarragon

Both my wife and I then had the pea and broad bean tortellini. The pasta was some of the best I've tried in Sydney: silky, slippery parcels that give Ormeggio a run for its money for best pasta. And that tarragon beurre blanc sauce was liquid gold: rich and incredibly moreish. The combination of that buttery sauce with the sweet green pea and broad bean creme fraiche filling was just heavenly.

5th course

Patagonian toothfish, globe artichoke, spinach, lemon, oyster

The last of the seafood courses was a pan fried fillet of Patagonian toothfish from Antarctic waters. Toothfish is a fairly recent addition to menus of Sydney restaurants so I haven't had a lot of it in the past. The toothfish was a moist, firm fleshed fish with an almost buttery texture. The dish was given an extra touch of luxe with little pearls of caviar set atop the fish to accentuate the toothfish. The toothfish sat on a bed of spinach, and was served with a lightly pickled globe artichoke heart and finished with an amazing oyster and chive beurre blanc sauce.

Heirloom carrot, ginger, coriander, pommes allumettes

Heirloom carrots were prepared 3 ways: cooked, fresh thin shavings and pureed. The star of this course was definitely the amazing carrot and ginger puree! It was sweet, smooth and creamy. The ginger brought the puree to a whole new level, adding tanginess, spiciness and warmth. The dish also came with a deep fried nest of crispy matchstick potatoes (pommes allumettes) and was finished with a coriander beurre blanc sauce.          

6th course

Robbins Island full blood wagyu, shimeji mushrooms, baby spinach, merlot sauce & Paris mash

My final savoury dish may follow the classic "meat and three veg" formula,  but why would I want anything else with flavours like this. The wagyu beef from Robbins Island in Tasmania was of supreme quality and cooked to perfection: full of flavour, tender with a wonderfully rare pink centre. The merlot sauce has stood the test of time at Bennelong and continues to be a brilliant accompaniment to beef. The buttery baby spinach and shimeji mushrooms is an incredibly delicious side of veg that I would happily eat on its own. And there was a globe of caramelised shallot, which added sweetness and extra depth of flavour to the dish.

The final savoury course is also served with Guillaume's signature Paris mash, which the waiter dollops onto our plate at the table. This Paris mash was incredible and worth the price of admission alone: so unbelievably smooth, creamy and just pure evil (with a ratio of 4 potatoes to 250 grams of butter)! I was sad that the waiter didn't leave the entire bowl on our table. Perhaps they were looking out for my waistline...      

Zucchini risotto, baby leek, parmesan & Paris mash

My wife's final savoury course was a zucchini risotto with baby leeks and parmesan. The risotto was well cooked with each grain of rice being delightfully al dente. The parmesan was sharp and had an excellent flavour. In terms of the progression of the vegetarian menu, my wife felt that it might have been better if this dish came earlier as this course was not as rich or creamy as some of the earlier courses. This risotto was also drier than other risottos we've had.

The risotto too was served with a dollop of Paris mash. Nothing wrong with some carb on carb action!       

Mixed salad

After we finished our savoury courses, a waitress served us some mixed salad of fresh, crisp leaves dressed with a zingy shallot vinaigrette to cleanse the palate. Serving salad afterwards is not something that I have seen before, but I could do with the extra greens.   

Cheese course

Cheese course (extra $25)

In my quest to become a more informed foodie, I have started to take more of an interest in different types of cheese (my next goal is to develop an appreciation for wine). Guillaume's cheese "block" consists of a Holy Goat La Luna, a 12 month aged Pyengana cheddar, a Roquefort blue cheese and a Milawa Gold washed rind. I enjoyed all the cheeses but not the Roquefort as I cannot stand blue cheeses. My wife, however, enjoys pungent blue cheeses, so she wasn't complaining about having to finish the entire slab. The cheeses were served with raisins, slices of green apple, crisps and Iggy's bread.

7th course

Blood orange sorbet

Blood orange sorbet served with its zest was an excellent palate cleanser; it was exactly like taking a bite out of the actual fruit. So refreshing and so delicious! And it came with a cute little heart-shaped spoon rest. 

