Bu Pun Su

Paul Reynard, If possible, I strongly recommend you take a taxi (about 20-30 min) or drive to Sluis and eat at Oud Sluis - the food is really good. The city itself is quite nice, and you and your fiancee could pedal in the small lake around there. Hof van Cleve would be my 2nd choice, though it's nearer to Gent than Bruges. It's in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by fields ... quite romantic - both of you could seat outside before or after the lunch/dinner to enjoy fresh air. De Karmeliet is not a bad choice, even though IMHO it's inferior compared to the 2 restaurants I mentioned above. Regardless of that, I hope both of you would have a wonderful time.

I think all of the critics so far are healthy for the restaurant itself. When is the Michelin review for UK? 3-6 months before the review is due, I'm quite sure the restaurant would improve simply because (I believe that) Ducasse cares whether this flag bearing his name should get at least 2-star even though so far 1-star seems to be generous (if it fails, probably similar to the case in NY - he would definitely replace the current chef de cuisine). I ate at ADNY in the end of '05 and ADPA half year later - I thought both places are very good in terms food or the overall dining experience by 3-star standard. I see no reason why this place could not improve. But, yes the food tends to be classical and not exciting, it's not the kind of place when one would return over and over again because of the dynamic of the food. Does anybody know if Ducasse Dorchester is supposed to be more high-end compared to the upcoming ADOUR at St. Regis NY?

Sethd, Yes, the first is often very special My first extraordinary meal (aka big splurge) was Alain Ducasse at the Essex House about 2 years ago - I could still remember more than half of the event even minute-by-minute. Lunch at Le Bristol was my first big dining in Europe, but neither was in my top 5 of my dining experiences. Despite many bad reviews, I still plan in 1-2 years time to try Ducasse London, hopefully by that time it would be more "mature" and most of the current issues are solved. Since you're more experienced than me eating at Arpege, what do I still miss from the list of the dishes I had? Pigeon with dragee (sugar-coated almond) or the duck or something else? When is the best season eating there? Any memorable dishes? Thanks

Yeah, that 30 min part was a bit annoying, that's why I guess they gave me that raviole consomme to compensate. So far, they're quite generous to me by often giving me a few additional dishes If not mistaken, I think it's about EUR 400 - it's almost half year ago Have you been here before? What do you think about this place?

Arpege part 1 vs part 2 Here are some comparisons of my Arpege experiences (in terms of food, I will put the first one at the top and the second one below). I might not be able to make side by side comparison for every single dish, but I’ll try as some of them are quite close. Here is the link for the pictures of the Arpege part 1 Arpege part 1 Food-wise L’oeuf, fermier de la Bigottière L’oeuf à la coque Verdict: They’re about the same. But, the 1st impression was usually better. I give the 1st one a slight edge Carpaccio de langoustines du Guilvinec, caviar osciètre royal d’Iran (Radisotto) printanier à la moutarde d’Orléans parmigiano reggiano Verdict: Hands down, 1st one better by a mile. Bavarois d’avocat et caviar osciètre royal d’Iran, huile de pistache Jardinière Arlequin à l’huile d’argan (cuisine choisie) à la coriandre Verdict: 1st one. Moreover, I like caviar. The mixture of the vegetables are not in harmony. Fines ravioles fleuries aux herbes, consommé vegetal Fines ravioles fleuries aux herbes consommé vegetal Verdict: Yes, they’re exactly the same, so it’s a tie Gratin d’oignon doux au citron, parmigiano reggiano Parfums (belle saison) crème soufflé au Speck Verdict: 1st one - Simple, fragrant, tasty Homard des Îles Chausey en aigre-doux, miel d’acacia Aiguillettes de homard des Îles Chausey côtes du Jura Verdict: A closed call, but I like the 2nd one better. The yellow wine is simply divine Lotte de Bretagne à la moutarde d’Orlèans, huile de noisette Turbot de Bretagne (belle saison) Verdict: Compare strictly from the fish point of view - the turbot’s flavor is slightly better, the structure and texture are equally good. The monk fish’s side dish is more superior (slowly cooked spinach) to some extent. Anyway, tough call – they’re the same (a tie) Antique poulet du Haut-Maine au foin, (jardinière) T-bone d’agneau de Lozère aux algues et escargots de mer poivre noir Serawak Verdict: If only the lamb’s meat were consistently tender … the chicken was unbelievable though, plus the fresh vegetables on the sides. It’s clear that the 1st one wins. Fromages de Bernard Antony, affineur Fromages de chèvre de Bernard Antony affineur Verdict: The 1st one – more varieties, not restricted to goat/sheep cheese. The qualities are very similar Tomato confite farcie aux douze saveurs, sucre à l’orange Framboises à l’infusion de l’huile d’olive, le vinaigre et le miel Verdict: Hands down. The 1st one is much better Millefeuille pralin Île flottante moka-mélisse caramel lacté Verdict: Both are sweet, the the 1st is better – more precise and not too intense. Wine-wise (all by the glass) 1st time 1996 Billecart Salmon - Cuvee Nicolas Francois, Brut Champagne 2002 Verre de Chablis - Rene et Vincent Dauvissat 2000 Saumur Blanc - Chateau Yvonne 1991 Porto Colheita Niepoort 2002 Mambourg Grand Cru - Marcel Deiss 2nd time Champagne Krug Brut Grande Cuvée Domaine Laroche Les Vaillons Premier Cru Chablis 2004 Château la Gordonne Domaine Listel 2002 Both the champagne and the Chablis are equally good and matched well with the food. But for the rests, the wines from the first dining were simply much better. Stephane Thivat was possibly the most entertaining sommelier I’ve ever met – I think he would do a good job as maitre d’ as well Service and decoration The first time I ate, the restaurant was 90% full, the second visit – I think it’s 105% full (with 2 additional tables in the middle that halt the staffs/guests movement a little bit). The decoration does not change much – they never have planned to make them super luxurious; nevertheless it’s simple, nice and comfortable The service was more personal and friendly in the 1st visit, they would not let the guests “feel bored” when they’re waiting for the food. They still tried to do the same for the 2nd one, but only when you have something to ask then they will happily entertain. Another issue in the 2nd visit was that the time between a few dishes were unusually slow – I was doin’ nothing for 30 min waiting for the lamb dish to come. However, the service is still very good overally – the staffs showed interest when they served not simply try to do their jobs. They really have the passions. Therefore, based on the info above, I think it should be quite obvious that my first experience is more memorable than the 2nd one. The most surprising part was that I ate better when Passard was not in the kitchen! So, this is the kind of place where I would not worry very much whether the owner is in or not since the standard is very high all the times.

