Le Chateaubriand: Paris Haute Cuisine Stripped Bare

Le Chateaubriand
129 Avenue Parmentier,
Paris, France
75011
+33 (0) 1 4357 4595

Ah Paris... the birthplace of Haute Cuisine... the home of some the largest names in the culinary world from Robuchon to Ducasse to Gagnaire... home to some of best patissiere's... a foodie's playground... that is, if you're made of loads and loads of cash...

It is true that Paris is awash with some of the most amazing chefs ever to grace the culinary stage, but in most cases dining out in Paris costs an arm and a leg (or three). And while Paris has been made easier to travel to from London now with the Eurostar, it is still particularly expensive to travel to with the recession hitting hard the pockets of many Europeans. It makes such delights even harder to attain. So it is a exciting when one is able to go to Paris, and try some of the most amazingly inventive food without the need to max-out all your credit cards.

What strikes you when you enter Le Chateaubriand is how down-to-earth it is. Stripped of all the opulence that is normally expected from a restaurant in the world's top 50, chef Iñaki Aizpitarte has created a comfortably simple casual space to allow foodies of all walks of life to explore five different dishes influenced from both his travels and where he was brought up in the Basque region.

You don't get to choose what is on offer from the set five-course menu. This, as Aizpitarte puts it, is the way he is able to keep the prices low. But considering the it being a five-course meal, we did not expect it when we were graced with five other wonderful Amuse Bouche: the crisp lightness of the cheese and poppyseed puffs, the citrusy-gingery spicyness of the Ceviche shots, the fruity fried prawns with passionfruit and pomegranate, the tart sweet and gamey black pudding with tamarind powder, and the creamy tartness of the Beetroot soup with fennel which left a cooling freshness on the palate.

What followed the amuse bouche was some other standout dishes including the light and sweet squid and oyster with teriyaki broth, the contrast of textures and flavours from the sweetness to the savoury in scallops with parsnip crisps, and the refreshing desserts of apples with butternut squash and rose, and chocolate with celery and cream.

And so after our amazing culinary journey through ten different dishes we left Le Chateaubriand with palate satisfied and not feeling not too much lighter in the wallet, back onto the cold snowy Parisian streets, blissfully unaware of the our next hurdle in our Parisian journey.... the Eurostar and the backlog of passengers trying to travel to London amidst the snow storms!


Le Chateaubriand Menu - 18 December 2010:

Amuse Bouche: Cheese and Poppyseed Puffs

Amuse Bouche: Ceviche Shots with Lime Corriander Chilli Lemongrass and Ginger

Amuse Bouche: Shrimps with Passionfruit and Pomegranate

Amuse Bouche: Black Pudding with Tamarind Powder

Amuse Bouche: Beetroot Soup

Course One: Squid and Oyster, Radish, Leeks, Tapioca and Terikayi Broth (Encornet, huître, boullion)

Course Two: Scallops with Parsnip Crisps, Root Vegetable Mash and Salsify (Saint-Jacques, racines, oignons des cévennes)

Course Three: Venison with Three Mushrooms (Chevreuil, champignons, anguille)

Course Four: Apples with Ice, Butternut Squash, and Rose (Pommes, butternut, rose)

Course Five: Chocolate, Crumbled Wafers and Cream (Chocolat, céléri)

 

Petit Fours: Pineapple with Sugar Coated Fennel