8th course

Valrhona chocolate souffle, cherry ripple ice cream

For the final dessert course, we were given a choice between creme brulee, which was listed on the printed menu, or the chocolate souffle, a Guillaume signature from Bennelong. Despite being quite full by this stage, we decided to choose one of each, including the more substantial chocolate souffle in the name of research. Plus who could say no to Valrhona chocolate!

The chocolate souffle was a pretty sight: tall and risen perfectly. Then our waitress dropped a spoon of cherry ripple ice cream, which melted into the warm souffle, creating the perfect comfort dessert. The souffle had a nice crust and a moist, light as air interior that just evaporated in the mouth. For an extra hit of chocolate, melted chocolate coated the sides of the pan. But this dessert was quite large and could easily be shared between 2, so it does become quite rich towards the end.

Vanilla bean crème brulee, green apple, doughnut

For a lighter finish to the meal, go for the crème brulee. The crème brulee  was amazing, so smooth and full of vanilla beans; one of the best crème brulees i have ever tried! The tartness of the green apple sorbet, batons of fresh green apple and dabs of lime gel cut through the richness of the crème brulee. There's also a cute little doughnut ball for something different. The crème brulee was my preferred dessert and made for a fitting end to a superb degustation menu.

Petit fours?

Guillaume doesn't do petit fours; they do petit eights! We enjoyed each of these bite sized treats. There was a vanilla macaron, an opera cake, a lemon tart, a blackcurrant jelly, a pistachio macaron, a chocolate tart, a caramel fudge and an orange jelly. 

Fresh mint tea to aid with digestion. I needed it!

As we sipped on tea, trying to recover from the food coma we had just slipped into, Guillaume emerged from the kitchen and made his way around the dining room to speak with customers that were still around at the end of the night. Guillaume was gracious in our praise for the meal he and his team had just prepared for us. I suggested that we'd throw a bit of a challenge to a Frenchman with my wife's vegetarian diet, to which Guillaume responded that the he had fun putting the vegetarian degustation menu together and that vegetables should always be an important part of any menu.

We just had to get a pic with Guillaume! #fanboy #fangirl

My meal at the new Guillaume was truly incredible, one of my best meals for quite some time! In my opinion, you will find some of the best cooking in Sydney at this restaurant; the sort of cooking you might find at Michelin starred restaurants in Europe.

I love classical cooking. I actually find it refreshing to have classical food at a fine dining restaurant this exceptional with all the "contemporary" cuisine out there. These types of establishments seem to be a rarity in Sydney outside of Guillaume, Tetsuya's and est.

What I love about Guillaume is the overall simplicity of the food with each dish focusing on 3 or so elements, the painstaking attention to detail in its cooking and flavour combinations that quite simply just hit the mark time and time again. The produce was exceptional as you'd expect from a restaurant of this calibre, but it was the execution of the finishing touches like those sublime sauces and purees (and that little bit of extra butter) that really stood out for me. This is a meal that I will remember for a long time and I would rate Guillaume as one of my favourite fine dining experiences in Sydney.

Verdict
Highlight: Every dish was exceptional, with the marron, the royale and the creme brulee being a few of the highlights.
Lowlight: Roll me out of the restaurant, such was the amount of amazing food I consumed in this meal!
Overall: Guillaume is Sydney's own version of The Ledbury, an outstanding restaurant serving excellent food in a relaxed and elegant dining space with service that is attentive yet not overbearing. 9/10 (Outstanding)     

Guillaume

Address: 92 Hargrave St Paddington, NSW 2021
Contact no: 02 9302 5222
Website: http://www.guillaumes.com.au/

L'Arpége, Paris

The Art of Cooking with Vegetables & In the Kitchen with Alain Passard - both are great reads!

My dear readers, today I would like to tell you about one of the best meals of my life; this was at L'Arpége in the 7th arrondissement of Paris back in October last year. The chef patron at L'Arpége is Alain Passard. Passard is considered to be one of the great current chefs in Paris - alongside Alain Ducasse, Guy Savoy and Pierre Gagnaire. As you can see probably tell, I am bit of an Alain Passard fanboy! So much so that I booked my meal at L'Arpége 10 MONTHS in advance, before making any other travel arrangement!