Hi Pierre, thanks for your comments When I stated I was not very satisfied, it's with respect to my 1st visit there which is the highest score I've ever given in any restaurant. So, if it's compared to other places, it's still better. Yeah, most of the time, I kept comparing to my 1st visit ... pretty much for every single dish The lobster and the turbot I had are ranked as probably the best lobster and fish dishes, I've ever had so my level of satisfaction is very high. Similar to when some people said that 1 great dish from Gagnaire is enough to make a visit there worth it even though the rest of the food may be just OK. The way I grade is as follow: Food - 40%, Wine - 20%, Service - 30% and Ambiance - 10% 97 or above would be a solid 3-star. For the rest, I did not have my notes with me as of know. The reason I'm being picky and stingy is that because I believe not all 3-star are the same - well, of couse it's subjective I will try to put the comparisons of my 1st and 2nd visit soon Again, if I compare this visit even with my Pierre Gagnaire or L'Ambroisie, this Arpege part 2 is still slightly better

Arpege is the only 3-star restaurants so far that I (finally) visited more than once. Serving the meal of my life in April 06 and the fact that they have many new "dishes" provide me sufficient basis to return there. Moreover, this time around chef Passard was actually in the kitchen even though I did not see him walk around the dining room during my dinner. Anyway, here is my report: Food/Wine (98/95) I ordered the degustation menu (again). - Poached egg. This is the official amuse at Arpege - it doesn't matter what you order, your meal will begin with this wonderful egg, combining the bitter and sweet taste. As always good. - Veloute of veggies with ham-flavor cream cheese. I prefer to eat the "vegetables" soup by itself, the ham slightly "polute" the pure taste of the vegetables. - Radisotto. I'm a big fan of risotto and paella. This one? I still find it kinda "funny". There are many sour/acidic flavor on this disc that I did not really enjoy it. I guess rice is still the best ingredients for any "risotto" dish - Selection of chef's vegetables. This is supposed to be one of the dish Passard is proud of. There are beetroots, couscous, different kind of carrots inside. As far as I could remember, only the carrots are memorable (similar to my tomato last year - I could not believe that carrots could taste this good). The argon oil is light and delectable. Overally, it does not integrate as good as I would like to, but still it's still above other vegetable dishes cooked by other chefs. Perhaps, I'm not into veggies ... So far ... I wonder whether my decision to return here is correct. Then, comes ... - Turbot cooked at low temperature. The turbot was precisely cut and cooked with its bone and skin. The taste is very rich and delicious, one could taste all aspects of the turbot. If that not enough, mix the decadent butter sauce to make it even more flavorful. If that's too much for you, take the fava beans to turn down the turbot intensity. Many dimensions to play around ... simply wonderful, this makes Ledoyen's turbot to be bland. The best fish in my life (only Gagnaire's seabass comes close) - The timeless lobster braised in yellow wine. The lobster here is very special, it's from a small island in the middle of Brittany in which the size is somehow smaller than normal blue lobster, but tastewise ... oh la la. The texture is slightly "tender" yet the structure is still firm. Even by itself, the lobster is already tasty and sweet. But, that's not it ... it's enhanced with the acidic taste from the yellow wine and sorrels ... it's simply ethereal. Plus a sip of white burgundy ... simply perfect. Sorry monsieur Pacaud, I have to put this lobster dish slightly above your navarin de homard These 2 perfect dishes alone are enough for me to come here. Comparable to last year's back to back of the monk fish and free range of chicken prepared by the sous chef - Anthony - Vegetables ravioli in clear soup. A simple and balanced consomme - break time before the main dish I suppose - T-bone of lamb. Did I win a jackpot here? Almost ... the side's part of the lamb is incredible - combination of crispy skin, sinful layers of fat, rich & tender meat are really good. A harmony is created with fresh potatoes and parsley sauce. However, as you go to the back part near the "bone", unfortunately, the meat was overcooked - it became rather hard and tasteless. Oh well ... the first 2-3 bytes were enough to make me say this is still a very good dish. The surprising part is that Passard still cooked red meat and he did it very2 well. - Cheese. I was disappointed when the restaurant told me that no comte available at that time which is unbelievable (only goat/sheep cheese available). Actually, they're not bad at all. I had 4 slices only - soft La Gayrie, nearly sweet Chevrotin des Aravis, creamy Laurentine, and buche du Gers - The tasting menu dessert is not very interesting. So, I requested the kitchen to provide me with simple fruits - raspberries served with olive oil, vinegar and honey (the original version is with strawberries, but not available - recommended by Alain Llorca). How's it? I think it did not really work - the raspberries are not very sweet, then those olive oil, vinegar and honey don't mix well - you could taste all of them separately in your mouth. Not as good as I expected - Despite requesting special dessert, the restaurant still give me the regular sweets - 3 macarons (with veggie flavors: rhubarb, sorels and mint) - uniquely L'Arpege plus some chocolate and almond biscuits - Similar to my last visit, they gave me a bonus dessert. This time is mocha sorbet with lemon grass sauce and caramel milk. Ice cream is always a nice way to end a meal for me.This one, however, is a bit too intense for a dessert - the excellent mocha flavor with caramel sweetness ... not easy to swallow. The portion is generous, I could only finish half of it Some of you have been wondering what a really 3-star food for me since I hardly gave it to any places ... well, Arpege is definitely one of them. I bestow 98/100 (a solid and convincing 3-star) for this dinner. I'm not sure about the creativity, but I find Anthony (the sous chef) interpreted the philosohical technique of Passard very well, especially the execution is rigorous and precise (similar to the way chef Moret cooks Ducasse's food) - this was very clear in my first visit when Passard was not around in the kitchen. Give 2-3 years time, I won't be surprised that people will begin to know the name Anthony in the world of haute cuisine (even though it might not be to the extend of Pascal Barbot) The wine list here is known to quite bad in terms of value of money, so I don't really bother to see the list this time. I just told the sommeliers (yup, there are 2 of them now and Stephane Thivat was no longer there) to give me a glass of white for the seafood/fish and a glass of red for the lamb. At the beginning, I had a glass of Champagne Krug Brut Grande Cuvée - balanced and full of finesse, wonderfully creamy and more importantly has a long, lingering finish. For the wines, I drank Domaine Laroche Les Vaillons Premier Cru Chablis 2004; it is fruity and full bodied with mineral structure and very good balance, a lovely choice for the turbot and the lobster. For the lamb, the sommelier suggested: Château la Gordonne Domaine Listel 2002; this still wine is fresh and light; barely sweet which is good since the lamb is palatable. Overally, I was happy with their selections. Service/Decoration (95/94) Nothing has changed in term of the dining room decor of the restaurant. Last year the restaurant was full, this time it's actually more than full. What do I mean? They decide to put 2 additional tables in the middle of the dining room (these 2 tables were not there when I ate last year). This addition, made the small dining room more crammed. The staffs often waited for each other just to walk around the room or bring the food - in and out of the kitchen. The unique part is that at every table, there's a water melon from the garden - just for decoration only. It's still a small and intimate dining room, the limited light create a nice atmosphere but it makes more difficult when I try to take the pictures of the dishes - the results are not that great. If not mistaken, more than half of staffs are new, but the manager is still the same, Laurent Lapaire - probably the best maitre d'hotel in my opinion (seriously even better than ADPA's Mr. Courtiade or Ambroisie's Mr. Pascal). Mr. Lapaire is very friendly and helpful. For instance, he went over the dishes in the menu one by one in details - pretty much in every single table he served; he also brought me the 2 sample lobsters from the kitchen when I was curious what Ile Chausey's lobsters were liked. Under his guidance, the service here is more informal, but very personal. Diners feel like eating at home, and they can ask pretty much everything. Another good things for me is that almost 2/3 of the staffs could speak English - a feat that I hardly find in other establishments except if the restaurants are located in the hotel. The downside is probably - because the restaurant is really full and the number of staffs are not that many, so I did not get a chance to talk with them as much as my first visit (last time, they often stopped by and entertain a lone diner); nevertheless it's a 3-star service. I think it simply means that the next time I come here again, I should not book on Friday night The overall score for this dining experience is 96/100 (a 2 3/4* but very close to 3-star). The crammed dining room and the slightly lower service than my 1st visit (due to the overflow of the guests) contribute to the lower score. And also the food ... I will put some comparisons later on when I have time. Here are the links for the pictures: L'Arpege Summer 07 And if you want to know more details about this adventure, please click: L'Arpege 2 review

