Alain Ducasse’s Benoit, Paris

For Olympic, jubilistic and potentially apocalyptic reasons, 2012 promises to be an important year. A hundred years ago 1912 was also significant: the Republic of China was formed; Captain Scott and his team reached the South Pole; the 268 year old Qing Dynasty came to an end and the Titanic sunk.

On a foodie note, Polish biochemist Casimir Funk identified vitamins; US pharmacist, Wilbur Scoville, devised the ‘Scoville scale’ to measure the amount of capsaicin in chillies (a heat determiner) Julia Child was born and Benoît Matray opened his Parisian bistro.

Having been passed onto his son and grandson, Benoît with its grand Belle Époque décor remained in the family for 93 years. When the Ducasse group took over in 2005, they did so with the proviso that the name lived on and the Michelin starred standards were maintained (standards that prompted Paul Boscue to proclaim it his favourite Parisian restaurant).

In 2003, having taken over Aux Lyonnais, which opened in 1890 (and more recently with Rech) Alain Ducasse has proven experience in ‘reviving’ and ‘preserving’ iconic eateries. With Benoît, not only has Alain Ducasee lived up to his promise, the Benoît name and spirit has also been honoured with sister restaurants in Osaka and New York.

Having enjoyed ours meals and experiences at Alain Ducasse’s Le Jules Verne (see here) and Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester (see here) we could not pass up an opportunity of going on during the 100 year anniversary and were lucky enough to book a last minute table. We selected the exceptional value, €36 set lunch. Great value for a three course, Michelin starred lunch.

I love gougères, they are easy to bake and a bowl of them always goes down well at dinner parties, barbeques or other assorted soirées. Whilst I do like to experiment with other different flavour combinations, Alain Ducasse’s classic Gruyère Gougère recipe is readily available online and is one of the best.

At the 3-star Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester we received a huge bowlfull between two, in Benoit there was just four gougères to share – but they were no less delicious.

Made to a classic recipe from the restaurant’s 100 historic repertoire, the amuse bouche was Rillettes de lapin, pain de champagne toasté – top quality rillettes made with quality bites of rabbit - simple, classic, delicious.  

Cauliflower and soup are two of my wife’s favourite things, so the ‘crème du Barry’ or Velouté Dubarry, croûtons dorés as the menu called it was eagerly chosen by her – a wonderful example, perfectly seasoned, smooth and creamy.

I selected the hearty, Lentilles vertes en salade, saucisse fume tiède et crème moutardée – another classic dish that was impossible to fault. Each component, from the lentil salad to the mustard cream was well cooked and flavoursome. The sausage was sublime.

To supplement my set lunch, I also ordered 9 escargot en coquille, beurre d’ail, fines herbes for €19. I adore snails and despite having had them at a couple of places during the trip could not resist the chance to sample the snails in Paris cooked to Alain Ducasse’s standards. They were extraordinarily good – plump and swimming in herby garlicky butter that was soon mopped up with the fresh baguette.

My wife’s choice of main was, Magret de canard poêlé, céleri et navets fondants, sauce bigarade – the duck breast was fried to perfection (no fancy sous vide techniques needed) as was the celery and turnip ‘fondant’. The quality of the classic bitter orange ‘sauce bigarade’ was worthy of the Michelin star alone.

For my main, I plumped for the Tranche de boudin noir rissolée aux deux pommes. Living in the North West of England, I get to eat a lot of Bury black pudding dishes. French ‘boudin noir’ is different in that there is generally no cereal (although there are regional differences) that results in a much smoother offering.

Served with the classic French combination of apples (fresh and roasted) and creamy mash, served just the right side of gluey. The French Confrérie des Chevaliers du Goûte Boudin (Brotherhood of the Knights of Blood Sausage Tasting) would be very pleased, I’m sure.

Having enjoyed it so much few days before at Alain Ducasse’s Le Jules Verne in the Eiffel Tower (see here), my wife selected Savarin à l’Armagnac Château du Tariquet, crème fouettée – here, the whipped cream was served theatrically from a shiny silver milk churn, that drew a few, “Oooh”s and “Aaahs” from other diners.

I was spoilt for choice so in the end I hedged my bets and opted for the Assortment de tartes
au chocolat ou aux fruits de saison – whilst the chocolate tart did not compare to the one I had eaten the day before at Passage 53 (see here), it was still very, very good.

The Raspberry and Pistachio Tart was also good. The Lemon Meringue was the best I have had! After some delightful petit fours, a quality coffee and exquisite madeleines – a great experience made all more the magical by the 100 year anniversary connection. You’ll be hard pushed to find one star classic French cuisine done better – especially in such a wonderful and historical setting. 