Being married to a vegetarian has changed me in many ways, not least making me more appreciative of the humble vegetable. I am practically a vegetarian at home now, having ditched steaks for roast vegetables. But unfortunately, vegetables are often overlooked and underutilised in restaurants.

The dining room

This is where L'Arpége comes in, which is widely considered to be the temple of vegetable gastronomy. L'Arpége is a 3-Michelin star restaurant and the highest ranked Parisian restaurant in the San Pellegrino World's 50 Best Restaurants List at number 25. Ironically, Passard was once regarded as the best rôtisseur in France until in 2001, he decided to eradicate all red meat from his menu and dedicate himself to cooking with vegetables (following the outbreak of mad cow disease and his own boredom with cooking red meat). He put everything on the line with this move, including his 3 Michelin stars. Definitely a gutsy move, but obviously Michelin didn't mind as L'Arpége has retained all of its 3 stars since.

The menu displayed outside the restaurant

There is no doubt that the vegetables at L'Arpége are the freshest you will find in any restaurant in the world. Fruit and vegetables are picked daily and shipped to the restaurant from one of Passard's three biodynamic vegetable gardens in Sarthe and Normandy. L'Arpége is not strictly a vegetarian restaurant, as seafood and poultry feature on the menu, but it is clear that vegetables given that extra-bit of special attention.  

L'Arpége is probably the most expensive restaurant in Paris, where dinner could set you back 380 euros! This was obviously a bit outside my budget (maybe another day!), so my wife and I decided to dine at L'Arpége during the lunch service. We had the gardeners lunch menu, which was an 8 course menu that showcased the best of Passard's in-season vegetables. The lunch menu was priced at 135 euros, whilst not cheap by any means but a relative bargain if you consider the price of the dinner menu.

Our table

The dining room is simply decorated, with tables placed quite closely together. The room is carpeted with some wood panelling along the walls.  Each table is decorated with cherry tomatoes and different whole vegetables from Passard's gardens.

Not long after we were seated, who else but the man himself, Alain Passard, emerged at our table to welcome us to his restaurant and to have a brief chat with us. This is a man that knows how to work a crowd; he was full of energy, charisma and enthusiasm as he dropped by each table during his 'rounds'. He even practically sat on the lap of a lady that was celebrating her birthday to pose for a photo. What a lucky lady LOL!

One thing that I loved about my meal at L'Arpége was that I knew I would actually be eating Alain Passard's food. Unlike other famous chefs such as Heston Blumenthal and Gordon Ramsay, Passard has just one restaurant, so he spends most of his time in the kitchen.

Well hello there, delicious little tomatoes!

Our waiter informed us that we were free to consume the cherry tomatoes scattered over our table, not that we needed this invitation given both my wife and I are addicted to tomatoes. These tomatoes were superb and bursting with flavour, like no other tomato I have ever eaten! I knew from this moment, that the quality of produce at L'Arpége is second-to-none and that this meal was going to be epic!

Vegetable turnover

To start off this culinary journey, we were treated to a simple, little puff pastry filled with cabbage. The pastry was served warm straight from the oven and were just exquisite, so flakey and buttery.  It was a shame that these vegetable puffs were bite-sized. I would happily devour plates of these!

Les tartlettes

Next to arrive, were a trio of Alain Passard's signature vegetable tartlettes, which came as crisp, delicate discs of pastry each holding a different vegetable puree. There was a carrot puree served with a blueberry and a sprig of rosemary; a celeriac and parmesan puree with a sliced tomato and chopped chives; and a beetroot puree with a cube of white beet and purple basil. My favourite was the beetroot tartlette, which had a wonderful earthy and smoky flavour. These were impressive little snacks to start the meal and again showcased the brilliance of Passard's vegetables.       

Gaspacho de tomates au naturel, creme glacee au celeri et moutarde d'Orleans

The first course of the tasting menu was tomato gazpacho with mustard seed ice cream. This gazpacho had me wondering how L'Arpége coaxes so much flavour out of simple tomatoes. The gazpacho was refreshing and so incredible. The mustard seed ice cream went remarkably well with the gazpacho. There was a nice amount of spice in the mustard seed ice cream and it added a great depth of flavour to the dish. This was a seemingly simple dish that got me really excited!  