Thanks for the nice report and pictures anyone So Moby, you're back again to Europe ... look forward to the rest of the dining review

After a long delay, finally I found myself a time to write about the Parisian low profile 3-star restaurant - Ledoyen. This place was actually not in my list in the 1st place, it's just that towards the end, I just realized that I had some "extra" budget to spend then I decided to go here after I could not get L'Astrance for the last minute reservation. Well, I did not regret at all, in fact I was really pleased. Food/Wine (96/92) The only tasting menu available in the house is the chef Le Squer's classic dishes - La Decouverte des Specialites (in addition to small lunch menu of course). It consist of 3 dishes and 3 desserts. - For the hors d'oeuvre, I like the mozarella as well as beetroots. The bread quality here is not bad, especially the soft wheat roll with sesame and its classical baguette. For the amuse, I was served a fresh mackarel combined with tomato emulsion and olive oil - not too tasty, but a good start - I believe many heavy weight eater in this forum could already guess what I had. The first classical dish is the brittany langoustines prepared in 2 ways - batter fried and a la plancha. The sweet and fresh langoustines are paired with citrus emulsion that quickly melting due to the heat generated from the prawn. Excellent! The best cooked langoustine I've ever had - perhaps even slightly better than Pacaud's curry version - A fine and fresh white line turbot cut in square has a good texture, but unfortunately it rather lacks in flavor (relatively plain - almost like sole tastewise). Moreover, the black truffle covers the turbot did do much to enhance the dish. Luckily, the puree of truffle and butter as well as crushed potatoes are divine - I don't really look forward for the last dish as much as the first 2, but Le Squer proved me wrong. He cooked the over the top sweetbread - tender and sweet, perfectly integrate with fresh asparagus, lemon grass and green peas sauce. The portion is also very generous. I doubt that I will ever find a better sweetbread than this version. - The cheese selection, while not much but the quality is good. I love the 4-year old comte and St. Nectaire. Similar to other big establishments, Bernard Antony supply the cheese here - Now come the desserts - the portion was just about right. It started with yeast sorbet with white chocolate - simple and classic. Followed by one of the best fruit-based dessert - crunchy grapefruit combined with lime, nicely acidic. Lastly, the crisp chocolate millefeuille balanced with pistachio ice cream. I forgot the details but I remembered that I didn't like their petit fours. The food here is very solid, and I'm gladly bestowed 96/100 in my notes (2 3/4*; just 1 pt below L'Ambroisie) - a pleasant discovery for me. The wine cellar here measures up to the restaurant's reputation with wide selection variety. They also offered wine offering at the price about half of its degustation menu. Since I would still have L'Arpege for dinner that day, it would be wise if I went easy this time. I had 2 glasses of white wine: 2005 Meursault Le Limozin (fine and nicely balanced white Burgundy with plenty of fruit) and 2005 Condrieu Pagus Luminis (medium bodied with floral nose; the taste is a combination of apple, pear and a bit of nut) Service/Ambiance (94/94) The restaurant was quite crowded that day (lunch on Friday) - about 25 people dined there. The wine service is a bit stuffy, but the rests are very good. My maitre d was not intimidating at all and very attentive. He offered me to give some critics on anything that I might not like about the place or even the food. He humbly said that the restaurant still needed to improve in many ways - I hardly heard this comments as far as I could remember. The decor here is fabulous and elegant. This pavilion itself is located on the Champs Elysees gardens. The seating is comfortable and relatively spacious - guests were unlikely to "bother" others. Overally, I rate this place 94.5 - a low 2 3/4*, about the level of Gagnaire. Personally, I think Ledoyen is the most underrated 3-star restaurant in Paris; people hardly talk and discuss about it - maybe only the last 6 months it started to raise up again. I'm not sure whether it has a consistency issue in the pass, but I find it a nice place to be. In fact, I ate better food here than Troisgros and Les Ambassadeurs - the 2 places that are dear to many diners in these forum. I encourage people who like creative yet classical cuisine to give this place a try at least once. Before I forgot, here is the link for the pictures: Ledoyen summer 07

Carlsbad, Thanks for the explanation. It seems that among 2-3 star places, only Taillevent and Troisgros whose wines are sold at "reasonable" price. Or do I miss other places?

