L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon, Paris

“Paris! The food will be great!” – most people would say. I would completely agree with patisserie – there is no other places like Paris for the most amazing sweet, cakes and desserts. Much of the Western world communicate using French terminology during pastry making. French food is also (obviously) the best in France. Bistros and brasseries, the traditional French fair can be found in so many (too many) corners and streets. Moving out of these zones, however, I find Paris a little lacking compared to Melbourne. There are good Japanese and Vietnamese no doubt but not as prevalent. In Melbourne, the number of different cuisines, easily accessible, is phenomenal. Forgive me if I am wrong as I have only been here for 2 months.

So, French food is good here. Joël Robuchon is “a star” – with 27 Michelin stars – the most in the world to date. He is also a restaurateur as he owns/operates many restaurants around the world. To see him cook when you eat is probably going to be extremely rare. But the point is, you already missed that time. It was more than 30 years ago when he was awarded the Meilleur Ouvrier de France – a very prestigious recognition that he is the best in the field. His work modernized French cuisine and also brought in influences from Japan, where he also taught.

A month ago, I had the pleasure of eating at the L’Atelier in Paris. A bar-style seating, informal, not stuffy and serving fine-dining – a major shift in French food. One could chose individual dishes or take the degustation menu (menu découverte). Naturally, we took the later since this it would be a long time before I return to Paris again. I thought the food was excellent. The garnish for the pork was a little too salty and the coffee, caramel dessert a little ordinary. The foie gras was seriously beyond awesome – and why not stuff it into the quail! The famous pomme purée was full of buttery smoothness. A small portion is all you need. Service was great and the advantage of bar seating is the ability to dine alone easily or to break up the conversation a little. By the way, I believe after school (if I did finish my 3rd term) I have the opportunity, if I am good enough, to do a 2 month internship here. Quel dommage! I only have time to finish the second term.