Lunch at Jamin

[42390]

I had lunch at Jamin about 10 days ago. Here is a report:

This 2 star is located on Rue Longchamp not far from the Trocadero. I made my reservation over the internet about 2 weeks in advance with no problem. The Guide Rouge lists email or websites for several of the starred restaurants. I have found that to be a convenient means for reserving.

The dining room is beautiful with light green walls, upholstery in rose, lots of polished wood accents and fresh flowers. The service was wonderful, attentive without being overbearing.

Two amuse were served, one a small leek and ham tart, another was described as chicken in the style of Thailand which was a small spring roll filled with chicken served with a pepper sauce. For lunch they had an offering called the Menu du Marche, 48 euros. This consisted of 3 plats en demi plus dessert from the chariot.

First plat was a poached egg over a bed of lightly cooked spinach. The egg was covered by an elegant sauce that resembled bernaise. There were some asparagus spears on the plate along with a crispily cooked piece of jambon de Bayonne. Sauce Bordelaise was around the perimeter of the plate. I enjoyed this very much.

The next plat was a piece of St Pierre over artichokes with a spicy pepper sauce. This was well executed but my least favorite of the three.

The third plat was a fricassee of Bresse chicken sauced with its cooking juices along with legumes du printemp. This was outstanding.

The chariot de desserts was a cart stocked with a selection of pristine tarts and freshly made ice creams. The waiter offered me a degustation, putting a small piece of each tart on my plate. These tarts were made from simple ingredients, chocolat, citron, etc but far superior to the products you get at even the best pastry shops in Paris. After the degustation, I accepted an offer of more of the chocolat tart with pistacio ice cream. This dessert was simple but fabulous.

Very tasty chocolate truffles and orangettes came with coffee. For wine I had a demi of Madiran. Total price, 93 euros. This was a fabulous lunch, well priced, great service. I highly recommend Jamin to those who visit Paris. They also had an 80 euro tasting menu but I did not ask what it included.

[robert brown]

Do you mind if I call you "42" for short? You made the restaurant sound very good. It seems more classical than most, which I like. It was nice to hear that the "chariot de desserts" is not yet extinct. I hope you will post more in the future. Thanks 42.

[jorge]

Great to here about Jamin. Benoit Guichard ( a disciple of Robuchon) is an excellent chef. I had a memorable lunch there back in 99' which consisted of ( saved notes) :

a Light veloute of eggplant with langoustines, served cold. very refreshing and great flavors

Feuillatine of monkfish with chanterelles and a sauce of lobster's coral. This dish was my favorite- the execution was flawless- perfectly cooked fish, chanterelles aroma was haunting, the sauce- pure lobster flavor.

Rack of Lamb grilled, served with baby spring vegetables glazed with olive oil and herbs. and a light lamb jus.

Chariot of desserts. I had a delicious chocolate tarte with pistachio ice cream. Mignardises followed.

Jamin is a very small, cozy restaurant that made me feel like I was in a house in the country (nice after walking the streets of Paris) The food was not over the top, experimental, or too creative. Just solid. Would like to go back and see what he is doing now

[kudzu]

I have a confession to make about Jamin -- it's my favorite haute cuisine resto in Paris. I've

been to, over the years, Lucas Carton, Arpege, Pierre Gagnaire, Guy Savoy, Taillevent, etc. and I don't understand why Guichard doesn't merit three stars in the mind of the

Michelin inspectors.

Sure, Gagnaire is fun and experimental, Passard is intellectually satisfying and

daring in his embracing vegetables as a basis for cuisine, but -- the food at Jamin is always

satisfying and enjoyable on every level. One never feels as if one is the subject of an

experiment, but the food isn't stodgy or overly classical, either.

I like the cheese cart, but not the dessert cart -- it tends toward less interesting

desserts that can stand up to being left on a cart. (Don't get me started on

Passard's "Tomate confite aux douze saveurs," it's an inferior rendition of

a famous Bengali tomato chutney that's served as a dessert with pooris).

