Dinner reservation. Le Cinq offers an à la carte menu and a chef’s tasting menu (The Epicurean Escape of Christian Le Squer). I was not that enticed by the chef’s tasting menu, so I ordered some of their signature dishes à la carte/made a tasting menu of my own where they gave me many half-dishes and some full portions. In the end I got quite a lot more food than on the usual tasting menu, so I did pay a bit more than the standard €590.
Foie Gras like a Pebble Poached in Iodized Vinegar Broth (9/10): Great start to the meal! A wonderfully creative and tasty concept. The foie gras was perfectly done, and the small accompanying sauces provided a variety of different complementary flavors.
Gratinated Onions (7/10): Chef Le Squer’s take on the world-famous French onion soup. While it was a great dish, it definitely fell flat in places. I don’t know if it was done on purpose, but the onions were not all cooked the same, which made the bite of the dish a bit strange. The sauce was a bit too thick and didn’t have enough beef/umami flavor. I would have liked more cheese in the dish.
Line-Fished Sea Bass with Caviar and Buttermilk (8/10): Very classy dish! Perfectly done fish with an amazing rich and slightly tangy sauce. The caviar and asparagus were definitely great additions to this dish. Incredible seafood dish!
Dublin Bay Prawns with Warm Mayonnaise and Buckwheat Pancakes (10/10): Even better than the last! The langoustine was perfectly cooked, and though I was skeptical at first, the mayonnaise really worked with this dish. The pancakes provided a very nice and needed crunch to the dish.
Ham, Mushrooms, and Truffle Spaghetti Gratin (10/10): Perfect! Rich and creamy yet light and playful at the same time. The ham and mushrooms paired incredibly with the mushroom and truffle cream sauce. The spaghetti also had a nice slight crunch on the outside.
Fresh and Matured Cheeses (7/10): After putting in my orders, after the previous course, my server asked me if I’d like to have some cheese and salad on the house. Terrific service and hospitality! The aged cheeses were incredible, however, the fresh cheeses definitely had to be switched out. I’ve had far better cheese courses before.
Seasonal Green Salad with Truffle Vinaigrette (8/10): A simple yet well-done salad.
Crunchy Grapefruit Preserved and Raw (9/10): Sorry for the picture quality, my phone died, and I had to use another phone. This dessert was practically perfect! Sweet, tart, and umami all at the same time. Chef Le Squer perfectly used the flavor of grapefruit in this dish, and the different forms of the fruit all meshed really well together. I would have preferred slightly more crunch, though.
Dairy Iced with Yeast Flavor (7/10): Definitely one of the stranger dishes I’ve ever had. I personally think the dish looks great, but yeast isn’t the greatest flavor to have in a dessert. The “paper” on the outside melted on our tongues, leaving a sour, baking powder flavor like a pastry about to go in the oven. Overall the frozen semi-hard semi-soft ice cream ball/soufflé in the middle was fine, but this dessert looks way better than it tastes.
Things not pictured: The bread and butter at this place were incredible, and the kouign amann at the end of the meal were fantastic!
Food cost: €630. Value for money: 2/5. Overall rating: 4.5/5. My Michelin rating: 3*. Would I recommend: Yes
by Schwarzwaldstube
8 Comments
Whenever I see le Cinq, i think of Jay Rayner’s hilarious review, actually I might go reread it now.
I’m gonna be honest, the plating and presentation here looks very monotone and cold. It looks technically well executed and I’m sure tasted exceptional but it just comes together looking surprisingly boring.
Glad it tasted great though!
the spaghetti and grapefruit dishes are probably dishes i want to try more than anything
Btw the foie gras dish picture is stolen from Google, as I unfortunately forgot to take a picture of it.
They were doing the foie gras pebbles a decade ago! Le Cinq was the most disappointing Michelin-starred meal I’ve eaten thus far in my life.
If I see one more quenelle
Thanks for another visit to one of Paris’s gastro temples. I have to admit, the gratinated onion doesn’t really look appetizing to me, but I’d love to try the prawn and the spaghetti gratin dishes.
Le Cinq was paradoxical for me. It felt a little boring overall, but the spaghetti dish is one of the best things I have ever eaten. I still smile at the incredulity of biting into chickpea-sized chunks of truffles that spilled out from the box.
It looks a lot smaller than the last time I had it. OP was it a half-portion?