Hélène Darroze

Last Saturday I had the best meal of my life.

Not exaggerating !

I wasn't prepared to that. It had been more or less planned as another would-I-want-to-do-an-internship-here restaurant test (with clear positive outcome), as I had read a lot about Hélène. She is one of the few very high ranked (2-stars Michelin) and recognized female chefs, about my age (beyond 25), who was born into a restaurateur family in the south west and made her first experiences as a cook at the side of Alain Ducasse, when he was still "only" a chef in Monaco.

The food was just amazing (and I am missing english vocabulary here, so I will repeat amazing, wonderful, mind-blowing). I don't think it ever happened to me that after a meal I felt like I didn't want to eat ever again, in order not to lose the taste and the memory of what I had just eaten.

Well, Saturday it happened. I don't know how to describe that, but when I had the first bite, the whole world seemed to stop around me, and my mouth was sending "Oh my God !" signals to my brain, there was no other activity or thought possible. I am not exaggerating ! I eat a lot in restaurants, but this has never happened to me before.

I even ask myself whether I should put pictures here, because the plate design, nice but not spectacular, was only a tiny part of the experience, and it is impossible to convey all the senses that were touched...

Initially I had gone there at lunch time instead for dinner on purpose to take the somehow "affordable" lunch menu, but then I was tempted by the white Alba truffle lunch menu. Where else would I have such an opportunity. So glad I followed my temptation.... My credit card was not, but I will not dicuss prices here. Yes you better have made some savings before going there, but then don't look at the price any more, just enjoy this unique miracle of taste. For my part I did not regret any € spent for this meal and consider this as an experience of a lifetime, unless....

...if anybody wants to invite me for dinner in Paris, I would like to chose this restaurant. Registration is open....

Mise en Bouche : choux de brebis, rouleau de boudin basque, mourue

Tartare de langoustine bretonnes aux noisettes du Piémont, "ice-cream" a la truffe blanche d'Alba, jus de roquette. (Mind-blowing)

L'escaoutoun landais lié au vacherin Mont d'Or, truffe blanche d'Alba râpée à cru, beurre noisette

Agnolottis de foie gras de canard des Landes posés sur un consommé de poule en gelée, truffe blanche d'Alba, cappuccino de châtaigne (wonderful).
The chestnut foam was poured on the plate by the waiter at the table.....

Double coulommier à la truffe blanche d'Alba (mind-blowing)
The waiter explained to me, that the cheese had been cut in half, then filled with the truffles, and then stored 2 weeks, so that it would absorb the truffle aroma. It was amazing, I wish I could have kept that taste forever in my mouth.

Crème de mascarpone à la truffe blanche biscuit cuit à la vapeur, truffe blanche d'Alba râpée à cru, cappuccino de lait d'amande
Amazing how she manages to combine truffle taste into a dessert. What shall I say. Mind-blowing. Sorry for being reptitive.

   

Then followed a very original idea to order "café". You could chose among 8 different cafés (espressos of course), 4 infusions (herbal tea) and 9 teas. For each coffee/tea there was a pair of Pierre Hermé chocolate preselected that would fit best, as well as an Armagnac. So you could order a "duo" or a "trio".


I regret that I chose café and I recommend everyone who plans to go there, to order infusion. I got to watch the ceremonie on a neighbour table. Fresh herbs are presented in glass containers on a chariot, then filled into cups, then boiling water added at the table and explained how to proceed further. Alone for this ceremony it is worth ordering an infusion.

And as if all this was not amazing, wonderful and mind-blowing enough, the surprises continued, and a sweets buffet was rolled to my table.

Normally in a gastronomic restaurant, a plate of little sweets would be served with café, just like "mise en bouche" only at the end of the meal. But in this restaurant, you can select your own favourite "final" sweets from a buffet of house made chocolat, nougat, macarons, marshmallows, caramels, etc. etc. wonderful idea. And below is what I chose. I was tempted to ask for a sample of each, but then I thougth I can't do that....So I took only 3, like you do with a cheese buffet. It was a difficult decision to make !

Merci Hélène for a meal of a lifetime.
Merci for showing that women can be successful chefs in France.
I hope to get one day the opportunity to meet her in person. Ideally in her kitchen. Just let me dream.....


Hélène Darroze
4, rue d'Assas
75006 Paris
Tel. 01 42 22 00 11

Comments

[caroline hayes]

Hi - Sorry to send you such a boring comment - I love your blog, and reading about Helene Darroze makes me want to take my mum and sister there. I know this restaurant has 2 michelin stars. Can you give me some idea of the cost of dinner there? Did you try her Salon downstairs which I am told has a tapas menu? Would that be adequate for dinner for 3 ladies? Good luck with your Stage.... Caroline

[jj]

I can tell you that it is very expensive (but well worth it) -- for four people, it was $1000