Holy shit that was absolutely incredible. I was in Paris 7 months ago and thought lunch at Guy Savoy was the best meal ever. Thought I’d probably not return for a while so I booked 8 Michelin rated restaurants. I’ve heard of Plenitude but was not familiar with their story. I was fortunate enough to return to Paris for 2 weeks. I tried to book Plenitude 3 months ago and they were fully booked but I was able to join the waitlist. I emailed them again a few weeks prior to check on availability and still no luck. The day following my arrival to Paris, the manager called me notifying me of an opening. Unfortunately it was on the same day we were going to Brussels to dine at Bozar Restaurant (2*). Then he was able to find me a table to solo dine last night. I was beyond happy.
I was the first guest to arrive. The manager immediately escorted me to the wine cellar. I’m not big on wine but it looked incredible and I’m they could have satisfied any wine drinker. I went with the symphony (largest, 6 course) menu which included the cheese cellar. 6 courses for a 3 star seemed underwhelming compared to the number of course you get at Guy Savoy etc. I was about to be proven wrong.
First bites- crab tartlet was good. Oyster was basic, too much of the creamy foam kinda made everything else get lost. Marinated root veg roll was my favorite. Good texture and acidity from grapefruit sauce.
Canapé – octopus and the first sauce. This was very good. Tiny bite but incredible. You are instructed to taste the sauce first, eat and taste the sauce again. This is to be repeated throughout the entire meal. It’s pretty much like a wine pairing but with sauces. After biting the octopus and chasing it with sauce the buttery notes really came through.
After that dish the manager invited me to into the kitchen for a tour and special treat. Told him I was on a tight schedule and politely declined. Just kidding, I was ecstatic. I was escorted to the chefs table in the kitchen for the next course.
First course- I didn’t even know what I was eating because I was still trying to process everything and there was a long list of ingredients. Fish was very fresh. Sauce had an intense grassy/herbal aroma. Dish was very light and delicious. I though I was getting special treatment because I was solo dining and taking a lot of pictures. Turns out they rotate everyone into the kitchen.
Bread and butter- bread was basic but at least it was warm. Butter was really good.
Second course- this was my favorite sauce. When you are served the plate, they pour you a shot of sauce and the plate is sauced. They leave the container of sauce there for additional shots or to add to your plate. I finished entire container of extra sauce. It was rich and succulent yet not heavy. When poured on the plate, it cools slightly and mixes with the foam sauce on the plate, giving it a different taste and texture. I rotated bites of dish, spoonfuls of the plated sauce and shots of the hot sauce. This was one of my favorite dishes.
More Bread- they bring out a tray of different rolls. I went with the laminated nori. It was good, had crispy flaky layers and was very different. Not buttery like a laminated brioche or croissant but very savory.
Second course- sardine. this was very good overall but nothing stood out for me. The last dish set the bar too high
Third course – turbot. There were little oysters that were the most succulent oysters I’ve had. The sauce was similar to the first bouillon sauce but more heavy and not as flavorful. The caviar was very good
Trou Nourmand – Normandy tradition to have apple sorbet and Calvados before the main course. I’ve many times with a Christmas dinner served at a local French restaurant in Philly. They always poured a full shot of Calvados and you don’t really taste the sorbet. Here I thought I was getting tipped when they poured 2-3 teaspoons. It was the perfect amount. Calvados was much higher quality than I’m used to and sorbet was delicious. Perfect palette cleanser.
Fourth course – pigeon. Breast was grilled, leg deboned wrapped in potato, liver tart. Breast was barely cooked. Skin side kissed the grill. This was the most tender pigeon I’ve had. Leg was super crispy throughout. Liver was like a pate. Sauce had potatoes and olives. I don’t even like olives and still found the sauce good.
Cheese Cellar- more like a cheese closet. I’ve heard about this cheese cellar and thought we would actually be going into a cellar room. There were so many cheeses, I forgot what all of them were by the time the server got to the end. I only remembered which ones were described as “very strong” lol. After returning to my table with the cheese, I was given another entire loaf of bread and a salad. The first salad I’ve eaten in this week full of croissants and pastries.
