Le Bamboche

[robert brown]

Perusing the latest Paris issue of The Art of Eating, I saw that Edward Behr discusses Le Bamboche in appealing terms. As I am looking for a few places to go to in early December, I am wondering if anyone has first-hand experience at this restaurant.

[Margaret Pilgrim]

Robert, we enjoyed Bamboche last fall. It is very small, but tables are angled so as not to provide the thigh-to-thigh-banquette experience. Service was attentive but informal. Entrees ranged from 15 to 21 euros; plates from 27 to 37; fromage and desserts all 9. The 5 course menu decouverte was then 49 euros:

Raviole de homard et creme de coco en amuse abouche;

Foie gras tiede et cremeux, sirop de truffe noire et boise de reglisse;

Thon roti au poivre de Sichuan, filet de vieux balsamique;

Pigeon roti au four, sirop de betterave;

Croustillant de cacao amer, glace a la fleur d'oranger.

I ordered the veloute de cocos et ravioles de homard, and pigeon roti, sirop acidule releve au poivre sichouan a la carte so that I could also try a mille feuille of spiced tomato confit with mascarpone and basil.

I don't know what changes if any the year has made, but we would go back.

[sng sling]

Perusing the latest Paris issue of The Art of Eating, I saw that Edward Behr discusses Le Bamboche in appealing terms. As I am looking for a few places to go to in early December, I am wondering if anyone has first-hand experience at this restaurant.

We had dinner at the restaurant this past Tuesday(?), and enjoyed it. We both (unusually) had the menu decouverte which was about 52 Euros. We also saw the Art of Eating article, and wanted to try the place. Madame Coillot (chef's wife) speaks wonderful English, so there was no language barrier for us.

Opened with a pumpkin soup which was nice, but nothing special. The following was a duck foie gras cream -- interesting -- like a duck liver milkshake in texture with a caramel/vinegar truffle glaze for the plate. Great taste.

The main was an excellent pigeon breast, with dessert a very rich, wet chocolate souffle. Tastes and portions were exactly what we wanted.

Our only quibble would be that the soup, duck mousse, and chocolate were too similar in texture -- too much "baby food". That said, we found the place to be only one of a couple places in our two weeks in France that struck a comfortable balance between great cooking, casual/friendly surroundings, and reasonable economics. Our check was about 160 Euros, with a bottle of young-ish Mercurey.

I wold recommend the place without hestiation. The restaurant is a short walk from the #10 and #12 Metro lines at Sevres-Babylone -- kind of behind the Bon Marche department store.

[robert brown]

Margaret and Singapore, thanks so much for the first-hand info. Singapore, where else did you go? Margaret too.

[sng sling]

Margaret and Singapore, thanks so much for the first-hand info. Singapore, where else did you go? Margaret too.

We travelled from Paris to Burgundy and the Loire and back to Paris. Nothing memorable in Paris other than Bambouche -- we didn't try any of the "name" places there.

Other than the meal at Bambouche, we really enjoyed Chateau Noizay (outside Vouvray) for the friendly service and great kitchen. Cooking was less over the top that the starred places we went, but excellent treatment of good materials.

We had a great meal at Grand Hotel Lion d'Or in Romorantin in the Sologne. Our lack of French fluency was a small problem there, but the cooking was excellent -- especially the mushrooms and game. Also had a great starter of oysters poached in muscadet!!

Went to the 2 starred (formerly 3 star) L'Esperance in Vezelay. Food was good, but we had a sense of its having been too much of a production. The stress of the service team wanting to get back to 3 stars was palpable -- very jet set, self-conscious, and very "Broadway" in feel. Since we were on vacation, I wanted to kick back a bit. That said, the kitchen is great!

Also stayed at Chateau Gilly near Vougeot. The food was wildly inconsistent; I had the worst coq au vin I have ever eaten, including my very earliest attempts with "Art of French Cooking" 30 years ago. My wife's meal was fine. However, the wine cellar is AWESOME! Well priced Burgundies that you'll never see elsewhere.

Our overall sense is that at the top end, French cooking is as wonderful as always. The median is not so good. Lots of uninspired renditions of the typical classics, with little imagination. It felt to me like many places were going through the motions of quality cooking with little care about the result.

[robert brown]

Sng, thanks for the wonderful report. It's a coincidence of sorts what you say about median restaurants as just a few days ago I e-mailed Bux about what I call my "unwashed middle theory"; i.e. that for the most successful dining you patronize the small number of highly interesting chefs and those restaurants that prepare timeless food well while avoiding the great unwashed middle. I said to Bux that Paris was an ideal city to practice this.

Bux went to Le Lion d'Or. We went a few times in the 1980s. I'm glad it is still good. Thanks for the tip about Chateau Gilly. I never went there. Isn't it the place where you turn to go to Saulieu?

[Bux]

sng sling, we came close to crossing paths, if we didn't actually do that. La Cote St. Jacques left us a little cold. Our meal just didn't gel the way I had expected a two or three star meal to and we enjoyed Lion d'Or and Domain des Hauts de Loire more, although, or possibly because, the food was simpler. Admittedly we didn't order the specialties in Joigny and I'd happily return for another try. Nevertheless, we don't have notes on La Cote St. Jacques, but will have more to say about the food in the two Lore stops when I get it all together.