Decisions, decisions, decisions - when going on holiday there are
lots to me made: where to go, what to pack and, most importantly for a food
nerd like me, where to eat.
With all its wonderful boulangerie, patisseries, chocolatiers,
bistros, vins, cheeses and markets, choosing Paris was the easy part.
Choosing where to stay, I found a funky little boutique hotel just
off Montparnasse called Hotel Academies des Arts on the ever reliable Mr & Mrs
Smith website - which then just the mammoth task of choosing where to eat.
When traveling, this for me is always a time consuming job as I
want to get a full flavour of the city I am visiting. This may mean seeking out
the finest, most authentic, historic or iconic restaurants or seeking local
flavours and specialties through street food and informal eateries.
In Paris, the birthplace of André Michelin, I knew I had to select a 3-Michelin-starred
restaurant. With the two-starred Passage 53, a couple of one star places and
some top notch bistros down as definates on the itinerary other meals would be
taken from a shortlist of ‘maybes’ - all based on the concept, if we are in
'the right place at the right time'.
One place on the ‘maybe’ list was Le Relais de l’Entrecôte , mainly because they are set to open a
carbon copy in Manchester’s King Street and I thought it would be good to try the
Paris elder.
Arriving latish on a Sunday evening, I knew our eating options would
be limited and thought we’d have to make do with the bottle of champagne and
selection of Pierre Hermé macarons that I had arranged to be in our room on arrival. Whilst
in the taxi however, my wife spotted Entrecôte – what is more it was less than
200 yards from our hotel and open - "Right place, right time...
Result!"
The place itself was heaving, although the queue was short and
well managed. Tables seemingly being turned relatively quickly and we only
waited about five minutes before being seated.
With all the decision making we had made to get us here Le Relais
de l’Entrecôte’s unique concept now seemed refreshingly simple - there is not a
choice of starters, instead all diners are presented with a green
salad, radishes and walnuts. The
salad arrived, crisp and fresh, dressed in lively mustard vinaigrette.
Similarly, only one main course is available, steak frites, served with a ‘secret recipe sauce’ – the only decision that needs to be made
involves choosing to have the steak ‘Bien cuit.’ (well done), à point
(medium), saignant (rare) or ‘bleu.’
My wife selected ‘à point’
whilst I went ‘saignant’ – in actuality there didn’t seem to be much difference
and I’d guess we were both given rare. (I’m not one to make a fuss if my steak
is not cooked exactly as I like it – as long as it’s not cremated it’s all good
to me.)
When the steak arrived, given the ‘touristy’ nature of the place
and reasonable prices, I half expected shoddy meat - pleasingly though, the
quality exceeded my expectations. Likewise, the accompanying French fries were
also better than expected and well seasoned.
Whilst, for me, the 'secret sauce' was not especially appetising
and will certainly not replace a classic Béarnaise as my
favoured steak accompaniment, it’s good to try different things and was still enjoyable enough to find itself
mopped up with the fresh French baguette.
For those intrigued by the ‘secret’, a quick Google will reveal
various conjecture as to the mysteries behind the sauce with ingredients
ranging from and including: butter, chicken livers and stock, fresh thyme,
thyme flower, tarragon, marjoram,
dill, rosemary, basil, paprika, anchovies, whipped cream, white mustard
and seasoning.
Another Entrecôte ‘gimmick’ involves bringing the steak to
you in two stages, with ‘one half held back to keep warm, so you can enjoy it
at its best and is accompanied with more freshly prepared frites.’ Although my wife was full
after her first plate, living
up to my 'Hungry Hoss' moniker got the nod in just in time for her to also
indicate for more. So after eating three plates – I suppose I have to give it a
thumbs up overall.
For those missing the opportunity of agonising over a menu, the
comprehensive dessert selection features the best of classic French goodies –
you don’t have to be au fait with the language to understand such delights as
tarte, délice,
glacé, mille-feuille, fromage, sorbet,
profiteroles, gateaux and chocolat.
My wife
selected La Crêpe Brûlée whilst I chose the impressively stacked Le
Vacherin Du ‘Relais’
– both were delicious.
Thoughts naturally cast to how well the Le Relais de l’Entrecôte concept
will work in Manchester – it will certainly be interesting to see and great to
be able to compare with its Parisienne doyenne.
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Le Vacherin Du ‘Relais’ looks amazing. Interesting to see this in Manchester. Even if its not as good, it would still be a great addition.
ReplyDeleteI think it could be one of those places you go to once and quite enjoy... and then a few months later suddenly get a hankering for and have to go again.
ReplyDeleteAs for the "‘touristy’ nature" I live in Paris since forever and I always enjoy going out at l'entrecote...
ReplyDeletefor more info, there are two entrecote restaurant in Paris, one in Saint Germain des pres (overcrowded and excellent) and another one near champs élysées (a bit less overcrowded and also excellent). I personaly prefer the one in saint germain...