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Gyōza Bar (by Passage 53), Paris

When a Michelin-starred chef launches a second restaurant, there’s always going to be a buzz about. When a multi-starred chef opens a second, the jungle drums really start to beat.

I imagine then, that Parisian tongues started to wag when at the start of 2012, chef Shinichi Sato and Guillaume Guedj of Passage 53 (see here) opened another eatery next door but two at No.56 - and what thoughts when they discovered it would not be another gastronomic temple of haute cuisine, but a humble gyōza bar?

Originally hailing from Hokkaido, Sato loves gyōzas and is a well renowned master ‘gyōzier’ (my word for it). With his ambition achieved to become the first Japanese chef in France to be awarded two Michelin stars, he has realised another dream with Gyōza Bar.

Having been built in 1799, Passage des Panoramas is well known to sightseers as ‘the oldest covered walkway in Paris’. Over the centuries it has undoubtedly seen many diverse comings and goings, but in amongst what are mainly touristy bistros, Gyōza Bar adds an authentic taste of Japan, served up in décor that adds splash of industrial New York-esque chic.

There are twelve counter seats where diners can choose to order either 8 gyōzas for €6 or 12 ‘pièces’ for €8 – naturally, I selected 12 – oh, and another 8 to take away (well, they were the best gyōza’s I’ve ever had!) Judging by the queue building up outside before they opened, they seemed to be getting a few other seals of approval.

For anyone not familiar with gyōzas, they are a type of dumpling that can be boiled, steamed or fried. Usual fillings include meat, seafood and ‘yasai’ (vegetables); commonly cabbage, negi (leek) and garlic chives. Japanese gyōzas are typically more garlicky than their Chinese ancestors, the ‘pot sticker’ (which should be good for the French palate.)

  

At Gyōza Bar there is only one variety available – filled with Hugo Desnoyer’s prime pork loin, leek, garlic and ginger. At Gyōza Bar the dumplings are prepared using the pan-fried method called ‘yaki-gyōza’.

The ‘yaki-gyōza’ method involves them first being fried on one side, creating a crispy skin that adds flavour and texture. Water is then added and the pan lid sealed for the upper part of the gyōza to be steamed.

Sato’s gyōzas are served with a ‘ponzu shōyu’ made with soy, lemon and grapefruit (pamplemousse) – not my favourite dipping sauce*, but tasty nonetheless. (*I like sauces made with the Japanese chilli oil, ‘rāyu’.)

Also on the menu: a good quality sticky ‘riz’ (rice), sesame marinated bean sprouts and a simple drinks menu of just five options: Japanese ‘bière’ (Yebisu or Kirin), Coca Cola, Tea (oolong or green), water or, being France, Champagne Bollinger.

A fab little place – when in Paris, check out the covered walkways and wherever you plan to eat, save a little room and stop by in Passage des Panoramas for some of the best gyōzas you may ever get a chance to try – or if you are less greedy then me, I suppose you could just about make a meal of it?

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Passage 53, Paris

When researching which restaurants I wanted to eat at in Paris I took a great deal into consideration. One of the reasons for choosing Passage 53 (aside from the two Michelin stars) was its historic location in the ‘Passage des Panoramas’ - the oldest covered walkway in Paris.

As one of the first commercial passageways in the world to have a glazed and then gas lit roof it’s considered the forerunner to twentieth century shopping malls. Strolling around the passageways before and after our meal was a real treat – a great spot for people watching.

Hailing from Hokkaido in 2000, chef Shinichi Sato arrived in France to learn how to cook French cuisine. He soon landed a job with Pascal Barbot at L'Astrance (a restaurant that now has three Michelin stars and has been in the top 25 of the S.Pellegrino list of the World’s 50 Best Restaurants for the last six years).

Over the next few years, Sato continued his education by training in upwards of ten other two and three star restaurants around France. During this time he also spent a season at Mugaritz, dubbed ‘the Spanish Astrance’ at the time.

His talents were soon spotted by the influential* Parisian Desnoyer family (see here), asking him in 2009 to head up the tiny Passage 53 restaurant, tucked away in the Passage des Panoramas (*In 2010, Hugo Desnoyer became the first French butcher or ‘boucher’ to feature in ‘Who's who?’)

This faith was soon repaid, when six months after opening, with the wonderful Desnoyer produce (and vegetables from Joël Thiébault) at his disposal, Shinichi’s cooking was awarded its first Michelin star. The following year, a second star was bestowed – making Sato the first Japanese chef in France to be awarded 2 Stars by Michelin.

Taking our seats in the intimate dining room, my one criticism of the restaurant would be the low chairs, as a six-footer I started to get the tingle of pins and needles after just a few courses. I loved the tiled floor, and rustic exposed beams hinting at the building’s age.