Strawberry essence – strawberry juice and various flower pollens. This was my favorite course that night. I love strawberries and strawberry flavored desserts. I’ve always found the strawberry flavor to be either sparse or artificial. One of my favorite desserts ever was the strawberry dessert from Jua, NYC (1*). This 2-3 oz glass of juice was the most intense strawberry dish I’ve tasted. I asked for a second glass.
Dessert- strawberries marinated in rose water. Very good dessert, not too sweet. Strawberry flavor in the sauce was not nearly as intense as the essence. I finished the entire sauce dish here as well.
Mignardises- lemon ice cream tart, kiwi and ginger ice cloud, normandy rice pudding. I was surprised they didn’t bring out a huge display of chocolates, macs and caramels. I was so stuffed anyway. They packed a pastry togo as well.
This was one of the best meals I’ve meals and experiences I’ve had. Everything was absolutely top notch. The dishes served were better than the ones I had at Guy Savoy for lunch. I do feel the experience was a bit better as well. After the meal the manager took on a mini tour of Cheval Blanc. Took me to the balcony of Le Tout on the top with an incredible view of the Seine and Eiffel Tower. Next up is Epicure and I will also be doing lunch at Guy Savoy again this week.
TLDR: book the next available table for Plenitude and then book your flight to Paris.
Extcy_2014 on
Holy shit thanks for the writeup this looks absolutely insane. Would you take Plenitude over any other restaurant in Paris right now?
Aware_Grape4k on
Tried for a few months to get a table here, didn’t happen.
Honestly looking at the pictures I just expected “more”. It’s supposed to be the best restaurant in the world and that cheese room looks like the breakfast spread at a 3.5 star business hotel.
There are hundreds of restaurants with a view of the Eiffel, that’s not enough for the hassle or hoops. The dishes look like the dishes at every other stared restaurant and nothing besides the to go treat stands out to me.
IDK, I guess this post is the fine dining version of Paris Syndrome to me 🤷♂️
SizzlingSloth on
Saw the part 2 first and was confused why there was no pictures of the food but here I am. For 3* I would say I think they could’ve given a couple more dishes but it seems like you really enjoyed all of the dishes. Quality>quantity always
5 Comments
Where’s the sauce?
Holy shit that was absolutely incredible. I was in Paris 7 months ago and thought lunch at Guy Savoy was the best meal ever. Thought I’d probably not return for a while so I booked 8 Michelin rated restaurants. I’ve heard of Plenitude but was not familiar with their story. I was fortunate enough to return to Paris for 2 weeks. I tried to book Plenitude 3 months ago and they were fully booked but I was able to join the waitlist. I emailed them again a few weeks prior to check on availability and still no luck. The day following my arrival to Paris, the manager called me notifying me of an opening. Unfortunately it was on the same day we were going to Brussels to dine at Bozar Restaurant (2*). Then he was able to find me a table to solo dine last night. I was beyond happy.
I was the first guest to arrive. The manager immediately escorted me to the wine cellar. I’m not big on wine but it looked incredible and I’m they could have satisfied any wine drinker. I went with the symphony (largest, 6 course) menu which included the cheese cellar. 6 courses for a 3 star seemed underwhelming compared to the number of course you get at Guy Savoy etc. I was about to be proven wrong.
First bites- crab tartlet was good. Oyster was basic, too much of the creamy foam kinda made everything else get lost. Marinated root veg roll was my favorite. Good texture and acidity from grapefruit sauce.
Canapé – octopus and the first sauce. This was very good. Tiny bite but incredible. You are instructed to taste the sauce first, eat and taste the sauce again. This is to be repeated throughout the entire meal. It’s pretty much like a wine pairing but with sauces. After biting the octopus and chasing it with sauce the buttery notes really came through.
After that dish the manager invited me to into the kitchen for a tour and special treat. Told him I was on a tight schedule and politely declined. Just kidding, I was ecstatic. I was escorted to the chefs table in the kitchen for the next course.
First course- I didn’t even know what I was eating because I was still trying to process everything and there was a long list of ingredients. Fish was very fresh. Sauce had an intense grassy/herbal aroma. Dish was very light and delicious. I though I was getting special treatment because I was solo dining and taking a lot of pictures. Turns out they rotate everyone into the kitchen.