How's Taillevent's wine lists compared to La Tour D'Argent, Le Louis XV or Enoteca Pinchiorri? In general, do people refer to varieties (i.e. the number of brands), the number of bottles or the values of their stock on hands carried by the restaurant's wine cellar? Thanks

Here is my review about Oud Sluis I hope people will not get bored since what I had actually were very similar to GAF Food/Wine (96/93) As many people have said that Oud Sluis is the most delicious restaurant around Benelux area, and I could not agree more after comparing it with De Karmeliet and Hof Van Cleve (the later one is only slightly inferior). I ordered the tasting menu, called Herman and Slawinski (in memory of chef Sergio's good friend) and here is my experience there ... - Hors d'Oeuvre are very good, particularly the liquid foie gras and puree of granny smith - the taste is rich and at the same time light as well as buckwheat spaghetti served with mackarel and lime, the mixture of them is very good. - Whereas for the amuse-bouche, I like the lobster wrapped in marinated cucumber served on top of a cracker, followed by small shrimp with soup of almonds - nowadays, more and more new chefs seriously prepare vegetable dishes and chef Herman is not an exception. for the opening course, the tomato is amazing and fresh (this one alone worth the whole dish), while the "jelly" and the marinated gambas are just fine - unlike GAF, I actually like the bomba paella rice dish very much (2nd fav.), especially the pristine and simple piece of langoustine. The texture of the squid is good, but lacking in flavor. The different sauces/puree - green peas, shellfish and cucumber - are interesting - the prawn that served along with the sea bass was only average. The asparagus was slightly bitter, whereas the sea bass itself is quite good - tasty, good combination with its skin - but not even close to the one prepared by Gagnaire - the main course (lamb) was the dish that brought me to the conclusion why this place is the best 3-star in the region. The lamb, cooked medium-well with its fat and skin, is succulent and moist. The other side dishes (zucchini flowers, cream of eggplant) are overwhelmed by the delicious lamb. Perhaps the best overall lamb dish I've ever had. Excellent! - among the 3 desserts, I'm very keen on the 1st one - cream of chocolate (divine) with green tea ice cream and passion fruit. The other two, on the other hand, were OK - refreshing in the summer, they are rasberry with coconut ice cream and strawberry with almond biscuit With this I bestow 96/100 (a solid 2 3/4*, close to my 3-star standard) for the cooking of Sergio Herman - the chef that I believe will carry the future of haute cuisine (together with chef Barbot, Aduriz and Alajmo) The overall wine selection maybe not as impressive as the usual 3-star places, however, the wine-pairing selection is actually quite good, especially for the value of money. I really like the 04 Rudera Chenin Blanc - South African wine which is clear and bright gold in color with complex nose of lime and grapefruit. The taste is concentrated rich with zingy tropical fruit. It has a balance of wood and fruit culminate with a long and lingering finish. The Chateau des Tourettes Coteau de L'Aigle Roussanne 2005 is rather elegant and exotic with a chewy texture. Among a dozen or so 2 and 3-star places that I've been, Oud Sluis is probably the best in terms of value (one of the cheapest with a very high food quality, JG maybe cheaper but foodwise is inferior IMHO) Service/Ambiance (94/91) The service here is on par with most other establishments - friendly, helpful and professional. Many of them were willing to accompany me chatting since I was eating alone. They never forget to fill in the water. The drawbacks, perhaps, is just that a few waiters whose jobs only delivered the dish are not very knowledgable about the food. The restaurant decoration is simple and rather plain. Mostly are made of wood materials, the capacity of the restaurant is relatively small - maybe only 40 people at most, make sure you booked in advance. It's located in the small and nice neighborhood of Sluis, make sure diner spare him/herself about one hour or so just to walk around the small shops or simply seating near the small river. This is certainly one of the restaurants that I would like to come back again in the future. It's really worth the detour. With this, I conclude the overall grading to be 94/100 (2 1/2*). Here is the link of the dishes and wines that I had. Thanks oud sluis spring 07

