I recently dined at Table by Bruno Verjus, a 2-star restaurant in Paris and currently ranked number 3 on the World’s 50 Best list. The background is interesting. Chef Bruno opened the restaurant in his mid-50s with no formal culinary training or background in professional kitchens. He had worked a variety of jobs around the world prior to opening his restaurant. The restaurant quickly earned 1 star and then eventually its 2nd. It debuted in 2023 on the World’s 50 Best at 10, and in 2024 jumped up to number 3. Chef Bruno says that he prizes his suppliers above all else, with a goal of only using what he judges to be the absolute best seasonal products, and then to “cook them humbly” letting the product be the star. He describes his role as a middleman between the exceptional quality produce and how it comes to the diner on the plate. The menu changes daily, and sometimes even between lunch dinner. The story and concept behind the restaurant is very inspiring, and we were excited to try it.
In short, however, Table by Bruno Verjus missed the mark for me. Although the top dishes were amazing and I could see his talent and creativity, most of the dishes lacked refinement and balance. While the food was certainly “good,” the quality relative to cost was way off the mark. Table’s €400 price tag was on par with two 3-star establishments we dined at, but for the same cost, Table’s food was significantly less impressive and enjoyable. If you’re going to spend around €400 for a tasting menu in Paris, there are many places with significantly better food.
The restaurant itself is a sort of open kitchen concept, with a long stainless steel counter running the length of the kitchen. This means most of the seats are functionally chef’s counter seating. The floor was stone. But because of the natural uneven surface of stone, coupled with the counter-height bar stool seats, my companion’s seat was very wobbly all evening. Even after alerting the staff, they were unable to get the chair situated on an even level, so the chair was constantly wobbling throughout the meal. Also, the restaurant was only about half to three-quarters full, but they played no music whatsoever. And despite being an open kitchen concept, everyone minds their own station, so the kitchen was also very quiet. Between these three factors, the restaurant was almost eerily quiet, and my companion and I felt the need to speak in hushed tones and were self-conscious of laughing too loud. Quiet tones can work in the right restaurant, but for us it was out of place here. All of the other vibes make Table feel informal—stainless steel counters, no tablecloth, exposed brick walls and stone floors, everyone seated sort of along the same counter. It all felt like it should be relaxed and more casual vibes. So, the degree of silence and pressure to keep quiet was a bit uneasy and seemed out of place.
Turning to the food, the first dish was a garden plate of fresh veggies. It was good, and clearly meant to set the tone of showing off the day’s best and freshest ingredients. Arpege had a similar first place, which I found to be slightly better in terms of taste and quality.
Next, the small amuse bites were not for our group. The raw shrimp tartlet was okay. I personally do not love raw shrimp, and prefer at least a very light cook. The oyster was cooked via a quick poach, and it was returned to the shell and served with parley oil and some edible greens. For us, the flavor wasn’t quite there. Cooking the oyster lost some of its natural flavors, and the oils and herbs did not replace the missing flavors sufficiently for me. It was okay. Last was a very lightly tempura fried sardine as a whole fish (not gutted). One bite was good, but the flavor was so, so strong that while I enjoyed one bite, I didn’t want to have more.
Fresh and confit tomatoes in a tomato broth. This was the first very good dish of the night, but it is also a simple dish and hard to miss the mark with perfect in season tomatoes. Very enjoyable.
Next was artichoke hearts in an artichoke foam. I really liked this dish, but my companion found it mediocre and one dimensional. Admittedly, the colors and presentation were not appealing, but I found the flavors and textures delivered. Still, our group was divided on this dish.
Up next was one of chef’s signature dishes. It was awesome. A “cooked, but not cooked” lobster. Raw lobster dropped in clarified butter as the butter is cooling, so it picks up the butter flavor and the slight amount of heat transfer gives coloring to the lobster meat but without really cooking it. So, the dish looks cooked, is basically raw, but tastes deeply buttered. We both loved this dish. This was the first indisputably 2-star level dish of the night.
Next was carrot puree inside herb puree. I thought it was fine, while my companion strongly disliked the herb puree. My companion stopped eating the dish after finishing the carrot puree portion of it. I thought both purées were fine but neither had exceptional flavor.
Next, served together, was red mullet in fish broth and caviar with a potato. The caviar and potato was good for sure, but those two ingredients are both individually and collectively so good that I felt like I should have been more wowed than I was. The fish itself was good, and my companion liked the fish and broth more than me. I found it too one dimensional. Broth was loaded with flavor, don’t get me wrong. But just one note.
Next was another star dish: lamb loin stuffed with herbs, and pan roasted and basted with butter. The fat cap was rendered perfectly and had a great crispy edge, and lamb itself was a flavor bomb and super moist. We loved this dish, even if it was simple.
The cheese course and salad was great. 4 cheeses all really good, and a simple salad with very fresh lettuce. The plating was awesome, with each cheese on a handmade plate that together made a dragon. Chef lived in China for part of his life and it was a cool touch.
3 desserts and all 3 were home runs for me, 2 for companion. Praline ice cream was sweet. Might have even been too sweet if not for the other 2 richer desserts. I really liked it. Next was a madeline served with very high quality olive oil poured table-side for dipping. We both agreed this was genius. We will only ever eat Madeline’s with olive oil from here forward. And it was super moist even without the oil. Not too dense.
Finally, Chef’s second signature dish and one that from reading reviews and even from our own table draws very strong and divisive opinions. Chocolate tarte with caviar. The chocolate itself is a very dark chocolate from Peru. Chef then takes heavy cream and infuses it with chopped capers—yes, capers. And then melts the chocolate with the cream, after straining out the actual capers. Poured into tarte and topped with caviar. The caviar is used in lieu of a flaky salt and meant to achieve the same type of effect. For me, the chocolate/caper combo didn’t work on its own, but was outrageously good once you added the caviar to the bite. Like, wow. Really excellent. The flavors did not work for my companion at all (and from other reviews, many other people are split on this dish too). I happily finished my companion’s tarte.
The quality of the beverage pairing largely outpaced the quality of the meal. It was a good pairing, but there was a large glass with every course, so it was also a lot of wine. Similar to the price of the dinner menu, the pairing was €300, and, while good, seemed expensive.
Sadly, Chef Bruno was not there on the night we visited. From what I’ve read and seen elsewhere, I am under the impression that his personality and passion—described as larger than life—probably plays a big role in the appeal of this restaurant. He’s supposed to be super personable, very passionate about the suppliers he chooses to work with, and speaks very good English. I have no doubt that him being there would have made it better. Other than one staff member, English wasn’t a strong suit of the staff we had that night, so we lost a lot of detail on the dishes. I suspect that wouldn’t happen had Bruno been there.
Overall, my biggest issue was the price to experience ratio. Tasting menu is €400/pp and pairing is €300. While I’m happy to pay those prices for an exceptional meal and pairing, this was not, on the whole, exceptional. Table is charging 3-star prices and very high-end pairing prices for food that is decidedly not 3-star level. For half the price, I’d maybe more enthusiastically recommend Table. But honestly, you’re in Paris, so you can do way better.
by Bob_LoblawPGP