A pop of colour was provided by Marc Chagall’s dream inspired illustrations on Bernardaud’s fine Limoges porcelain – mine depicted ‘Double Face Blue and Yellow’ my wife’s portrayed ‘Painter with Palette’.

We opted for the €110 degustation – every dish was perfect: perfectly cooked, perfectly seasoned, perfect balanced, perfectly executed, perfectly composed, perfectly presented:

The amuse bouche consisted of a fresh, vibrant Broccoli Velouté, crowned with tiny broccoli florets – perfection.

The bread served was a flavoursome ‘country style’ sourdough with two Bordier butters: one salted butter and a chilli spiced version. I took a shine to the Stephane Rambaud deigned Forge de Laguiole horn handle butter knife (now on my Christmas list).

After the amuse, an optional ‘Caviar’ course was offered; at €30 a head extra, my wife and I decided to share one.  Simply presented under a glass domed cloche with fine Capellini potatoes (an Italian term meaning ‘thin hair’ that is usually applied to a spaghetti-like pasta with a diameter between 0.85 mm and 0.92 mm), the fine French caviar was truly divine – making me wish I had bought the caviar spoons that I saw in Fauchon the previous day.

It was difficult to know how the caviar was going to be topped but the chef pulled it out of the bag with an exceptional Veal Tartrate with chopped Gillardeau oysters. Paired with an oyster foam, wafer thin slices of radish, iced cucumber and an apple jelly, this dish was truly exceptional – I’d go as far as to say the best plate of food I had throughout my entire Paris trip.

Simply and for obvious reasons, entitled 'The White Course' was another pièce de résistance – a delicious cauliflower crème and perfectly cooked squid, capped with confetti of paper-thin cauliflower.

After three extraordinary dishes, even with two stars I was expecting a weaker one to come along eventually… the White Asparagus dish was not it! Another course starring crème de la crème seasonal produce – the asparagus had been draped in translucent slices of pata negra ham fat and accompanied by nasturtiums and a suitably subtle Parmesan cream with delicate laced tuiles.

Premium ingredient, after premium ingredient, the next to grace our plates was a wonderful piece of Turbot. Dressed with pea foam, white and violet flowers and accompanied by broad beans, morels, shimeji mushrooms, baby turnip with the textural crunch of spelt grains – this dish was another masterpiece.

Bowling us over once again, the next fish featured Duck Foie Gras with a rhubarb 'soup' and strawberry compote – unimaginably beautiful flavours in perfect synergy.

With Hugo Desnoyer’s son-in-law Guillaume Guedj as owner, restaurant manager and maitre-d, the meat dishes were always destined to be outstanding. The Sucking Pig with its smoky gammon flavour certainly lived up to all expectations.

Looking at the picture, you'd never know that underneath the white herb sauce, salad leaves and pea shoots lay concealed perfectly cooked pieces of French bean, mange tout, cabbage, carrot, turnip, shallot and green radish.

The Lamb dish that followed was equally creative and tasty.  The lamb itself was sublime – served with clams and artichoke and then artistically garnished at the table with vibrant dill polka dots.

The final dishes to be sent down the narrow, rickety 1798 spiral staircase (listed as a historic monument) were the quintuplet of desserts (perhaps inspired from the chef’s time at Pierre Gagnaire.) These included:

‘Lemon Pie’ a fresh yoghurt with puffed rice crispies and bursting citrusy pearls.

‘Strawberry & Laurel Panna Cotta’ with a fabulous strawberry sorbet.

‘Rum Baba’ – whilst my wife loves the classic ‘baba au rhum’, I’m not generally a fan; the Passage 53 take on it was however a delight… for me, it was not too boozy and I loved the addition of the different textures and flavours: honey, orange, sorbet and jelly.

‘Milk ice cream’ – refreshing and simply served with a crisp crumb.

‘Chocolate Tart’ – with the thinnest, crisp pastry I have even seen this rich chocolate tart with indulgent caramel was textbook quality.

For me, a great thing about a Japanese chef heading up the Passage 53 kitchen was being able to finish the meal with a good quality Japanese green tea and, of course, the classic French petite madeleines.

Perversely, in an interview last year for ‘Paris etc.’ (see here), Chef Shinichi Sato says, “I don’t think that our restaurant actually merits 2 stars. Since we were given the recognition, we have to continue to improve in order to become deserving of the status.”

Looking back over the posts of the other two Michelin star restaurants at which I have eaten (The Ledbury, Le Gavroche, Pied à Terre and Kajitsu and Momofuku in New York), I certainly believe that Passage 53 belongs in this company – every dish was a tour de force.

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