So here is my review about one of the most talked-about restaurant in this forum Here are the pictures, l'ambroisie pictures 07 Here is the long review, l'ambroisie review Food/Wine (97/95) I took it easy for the food meaning I played safe, in fact very safe. I ordered pretty much the classic food here (that's pretty much my text book every time I go to the restaurant for the first time - well, sounds boring?). As everybody knows, chef Pacaud is perfectionist in his cooking so he really wanted everything to be pretty much flawless. I begin with canape - Gougères, they're fluffy, warm and has a high quality of gruyère cheese - almost as good as the one I had at ADNY. The bread here are white and wheat only with with light flavor butter. Though they looked a bit uninspiring, but they're quite good actually. For the amuse, I had a warm mousse of peas served with cheese and duck liver. The taste blends nicely and the foie gras is not cloying ... a simple and nice amuse-bouche, even though not over the top. Actually, I expected to try smoked scottish Salmon. Oh well ... for the dishes, I followed the recommendation of monsieur Pascal, here what he composed for me, - langoustine in a curry sauce served with spinach and sesame wafers. The Brittany langoustine is sweet, flavorful and quite soft perfectly paired with an Indian-style curry while the wafer as well as the low-temperature cooked spinach add another dimension of the dish. One of the best cooked langoustine dishes I've ever tasted - sole served with mustard and green asparagus. This is a very simple dish with a very generous portion of sole whose structure is firm, but like other sole in general - the meat's taste is rather weak. The light mustard sauce (not too spicy) only helps a bit while the Robert Blanc asparagus is very good. I expected something better from this dish actually ... - blue lobster served with new potatoes. Gastroville recommended me to try this dish. By nature, the lobster is already flavourful, the sauce is a typical wonderful French-style sauce: flavorful, light, precise and balanced. The new/baby potatoes are not as impressive as I expected, nevertheless it's still a perfect dish for me. The portion is huge ... I ate 2 lobster tails and a pair of lobster claws - chocolate tart with vanilla ice cream. The cake/tart is ethereal along with a sweet and soft vanilla ice cream. On the one hand, the chocolate is intense but at the same time the layer below is light and sublime. A must-try dessert for all first-time visitor of this establishment I decided not to eat the cheese since I was quite full already. I find the food in general is excellent, everything is prepared into the perfection (meaning it's pretty much the best one can prepare). Pacaud did not like to create sauce that would overwhelmed the main ingredients - everything should be in harmony. So I gave it a 97/100 (a deserving 3-star) For the wine, I let monsieur LeMoullac do decide for me. Like what I found in other reviews, he loved recommending this to the diners - 2001 Meursault les Tilles Michelot Mère et Fille, I ordered a half bottle. At he beginning of the meal, I also sipped Louis Roederer Brut Premier Champagne - The taste is rich, yeasty blend and creamy, while being delicate and soft in texture. It also has a little touch of hazelnuts with clean and zesty finish. This was indeed an awesome aperitif before a meal. Lastly, I had a glass of 1980 Rivesaltes Mis en Bouteille Cuvée Jean-Paul Lespinasse for my dessert wine. The wine list here is average among 3-star establishments with the tendency towards Bordeaux and Burgundy collection. If you're advanturous about wine, this is really not the place nevertheless I was pleased with the wine I drank. Service/Decoration (93/95) The service is very formal and stiff - it made me not relax in the beginning. The diners there, on average, are quite old at that time - mostly 40 years or more. But they're all very professional. They never forgot to refill the water and wine, after every dish, my table was always cleaned. Other than Mr. Pascal, the rests of the staffs do not really speak fluent English. The restaurant is about 2/3 full I think. I heard the voice from the other rooms (I was seated in the front dining room, could anybody tell me what the middle and back dining room looks like?) The dining room is very classical a la "mini" chateau de versailles. Inside, it contains crystal glasses, polished marble floors, some tapestries and oil paintings - things are very beautiful and romantic even though the small size made it less grandeur than the other places like Plaza Athenee or Les Ambassadeurs. While I was scared of the bill, it's kinda relieved when for the first 2 dishes (langoustine and sole), actually were charged as "demi" portion. Personally, one of the biggest achievement for me is the fact that I could take a picture with chef Pacaud. I've never seen his face before even when I was walking around Paul Bocuse's place, I could not find a single picture with Pacaud inside. He's such a humble man, by the time the kitchen's already closed, he went out with a simple long slevee t-shirt. Monsieur Pascal kept telling me that chef Pacaud did not like the crowd and I might fail to meet him ... luckily it did not happen in the end. In addition, Pacaud's so classic (whatever it may mean) that when I received my menu back with his signatures and the info about the dishes I ate - his hand-writing was as if it's written with a quill (just imagine the bill of right or US declaration of independence's hand-writing). The overall experience for me at this place would be 95/100 (a solid 2 3/4*) - it's in my top 3 or 5 dining experiences I've ever had. Thanks

My favorite restaurants? Actually my L'Arpege's review in this forum is the best dining experience I've ever had (my 2nd visit, while it's still much better than other starred restaurants, was fall a bit behind - I will share this in the other occasion). I pretty much liked everything there ... food is very sublime, simple yet complex, innovative and very delicious. The ingredients, while not always luxurious, are first class (i.e. the butter, the vegetables or even like the lobster - while most places will get from Brittany, they got it from a smaller island - ile chausey - where I had to admit that it's extremely delicious and special). Somehow, the food there is very flavorful - Passard has the ability to unleash all the potential and elements of every ingredient and combine them in a wonderful dish - tasty and balanced. I guess the person you refered to is Alain Ducasse ... (true?) I'm sorry to say but ... my dining in ADPA comes in at 2nd place as my fav. after L'Arpege. Food wise - again, the raw materials are amazing - both fresh (and luxurious - typical Ducasse). What I like is the intense and rigorous preparation done by chef Moret. Like the scallops with coconut curry and/or the Bresse chicken with crayfishes & mushrooms - they actually contained quite a few different elements in the dish, but they blend together nicely without losing out the flavor of the main ingredient (definitely not as complex as Gagnaire). Then, restaurant is not 100% about the food for me, the service also matters to some degree. Ducasse's team in his 3-star places always very professional, you hardly found any misteps, they're all friendly without being intimidating. The one in L'Arpege is more personal except they're overcrowded like in my 2nd visit. While for the rests of places I like would be Gagnaire and Ambroisie. Followed by the next tier are places like Calandre, Can Fabes, Oud Sluis etc. No wonder you still often visit Senderens since Lucas Carton was one of your top lists. Is it still possible to eat Lucas Carton's level food in Senderens suppose one makes a special request (the price would be more of course)? Loiseau? Do you like it in the past or even until now? John, Just curious, what's wrong with current restaurants? It seems that the restaurant you cherised all are "old" to me - I would still love eating KFC and McD at that time. Isn't there any place now that even closed? What is the different between the current and the past Lameloise?

Thanks for sharing I don't take the restaurant ranking as absolute, but it's still useful as a guidelines combined with direct feedback form people in the forum, otherwise I would be lost or get confused which ones to choose especially since I need to fly more than 10 hours to get to France - in a sense I already know where to go. How do you pick your restaurants? I know that your experience is very extensive (if not the most experienced one). After being to so many starred restaurants, what are your fav. and why? Is it the same like many heavy weight diners - usually they loved Robuchon's Jamin or Girardet's l'hotel de ville. Thanks

julot-les-pinceaux, Actually, I've never been to any Marc Veyrat's establishment - I'd love to one day. If not mistaken, the EUR 420 (12-course) would include aperitif, wine and coffee/tea? Arpege is very expensive since we hardly find "luxurious" ingredients (like Iranian caviar, morels or white truffles) in their dishes anymore. I think the guests really pay for the Passard's cooking skills and his garden vegetables most of the time, not very much of the rare ingredients Mind sharing your experience at Veyrat's? Is Gault Millau's 20/20 bestowed to his establishment(s) justified? Thanks