I remember: a lovely amuse bouche of araignee de mer in avocado cream,

dotted with creme fraiche; a "vichyssoise" with ribbons of leek and

langoustine; a pan-seared John Dory on a very tart, lemony compote

de fenouil; roast pigeon with a medly of fava beans and peas and

tarragon;

Oh yeah, another thing: while I prefer a chef and sommelier to go to the

trouble of pairing wines with courses, as they do at Lucas Carton, I was

happy that the wine list at Jamin has many half bottles.

Well, as Dennis Miller says "I don't know, that's just my opinion, I may be wrong."

[Gary Marshall]

http://www.patriciawells.com/reviews/iht/iht.htm

whilst looking for a jamin website i found this.....

[Bux]

Well, as Dennis Miller says "I don't know, that's just my opinion, I may be wrong."

You're welcome to your opinion and you're welcome to post that opinion here. Let me add a few of Patricia Wells' comments from the review Gary Marshall linked to in his message.

f all the chefs I have spent time with over the years, few have impressed me with their depth and stability as has Benoit Guichard, on his own since 1996 at the famed restaurant Jamin in Paris?s 16th arrondissement.

Guichard ? with two well-merited Michelin stars to his credit -- is now cooking on all burners, and                        has fine tuned his style, which is by no means static. His menu changes almost day to day, as one ingredient enters the market and another departs.

If you're wrong, at least you're in the neighborhood of some good company.

[molto e]

I was aware of the accolades that Chef Guichard has earned since he has taken over Jamin in 1996 and after eating lunch there, I can say that this is a restaurant not to be missed. This is restaurant that is classical French with a slight Asian influence.

Amuse-Tuna tartare with balsamic and chili oil

This was a delicious amuse, I do not recall ever having balsamic with tuna tartare, but it worked perfectly

Gazpacho with avocado mousse

Ravioli of langustine with chanterelles

The pasta was cooked well and the langustine was perfectly done.

Seared foie gras with peach and green grape juices

Most of the Foie I encountered was a cold preparation, so a perfectly seared Foie was a delight

Filet of Brill with summer vegetables cooked a la grec

The Brill was cooked perfectly and the vegetables were perfect

Rack of lamb with peas a la francais with bacon[Pyrenean milk lamb]

The lamb was juicy and the peas were out of this world

Cheese

Dessert Amuse-Roasted fig, vanilla ice cream

Dessert Cart

The kitchen originally designed by Robuchon 20 some years ago, wow was he ahead of his time.

This was a great experience at Jamin. The service was flawless and extremely well versed in the cuisine. The food was well balanced and tasty. Jamin is a must if you are in Paris.

Molto E

[John Talbott]

So the report that Michel Del Burgo would be back at Jamin is untrue or at least premature? I walked by yesterday and it looked unchanged (esp same menu outside).

[docsconz]

Not a bad looking meal at all.

[MobyP]

In the L'Atelier du Robuchon book, the cooking suite is in the middle, not along the wall. I thought that kitchen had been in Jamin. Was it elsewhere?

[molto e]

In the L'Atelier du Robuchon book, the cooking suite is in the middle, not along the wall. I thought that kitchen had been in Jamin. Was it elsewhere?

←

Moby,

That is the kitchen from Jamin and he told me that was the kitchen that JR designed 20 sum years ago. They do not have a walk in because everything comes in fresh that day which I found cool.

Molto E

[fresh_a]

I spoke to the Jamin people a couple of months ago as soon as I heard the rumour. They confirmed that Jamin was indeed for sale, but said that Del Burgo talks too much, and always throws around ideas, then drops them. Time will tell.

[BigboyDan]

In the L'Atelier du Robuchon book, the cooking suite is in the middle, not along the wall. I thought that kitchen had been in Jamin. Was it elsewhere?

←

Moby,

That is the kitchen from Jamin and he told me that was the kitchen that JR designed 20 sum years ago. They do not have a walk in because everything comes in fresh that day which I found cool.

Molto E

←

Cooking equipment aligned along a wall is called a battery which is manned by a brigade (with a cook at each "station"), the preferred system for hotels and larger kitchens with many cooks serving many dishes (Pierre Gagnaire stills use a brigade set-up, albeit a smaller one). The cooking suite (used almost exclusively in French kitchens), set in the middle of the kitchen, has always been popular in smaller French restaurants (Alain Chapel, for one) where there are fewer cooks, stations are easily accessed by all personnel. Almost all new French kitchens built now contain the suite.

