Bouche Paris — Restaurant in Paris

Our lunch at Bouche was an unfortunately disappointing experience. Having read and seen many great reviews, I was super excited to try this place. However, the food, service and prices had me leaving disappointed.

First, the good: The aioli was super well presented, the sauce was delicious and most of the seafood was cooked to perfection (prawns were very over and glassworts were under). At 35€, I think it is a fair price for Paris and the quality of the dish and its ingredients. One of the two servers who took care of our table was very enthusiastic and kind.

For the not so good/bad: The carrot soup with mimolette espuma was good but not extraordinary. I personally think that 17€ is an ungodly price for an ordinary carrot soup with an (even if delicious) espuma and a few brioche croutons. The endive was literally raw and tasted exactly like… raw endive. The gorgonzola sauce at the bottom was finger-licking good but it didn’t stay on the endive at all, which made for a dish that was difficult to enjoy in its entirety. It cost 12€. The second server we had didn’t say a word to us after we ordered. Dishes were taken and brought to us without question or explanation and we were presented the bill without a word, which was quite awkward and uncomfortable. Mind you, we are native French speakers so it wasn’t a language barrier.

I really wanted to like this place but, based on my experience, I wouldn’t recommend dining at Bouche Paris because I think the price-quality ratio is off. This is of course my opinion, which you can take as you will with the...

Trendy decor, rushed service, low quality food

My experience at Bouche was quite disappointing. I had been looking forward to visiting for several years, and we finally made the time to go. Unfortunately, there were several clear missteps: We ordered the oysters, which arrived deep-fried. Personally, I prefer fresh oysters, and the heavy frying completely overpowered their natural flavor. The scallops we ordered had the same issue. They were also in a tempura coating. The delicate flavor of the scallops was lost under the overpowering fried coating. Among our group, one person’s entrée arrived 15 minutes after the rest. When we brought it up, the server was dismissive and rude, giving the impression that they were indifferent to our concerns. From the beginning, we were informed there would be a second seating, and that we needed to vacate the table by 9:30 PM. This created a rushed and pressured atmosphere, which negatively impacted the dining experience. I ordered the skate wing (ailes de raie), which was served in a flour batter. The fish was rubbery, and the dish lacked flavor. A simple preparation with butter, garlic, and capers would have been far more suitable. The lamb (agneau) was decent, but at €50, the price felt excessive for the quality and portion size. It was good, but not nearly worth the cost. On a positive note, the espresso martini, margarita, and Negroni were excellent and reasonably priced.

While we understand that the restaurant aims for a high standard, it ultimately failed to deliver. Regrettably, I won’t...

Sadly didn't have such a great time at bouche, despite coming recommended, Granted we were ten minutes late to our table but were sat at the window by the cold draughty door on uncomfortable little stools. The food was full of great ideas but sadly lacked decent execution, the 26 euro fried chicken with mango hot sauce was more of a mango coulis, not really any heat or zing to it. And the char siu monkfish was undercooked and mushy in the middle. I did let the waitress know when she was clearing as it was clear we left a decent portion of it (and it was 32 euros) and she said she'd let the kitchen know. I work in hospitality as a chef and feel like all this could've been sorted by offering the fish dish for half price or offering something different, or a glass of wine or a bowl of sorbet, anything to lessen the sting of paying 32 euros for undercooked fish. But the bill came in full. And that was that. All around not a great experience, and considering it was a reservation we were looking the most forward to, it paled in comparison to pretty much everywhere else we ate over the weekend. (Aside from the bad hospitality of charging full price for undercooked fish the service was very good and friendly, and the interior of the...