Yeah, Arpege is the most expensive one especially when EUR 1 is close to USD 1.4 Veyrat decreases his price into EUR 338 from EUR 385 (for 16-18 courses?) Arpege served 8 courses ... I think ADPA is not cheap either if not more (1 amuse - the famous langoustines caviar, 3 courses, cheese and dessert cost about EUR 320)

Actually I agree with paulbrussel ... I also slightly prefer Oud Sluis as far as the food is concerned. I just checked the price at Hov Van Cleve website ... the dinner tasting menu increases by EUR 15 (so does the wine-pairing) compared to when I dined there last Spring

Among all of the top chefs today, probably nobody is more well-respected than Paul Bocuse, the emperor of French cuisine (another reason could be that he's the oldest among the legendary chefs like Robuchon, Girardet, Paul Haeberlin or Pierre Troisgros). With numerous awards during his career and tons of contribution to the development of French cuisine as well as how a chef could actually become a celebrity, I think this is out of question that I should try to dine at restaurant Paul Bocuse once in my life, in particular since Bocuse is still in the kitchen. Honestly, I took a taxi to this place - lying on the banks of the Saone (about 10 min from Lyon) - more for historical reasons. I was very curious what it's like to eat at the original establishments of Gault Millau's chef of the century (as no more Robuchon in Jamin or Girardet at Hotel de Ville). So here I was ... dining there in the end of Spring this year Food/Wine (93/90) The food here is classic as expected and the portion is generous. I ordered the menu grande tradition classic - the amuse is a plain cream puff (not very soft and weak in taste) and a glass of celery cream with shrimp and carrots (fresh but very acidic) - duck foie gras frying pan. The duck liver is quite good with some potatoes intensified with a strong verjus sauce (I guess this is the typical Lyon cuisine - very flavorful and "heavy sauce") - then it came the legendary black truffle (from Rhone Valley) soup that cost EUR 80 if one orders the a la carte. Well, it's very good but not fantastic since I already ate a 'simpler and similar' version of this clear soup. However, to appreciate more just think - this dish was created more than 3 decades ago ... to have such brilliant ideas in the 70's, I think Bocuse deserves a big credit for it. It might not worth the price tag IMHO, but still it's a must try for me due to its reputation. I finished it all anyway ... - another famous dish, sole fillet - named after Fernand Point (Bocuse's teacher). The sole is huge, served with pasta and wonderful "Italian style" sauce containing some mushrooms and tomato. The sauce element is very important here since sole, by default, is rather blend - but it's firm in texture - Beaujolais Winemaker granita - this one is more like a palate cleanser, refreshing with some acidity - ADPA and L'Arpege taught me that chicken dishes could be that incredible ... now it's the time for another timeless dish - Bresse chicken in a bladder. It's the perfect example of a simple, classic, wonderful french cuisine preparation. The chicken is tender, served with tasty and creamy sauce, some vegetables and morels. My favorite of the night ... (though not as good as the ones prepared by Moret or Anthony). While I do not deny that one could get a similar dish in other restaurants, but to prepare it as good as Bocuse ... probably not many - cheese courses, many of them are local. I'm not familiar with "Mere Richard"'s cheese. It's fine - as far as what I could remember, the roquefort's slightly bitter, st. marcellin and goat cheese are OK - the desserts here are served in buffet style, you could take as many as you want. Unfortunately, they're just average except for the gateau bernachon served with vanilla ice cream. I disliked the rhum baba (far inferior to Ducasse's version), the creme brulee was not bad, the medeleine-like cake was so-so I was very full at the end. Even though I know that the food (as many have reported) is not the best among other 3-star places (not even in my top 10 lists), I was still satisfied - at least I had a chance to eat a piece of French cuisine's history. The score above is a solid 2 1/2* out of 3. For the wine, I drank 2 glasses of whites. The 1st one is 2003 Sancerre d'Antan - Bourgeois, it's rich yet stony, with a firm mineral edge framing the lemon zest, chive and grass flavors. The 2nd one is 2003 Meursault - Bouchard, because of its concentration and softness, it goes well with chicken in a creamy sauce, and the sole fish. Service/Ambiance (90/91) At first the service was very rigid, but things flow much better as the meals went on. The only bad thing was that they forgot to serve me with knive and fork, the maitre d' really regeretted it - it's fine, everybody made mistake once a while. Probably, in terms of hospitality, I would say that the sommelier, John Euvrard was the nicest one - very friendly, full of energy and keep smiling - I guess it's due to the fact that He just received the 2007 "Meilleur Ouvrier de France" The decoration os this place, from the outside - it indeed resemble a circus (very colorful), before the entrance the guests could see the names of the Bocuse d'Or medal recipients (Le Meurice's Alleno is one of them). Inside, it has many pictures about the development of the restaurants as well as many funny pictures Bocuse among the other French famous chefs, the decoration's detail is very rich indeed. The restaurant was full, about 90% of the table was filled, more than half of them are foreigners - some American, Korean or Japanese as well as Italian. If you came early enough, chef Bocuse would walked around the dining room to shake every guest. His hand is still relatively soft despite being behind the stove for more than 50 years. It's amazing, the 81-year old chef is still vibrant. When I took a picture with him inside the kitchen, Bocuse himself was the one who arranged the position how the picture should be taken (it's in the centre, with the main kitchen in the backgrounds - wow) So how's it overally? To me it's 91/100 - a solid 2 1/4 star. With all due respect to chef Bocuse, it's not a 3-star experience for me. But ... remembering the past and what he has done for the world's cuisine, I could understood why Michelin still gave this place 3* - subjectively I don't mind at all. As long a he lives, let it be 3-star (the picture of michelin man transformed into Bocuse's physical body inside the menu was similar to chef Gusteau from Ratatouille). Do I regret coming here? No, in fact I was happy. Perhaps one day I could tell to my grand children that in the Spring of 07, your grand father had a chance to dine at Paul Bocuse, one of the most legendary chefs in the world (possibly Escoffier in the 20th century, no?). Here are the pictures, bocuse 07

I think I already fix the link for the pictures. Hopefully, it's OK now, if not please do let me know. Thanks