Le pain et beurre

We were then served a thick, chunky slice of sourdough bread. There was no doubt that the bread served at this 3-Michelin star restaurant would be excellent. The bread was soft, fluffy in the centre with a nice, robust flavour but it was the crust that was the highlight. The butter from St Malo in Brittany is some of the finest butter you will find anywhere in the world. Bread was constantly topped up throughout the meal, so you need to be careful not to fill yourself up with too many carbs!      

Sushi à la betterave & raifort frais, parfum de géranium

Another little snack arrived at our table: a beetroot sushi. The rice was fluffy yet still retained some bite. Draped over the rice was a slice of white and ruby beetroots. The flavours were fresh and pure, seasoned with only a bit of soy sauce, fresh horseradish and perfumed with gernium.

Mesclun de Sylvain au pralin d'amandes fumees ; mizuna, mibuna, choho, moutarde hakarachi

The second course, 'Mesclun de Sylvian', is easily the best leaf salad that I have ever eaten. This was a super-fresh salad of crisp mixed leaves (none of which I have ever heard of) that have been selected by Alain Passard's head gardener, Sylvian Picard. The leaves were combined with horseradish, tomatoes, a wonderful almond praline and a drizzle of herb oil. The salad was perfectly seasoned with fleur de sel and soy sauce. A simple, yet extraordinary course!  

Tomato carpaccio

Here's another dish that wasn't listed on the menu, a colourful tomato carpaccio with paper thin slices of three varieties of tomatoes, purple basil and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil. This tomato carpaccio is probably the dish that best expresses Alain Passard's food philosophy. A strikingly simple dish with few ingredients, yet the flavours were intense, interesting and thought provoking. There is absolutely nowhere to hide with food with so few elements, every component needs to be perfect and they were! I have already said enough about the tomatoes at L'Arpége (which Alain Passard growns 60 to 70 varieties of at his gardens, by the way). The flavour of the purple basil was extraordinary and the extra virgin olive oil was best I have had. A highly memorable course and one of the highlights of my dining experience at L'Arpége.

Fines ravioles potagères, consommé végétal

Third course was ravioli of vegetables submerged in a vegetable consommé. The first thing I noticed was the stunning purity of the flavours in the consommé; I could taste the very essence of vegetables. The pasta was probably the best I have encountered at a restaurant. The texture of the pasta was just perfect: the raviloi were like slippery wonton wrappers that were so silky and had a heavenly mouth-feel. Wrapped inside were some stunning finely diced vegetables.Yet another remarkable dish that I will remember for years to come!

Gratin d'oignon red baron au parmigiano reggiano, oseille large de Belleville

The next course, onion gratin, was another remarkably simple dish that blew me away. A thin layer of red baron onions were caramelised, bringing out the amazing natural sweetness of the onions. The gratinated parmigiano reggiano was a lovely golden brown, crisp and the flavour was out of this world. This was wonderfully balanced by the acidity of the chopped sorrel and the zestiness of orange blossom.

Robes des champs arlequin a l'huile d'argan, merguez legumiere, navet globe, courgette fleur, chou noriko

The onion gratin was then followed up with a harlequin's garden of vegetables. As colourful as a harlequin's outfit, this dish paired flavours from Moroccan cuisine with local vegetables (including golden globe turnips, beetroots, tomatoes, zucchini flowers, kohlrabi, and celery). For an extra textural element, the vegetables were mixed with couscous and a nutty argan oil. The vegetables were also accompanied by an impressive vegetable sausage, which was vegetarian except for the sausage skin. The filling of vegetables and spices was remarkably similar to a normal meat sausage. This was another dish that showcased the quality of L'Arpége's vegetables with flavour pairings that serve to enhance their natural flavour.   

Ecailles ou plumes, reflet de la gourmandise

For the last savoury course, I was given a choice between 'scales' or 'feathers'. I opted for fish due to my preference for seafood but if I had my time again I might have chosen the chicken, which is cooked in hay at L'Arpége, an Alain Passard signature; I do have some regret that I didn't get to try L'Arpége's famous chicken. 