[ulterior epicure]

fresh_a.

planning to go to jamin next week... should i not? has it been sold? do tell!

u.e.

I spoke to the Jamin people a couple of months ago as soon as I heard the rumour. They confirmed that Jamin was indeed for sale, but said that Del Burgo talks too much, and always throws around ideas, then drops them. Time will tell.

←

[fresh_a]

For the moment, seems the staff has all remained the same. There is a change in the air, but noone knows what it is. And it is sure that Benoit Guichard is retiring soon...

[John Talbott]

For the moment, seems the staff has all remained the same. There is a change in the air, but no one knows what it is. And it is sure that Benoit Guichard is retiring soon...

←

This may be misinformation as Fresh_a warned even farther upthread, but lesRestos.com says del Burgo will take over at the beginning of December.

[Laidback]

For the moment, seems the staff has all remained the same. There is a change in the air, but no one knows what it is. And it is sure that Benoit Guichard is retiring soon...

←

This may be misinformation as Fresh_a warned even farther upthread, but lesRestos.com says del Burgo will take over at the beginning of December.

←

If this takes place we should start a pool for his date of departure; after all he has bounced from Avignon, to Carcassone, Le Bristol, Taillevent, Negresco, Bastide de Gordes, and Moscow, and probably Fresh_a could fill us in on a few more sightings. I have had the pleasure of sampling his enormous talent at only 2 of the above. The descriptor peripatic seems to fit M. Del Burgo.

[fresh_a]

I'll try to find out today...

[ulterior epicure]

I'll try to find out today...

←

fresh_a.

What news? Is it better to err on the side of caution and steer clear of Jamin in the coming few weeks?

U.E.

[fresh_a]

It's always going to be a quality establishment, and has been one of my favourite two stars in Paris, but changes are a-coming, and I can't guarantee perfection with an imminent chef-change..

[ulterior epicure]

thanks fresh_a for the update. will 'proceed with caution.'

have you been recently?

[PaulaJK]

We have very fond memories of meals enjoyed at Jamin

during the past few years. But I wish that I had read this

series of posts and not visited there on Thursday last. We

changed our reservation for Table de Robuchon in favor

of Jamin. Only 4 tables were occupied, making a too-

quiet atmosphere. The room is beautiful as always...and

the service staff was professional but [perhaps] dispirited.

Guichard was still listed as chef although he did not make

an appearance.

The menu degustation was merely a combination of an

entree, fish,meat,cheese & dessert.

The amuse was an uninviting chewy baked clam topped w. herbs.

Creme legere w. cepes & langoustines --mild broth, sweet

langoutines, segments of cepes which may have been pan

sauteed first.

A too large portion [2 fillets] of John Dory, nicely cooked

but without interest.

Roast pigeon,rosy as requested ..tasty..foie gras in savoy

cabbage

Slivers of cheese from a chariot

A chariot of uninteresting desserts...2 cakes and a few tarts.

I chose the passion fruit tart which really was tasty but the

stubby wedge [the tarts seemed to be 6" diameter and 1-1.5 " high]

would have been preferred as plated full wedge w. fruits,creme,etc.

In today's world of variously shaped & textured plates, all of

these courses were served on the same round white china

plate w. a thin turquoise line of the rim. So no passion in

the staff, cooking or presentation.

Per another post re; Michelin 2006, I don't think Jamin will

garner any....and I don't expect it to be in existence if our

night was a typical one.

[ulterior epicure]

PaulaJK

What a pity... I'm sorry you had such a disappointing meal.

U.E.

[fresh_a]

They're closing February 7th. Michel del Burgo has nothing to do with the new project, the restaurant having been bought out by Babette de Rosière, a French TV presenter.

[fresh_a]

Actually, it's quite confusing. As of wednesday, the Figaroscope said Michel Del Burgo was definitely taking over Jamin (as I thought was the case). Perhaps Babette is the investor, and he is the new chef...this is what I am thinking....If so, there's still hope

Edited January 28, 2006 by fresh_a (log)