Bread and butter- bread was basic but at least it was warm. Butter was really good.
Second course- this was my favorite sauce. When you are served the plate, they pour you a shot of sauce and the plate is sauced. They leave the container of sauce there for additional shots or to add to your plate. I finished entire container of extra sauce. It was rich and succulent yet not heavy. When poured on the plate, it cools slightly and mixes with the foam sauce on the plate, giving it a different taste and texture. I rotated bites of dish, spoonfuls of the plated sauce and shots of the hot sauce. This was one of my favorite dishes.
More Bread- they bring out a tray of different rolls. I went with the laminated nori. It was good, had crispy flaky layers and was very different. Not buttery like a laminated brioche or croissant but very savory.
Second course- sardine. this was very good overall but nothing stood out for me. The last dish set the bar too high
Third course – turbot. There were little oysters that were the most succulent oysters I’ve had. The sauce was similar to the first bouillon sauce but more heavy and not as flavorful. The caviar was very good
Trou Nourmand – Normandy tradition to have apple sorbet and Calvados before the main course. I’ve many times with a Christmas dinner served at a local French restaurant in Philly. They always poured a full shot of Calvados and you don’t really taste the sorbet. Here I thought I was getting tipped when they poured 2-3 teaspoons. It was the perfect amount. Calvados was much higher quality than I’m used to and sorbet was delicious. Perfect palette cleanser.
Fourth course – pigeon. Breast was grilled, leg deboned wrapped in potato, liver tart. Breast was barely cooked. Skin side kissed the grill. This was the most tender pigeon I’ve had. Leg was super crispy throughout. Liver was like a pate. Sauce had potatoes and olives. I don’t even like olives and still found the sauce good.
Cheese Cellar- more like a cheese closet. I’ve heard about this cheese cellar and thought we would actually be going into a cellar room. There were so many cheeses, I forgot what all of them were by the time the server got to the end. I only remembered which ones were described as “very strong” lol. After returning to my table with the cheese, I was given another entire loaf of bread and a salad. The first salad I’ve eaten in this week full of croissants and pastries.
Strawberry essence – strawberry juice and various flower pollens. This was my favorite course that night. I love strawberries and strawberry flavored desserts. I’ve always found the strawberry flavor to be either sparse or artificial. One of my favorite desserts ever was the strawberry dessert from Jua, NYC (1*). This 2-3 oz glass of juice was the most intense strawberry dish I’ve tasted. I asked for a second glass.
Dessert- strawberries marinated in rose water. Very good dessert, not too sweet. Strawberry flavor in the sauce was not nearly as intense as the essence. I finished the entire sauce dish here as well.
Mignardises- lemon ice cream tart, kiwi and ginger ice cloud, normandy rice pudding. I was surprised they didn’t bring out a huge display of chocolates, macs and caramels. I was so stuffed anyway. They packed a pastry togo as well.
This was one of the best meals I’ve meals and experiences I’ve had. Everything was absolutely top notch. The dishes served were better than the ones I had at Guy Savoy for lunch. I do feel the experience was a bit better as well. After the meal the manager took on a mini tour of Cheval Blanc. Took me to the balcony of Le Tout on the top with an incredible view of the Seine and Eiffel Tower. Next up is Epicure and I will also be doing lunch at Guy Savoy again this week.
TLDR: book the next available table for Plenitude and then book your flight to Paris.
Holy shit thanks for the writeup this looks absolutely insane. Would you take Plenitude over any other restaurant in Paris right now?
Tried for a few months to get a table here, didn’t happen.
Honestly looking at the pictures I just expected “more”. It’s supposed to be the best restaurant in the world and that cheese room looks like the breakfast spread at a 3.5 star business hotel.
There are hundreds of restaurants with a view of the Eiffel, that’s not enough for the hassle or hoops. The dishes look like the dishes at every other stared restaurant and nothing besides the to go treat stands out to me.
IDK, I guess this post is the fine dining version of Paris Syndrome to me 🤷♂️
Saw the part 2 first and was confused why there was no pictures of the food but here I am. For 3* I would say I think they could’ve given a couple more dishes but it seems like you really enjoyed all of the dishes. Quality>quantity always
Looks breathtaking.