This could be one of the most difficult restaurant to reach (I thought Can Fabes was hard enough to look for), located between Ghent and Courtrai, one still needs to pass along a narrow country lane to discover this farmhouse-like restaurant. Literally, it's in the middle of nowhere - I hardly see any other house surrounding the restaurant, but it's beautiful nevertheless - everywhere is green, very pleasing to the eyes. So here I was, entering the possibly best restaurant in Belgium. The parking lot was already packed, and I could be considered "late" since 90% of the chairs were filled - a big contrast to De Karmeliet that I visited the day before. Without further delay, here's my review Food/Wine (95/93) The guest has the option of a la carte and 2 tasting menu (short and long). I chose the longer version - it's the "innovation, and tradition menu" along with the wine-pairing since I thought the cost was quite 'reasonable'. The first 3 courses essentially consists of crustaceans as the main element - 2 preparations of langoustines (the 'tempura' style is devine while the tartar version is good) with fresh lime mousse while the tender mackerel was just OK - I would call it as smelt dish since the belgian grey prawns as well as the risotto portion were too small, quite good except the deep-fried smelt was a bit too oily - lobster is one of my favorite seafood. This one was my favorite for this lunch. The delicious blue lobster was sourced near Holland, its sweetness and great texture mixed well with the clam sauce. The flavorful ham adds additional taste to the fresh Mechelen asparagus. - the fish dish was Brill. It was slightly intensified with the tasty puree - made of stock fish plus mashed potatoes, the crab was a bit redundant in my opinion, nevertheless it's very good - this one is supposed to show the chef's preparation of (pan seared) foie gras and eel. I was not moved by the duck liver, while the eel's taste was rather weak (unlike the one you would normally have at Japanese restaurant), but still good. The main star of this dish was the vegetables - simple and pure, taste as they are - carrots, beetroot and onion rings - for the main course, i had 2 pieces of fine and juicy cutlet veals. The first one is prepared with top quality morels and cheese, while the other one is prepared with melting mozarella (give a salty flavor) - accompanied by a cream of cauliflower. excellent ... - the tasting menu was surprisingly had no cheese course (it's extra), however the maitre d's (he's a cheese lover and very proud of the restaurant selection) kind enough to let me try a 4-year old comte (as good as one could get for it's from Bernard Antony) and a wonderful l'abbaye de citeaux. - if you eat near the end of spring season, chances that you will see rhubarb as one of the options. The interesting part of the rhubarb is its sour taste to balanced out the sweetness produced by the other elements, the lychee drink put the fresh taste to leave out any cloying part from the previous dishes - 3 different preparations of strawberries. the ice cream with gateau caramel is interesting while the coconut + gratin + mousse neutralize the strawberry acidity and lastly the simple fresh strawberries put inside a 'lemon' drink. I like this better than ADPA's fraises de bois - last but not least, I had the after-desserts petit four here is close to any Ducasse's restaurants. Some of them are a wonderful chocolate-coated ice cream, sweet jelly, eclair with soft cream inside, the canele and madeleine were superior - crisp outside, and soft inside Foodwise, I put this place is equal to the legendary Troisgros. Seriously ... Chef Goosens is an expert in creating an innovative dish, yet it still includes the tradition element and preparation in it. In my note - I gave 2 3/4* (out of the standard 3*) The wine-collection here is very impressive, any wine lovers would really love it. But, I did not take notes what unique selection that they have, price wise is about right - almost the same as the other 3-star places outside Paris, London etc. I really like my wine-pairing, they gave 4 glasses of wine and 1 glass of beer (yes, it is). They gave me a local cherry beer "Oude Kriek Boon Lembeek", it is dry and acidic, but refreshing and tasty. I also like my dessert wine - Kracher Burgenland Beerenauslese 2005 (It's balanced in acidity, the fragrant is honeyed tropical fruit with apricot sensations covering the palate). For the rests, please see the pictures. Note - I find the sommelier here, Martyn Soen (he rather looks like Lance Bass from N'Sync ) is very good - both in terms of knowledge and considering customer's need. He's also very friendly and enthusiastic when talking to the customers, explaining in details about his selection and why it's suitable for the dish I ate. He ranks in top 2 in my fav. sommelier (the other one is the former L'Arpege - Stephane Thivat). Service/Ambiance (97/91) The highest scoring element for this place is the service - it's flawless, friendly and generous, personal yet respectful. Most of the staffs are relatively young but very knowledgable and performs a high level of competency. I did not order the cheese, but the waiter was happily spending time when we discussed on the cheese that the restaurant has (and end up giving me some ), he also brought me the live lobster from the kitchen when I asked how different it is from the regular Brittany blue lobster. Not only that, the restaurant also helped me to confirm my reservation with Oud Sluis and told me the easiest way to get there from Brugge. What a service! The team here is as good as Courtiade's brigade, it's the highest scoring for service I ever gave (equal with, again, my 1st L'Arpege visit). The humble chef Goossens, living only about 20 min. from the restaurant, greeted his guests at the end to make sure if everything is alright. The decor is in mural style and simple (I think they did it on purpose). Furthermore, it is adorned with paintings by the local contemporary artists. Overally, it's very comfortable and one could feel very relaxed here, far from the formal impression usually experienced in the Michelin 2-3 star restaurants. The bathroom is made of woody elements with Hermes hand soap inside. On the side of the restaurant, there's a beautuful terrace for guests who want to relax and zip a glass of champagne while enjoying the nature before starting their meals. Now, when somebody asked me - where is the best place to experience 3-star restaurant for the 1st time? I would no doubt put this place at the top of my recommendation lists given that person has no issue in reaching this place. Thus, the verdict for the overall experience is 94.5/100 (close to 2 3/4* - the same level as Gagnaire Paris). I still do not fully believe if Michelin 3* is strictly from what is served on the plate, I am still convinced the wine selection, the restaurant hospitality as well as the place decoration/ambiance play an important role in their decision (my conjecture could be as high as 30-40% for the grading). Oh, before I forgot, here is the link for the pictures hof van cleve spring 07

