The Kings (Jean-Paul Arabian & David Fremondiere) are gone and living well; long live the Kings (Eric Sertour & Pascal Bataille - ex-l'Arôme + l'Ami Marcel)
6.8 Pierre au Palais Royal, 10, rue de Richelieu in the 1st, 01.47.07.58.57, closed Saturday for lunch and Sundays, this week got 4/5 blocks from Philippe Toinard in A Nous Paris and 2/4 hearts from Emmanuel Rubin of Figaroscope and I can see why; it’s terrific, elegant but serving gusty food! I went with my friend/colleague/host when I crash in New York, who was doing a consultation a few blocks away, so I wanted a place he wouldn’t have to schlep too far for and it was perfect.
He arrived a bit before me, settled in with a kir and the room started filling by 12h30 and was chock-a-block by 13h00. There were a few Anglos but the majority were locals.
The food is an interesting blend of traditional, neo and fusion. Let me explain.
For a first he had the sautéed cepes (5 E extra) and I the rillons (cold) of beef cheeks and tail. Both were classic and very good.
Then he had a classic tete de veau with gribiche sauce while I had something called a tempura of plaice fish that was almost like the fish in good fish n’ chips, with tartare sauce on a bed of Japanese veggies/seaweed/etc and wasabi.
Finally, we shared a deconstructed pannacotta with a small ball of ice cream. We had no bottled water or coffee, but a bottle of excellent wine.
Without the kir and cepes supplement our bill would have come under the magic 100 € number.
NB there were two entrée specials and two main specials that can be had as part of the very big menu-carte costing 39 for three and 33 € for two courses.
Go again? I plan on dragging Colette here next month.
* Originally published in October 2007.
**Update: I did go with Colette October 19th, 2007 and she was less impressed than we had been.
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