But having said this, the fish was one of the best I've ever had (yet again). Hiding underneath discs of finely shaved cep mushrooms, was a long strip of perfectly cooked sole. The sole was so moist and delicate and prefectly complimented by a warm, buttery yellow wine sauce that was just incredible. Sharing the plate with the fish were smoked potato, cabbage, chives and some beautifully sauteed cep mushrooms.         

My wife's last savoury course

My wife's final vegetarian savoury course was essentially my dish with the sole removed and the quantity of vegetables upsized. She seemed to have enjoyed her dish just as much.     

Fromage de chevre frais, acidule au geranium

Next was the cheese course. We were served a slab of Sainte-Maure goats cheese with geranium, shards of eschalots, and a dressing of honey, lemon and olive oil. The goat's cheese was undoubtedly of high quality but I felt the eschalots were too chunky to enjoy with the goats cheese.

Tarte aux pommes Bouquet de roses®

And for dessert, we had L'Arpége's famous apple tart, presented as a bouquet of roses. The bouquet of roses is the creation of a genius, so much so that Alain Passard decided to patent it! The bouquets are rolls of finely sliced apples topped with a berlingot crystal, which are bound together by a shallow dish of puff pastry. Words cannot begin to describe how amazing this tart was. The apples were so delicious: warm, firm in the middle and lightly stewed on the bottom. The puff pastry was flakey, buttery and moreish. The apple tart was served with a puddle of wonderful caramel sauce. Best apple tart ever and what a fitting end to one of the best tasting menus I have ever had!

Petit fours

We were then brought out a tray of petit fours at the conclusion of our tasting menu. There was a salted caramel corn cake, a tuile with rosemary, fruit jelly, blackberry macaron and an apple bouquet. 

House blend tea

We also had some tea to aid digestion. This was a house blend tea of mixed herbs and flowers from Alain Passard's garden. It was smooth, minty, refreshing and aromatic.

Chef Passard signs my book - something that I will treasure for the rest of my life

We decided to wait around for Alain Passard's final 'rounds' at the end of lunch service, as I wanted to personally thank him for the meal and to ask for his autograph. As we waited, a waiter brought out another tray of petit fours, which I thought was nice of them. But as soon as we finished this tray, another full tray appeared on our table! It became evident that even petit fours get topped up at L'Arpége. As delectable as these little treats were, it was too much for my stomach to handle!

By the time Alain Passard emerged from the kitchen, at least half the guests had already left. Even after a busy lunch service, Passard was still full of energy. He was a gracious host as I used every single superlative I could think of to describe the meal. After he asked us where we were from, he responded “Ah Sydney, I have never been”. After I suggested that he needed to visit the beautiful city that I call home, he inquired whether I could cook for him, to which I could only laugh awkwardly. I would love to, but be careful with what you wish for, Mr Passard!

The fold-away knife we used was given to us as a souvenir after the meal

I look back at this meal with fond memories; one of the best meals of my life for sure. I had just witnessed something that I have never seen at any other restaurant. The cooking at L'Arpége is so simple and minimalistic, with many of the dishes containing only a few elements. Yet the food was dynamic and complex, with clever flavour pairings that brought out the natural flavours of vegetables. It was like I had just be taken to vegetable heaven and it was one heck of a gastronomic experience!

Verdict
Highlight: Vegetables at their finest. I never knew vegetables could taste this good! 
Lowlight: L'Arpége is one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris, the price you pay for dining at the restaurant of a true genius. 
Overall: L'Arpége is the pinnacle of fine dining experiences anywhere in the world, a true 3-Michelin star experience. Given that I have used the word 'best' to describe so many things about this meal, only one score would do this meal justice. 10/10 (The best!)

L'Arpege

Address: 84 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France
Contact no: +33 1 47 05 09 06
Website: http://www.alain-passard.com/

For more posts about my food adventures during my trip through Europe, click on the following link: http://foodmab.blogspot.com.au/2013/11/food-highlights-from-my-euro-trip.html