Thanks for the wonderful review for both of you, I truly enjoy them The comments from both made me really want to try the artichoke soup with black truffle. It seems to be better than even the VGE soup (Paul Bocuse, but I understand why this one is still very important in terms of the development of French cuisine) David, It's ok to be late, better than never Thanks for sharing it including the champagne incident, but it showed what kind of service level that Guy Savoy could deliver. Does chef Savoy speak English? That's the problem I met French chefs since my French is poor (if not nothing) Bryan I felt sorry for the decline in the service level you experienced towards the end. Ramsay came to pay some respect to his mentor - Monsieur Savoy (now I know that in August when the Paris one is closed, Guy Savoy would come to Vegas) Regarding your hit or miss lobster, have you ever tried blue lobster (i.e. from Brittany)? I rarely hit a miss for this since the lobster itself already flavorful - at least when compared with the one from Maine Lastly, has anybody visited both Guy Savoy in Paris and Vegas? Any differences noticed in terms of food especially? I also heard that Savoy always serves great and generous black truffle in the winter season (but the price, if not mistaken, could easily exceed USD 400 for the tasting menu)

I have never been to Hiramatsu, so I could not comment much - I think it's more formal than Senderens. Senderens - it's an informal place with relaxing atmosphere, personally, I think the 2-star given by Michelin is not justified. Only the dessert is still very good, the food is only so so - the ingredients were not top notch or very fresh when I ate there. Just curious, why do you consider these 2 places? Le Grand Vefour - though I've never been there, I heard from many that the lunch is a "steal" there - but I doubt the signature dish would be offered as part of the lunch tasting menu. Along with Ledoyen and L'Ambroisie, this place is uniquely "Parisian or French style" especially the setting and ambiance. It should be a decent choice (do look at Ledoyen as well if you get the chance). Good luck and look forward to your report

Last christmas I ate at Gagnaire's HK left wondering when I would eat at the real one in Paris, who would have thought that now I could write the review here ... yes in France forum If you want to read the comprehensive review, please click here Gagnaire Paris review If you just care about the pictures, see the following link Gagnaire Paris pictures Food/Wine (97/91) As almost all foodie-goers know, Pierre is a very creative chef, often goes out of boundary to the point that many patrons, critics and even his fellow chefs are not very sure what he's trying to do. However, Gagnaire does not hold the 3-star michelin for more than a decade for nothing, this experience taught me that nowadays, more often than not, his experiments are successful ones - many of the (new) dishes are carefully prepared. So here are what I have, - the first one was actually a disaster . The poached codfish was tasteless accompanied by 'bitter' olives oil, not a good sign ... but hey, don't judge a book by its cover - mixed vegetables (asparagus, different kind of carrots etc.) served with crab's juice reminded me of Passard, the expert of veggie dishes. A harmonious dish yielding different flavors - very colorful, Pierre also knows how to prepare good vegetables - then it comes, possibly the most complex dish for that day. The most dominant ingredients would be the eggplant and red mullet, the overall taste is sweet with slight bitterness. Like the previous dishes, those many elements are not there for nothing (in the long review above, one could see the complete dish descriptions), mix them up to give different taste - then it comes the perfect dish, the roasted seabass. Now I understand why it matters to cook sea bass to the bone and served it with its skin and fat. The turnips and watercress generate freshness while the fennel with soft butter enrich the already very delicious fish. A masterpiece ... I've never eaten a better fish yet until about a week later ... (not even Le Squer's classic turbot with black truffle could beat this) - to no surprised that this next dish also contains many ingredients, but this one I think Pierre tried to create a more discrete dish, meaning one could simply enjoy the squids (prepared in 3 ways), an excellent fatty tuna and intensely tasty foie gras. an wonderful dish, but not perfect - after the big drops and a few loops of roller coaster, he gave us a break this time. Cold peas with peppermint, infusion of fresh herbs with coconut milk would serve as a palate cleanser - the main course is milk-fed veal served with morels and 'biscuit' of langoustine (probably the weakest element, the texture and typical taste of great langoustine was simply not quite there), but the veal is juicy and tender, perfect texture along with fresh and tasty morels. overall, still very good - there are 3 different cheeses served here, not sure about the details. There were goat (the best), cow (a bit sour) and sheep (smell and taste like mont d'or) cheeses - lastly the 6 different kinds of desserts served at the end. Some of the memorable ones would be lemon mousse with cucumber, light and refreshing; cream of orange and carrot with white cheese below, mild fruit sweetness. Pistachio ice cream with summer raspberries - fresh with sweet and sour balanced; apple jelly and crispy apple "chips" - fragrant apple aroma, but the taste is more on the acidic side. The parade of "edible arts" finally ends here All in all, I'm very satisfied and gave it 97/100 as a representative of 3-star meal strictly from food's only perspective The wine list is about the same level as other 2-3 star restaurants (but please don't compare it to Taillevent, ADPA or Le Cinq - these places are in different league as far as the wine is concerned). The problem is that it may not be very easy to pair/match wines with Gagnaire's food. Some even suggest to match them with champagne from the beginning to the end. Anyway, here what I have - a half-bottle of 2004 Saint-Peray, Domaine Bernard Gripa (its freshness and acidity balanced out the strong taste from some of the dishes) and a glass of 2001 Jurançon Moëlleux domaine Cauhape. It is fresh and rich with a blend of exotic fruits and citrus, moreover it has an aromatic finish. I was a bit lucky here, somehow they did not charge me for drinking about 1.5 big bottle of stilled water. Service/Ambiance (94/92) The dining room is definitely more on the modern side in sycamore setting. The tables (it's quite big even for a single diner) are very well-spaced and comfortable. The rest room was not very convenient as there's a big renovation in progress for Hotel Balzac. The restaurant was very quiet, only about 10 people ate there (Is it normal for Monday lunch?) The service is refined and professional, yet relaxed. They try to make everybody felt special regardless one is a regular customer. The chef greeted the guests both at the beginning and the end of my meal. My overall grade for this experience is 94.5/100 - very close to 2 3/4*. I find the degustation menu was great. While the a la carte menu looks wonderful as well on paper but it's very expensive - 2 of them without cheese and desserts would easily surpass the dinner tasting menu. If you like expecting the unexpected (like watching Jack Bauer in "24"), this would be a must-try place hands down. It adds many educational knowledge on what a chef could do with his/her dishes. Gagnaire, along with Adria and Bras, are perhaps the most innovative chefs at their generations

Thanks for the review Jeff Any pictures? I'm very curious about Pierre Gagnaire and Les Crayeres