Jean Imbert au Plaza Athénée — Restaurant in Paris

Jean Imbert at the Plaza Athénée is a visual masterpiece. From the moment you step through the doors, it feels like you’ve walked onto the set of a high-budget period film—or a Parisian Disney fantasy. The grandeur is immediate: glittering crystal chandeliers, gold finishes in every direction, and a dramatically long communal table that anchors the room like a stage. It’s theatrical, opulent, and thoroughly Instagrammable.

The staff only added to the ambiance—young, polished, and modelesque in their appearance, with service that was attentive without being overbearing. I genuinely appreciated their warmth and professionalism, which was consistent throughout the evening.

But when it comes to the menu, the enchantment begins to unravel.

Jean Imbert offers a €340 tasting menu—“Le Menu de Jean”—which is presented as a complete surprise. While I love a culinary adventure and had no qualms about not knowing what was coming, the lack of a wine pairing option with a mystery menu feels like a major oversight. How can even the most seasoned wine enthusiast choose the right bottle without knowing what’s being served? We summoned the sommelier for guidance, and to his credit, he rose to the challenge. He selected a 145€ bottle that paired fairly well across the board, and his professionalism impressed me. But this is a workaround for a problem that shouldn’t exist at this level.

Another misstep? The bread. So much bread. I’ve dined in many Michelin-starred restaurants, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much of it. There were multiple varieties served up front, followed by additional bread throughout the meal—enough to make it feel more like a bakery experience than a fine dining one.

To make matters more confounding, one of the most visually creative dishes—the “Marie Antoinette”—was essentially an artistic homage to… more bread. A thick piece of brioche-like toast encased a warm egg yolk, topped with a dollop of caviar. I understood the conceptual layering—egg within egg within egg—but what landed was bread on bread on bread. Visually clever? Yes. Satisfying? Less so.

Not everything missed the mark. A starter soup was delicate and well-balanced, and the poached lobster was a highlight—though the accompanying lobster sausage, while inventive, felt like an unnecessary twist. Lobster doesn’t need to be a sausage. Sometimes creativity is best reined in.

By dessert, we were overwhelmed. Not just full—stuffed. The pacing of the meal left little breathing room, and the dessert course felt like an onslaught rather than a finale. At a certain point, no matter how exquisite the patisserie, there’s simply no space left.

In the end, it’s a tale of two experiences. The setting and service are world-class. The food, while occasionally memorable, felt inconsistent—more focused on aesthetic flourish than flavor harmony or pacing. For a one-star Michelin, it’s a respectable showing, but not yet a destination-worthy experience. There’s potential here, no doubt. But until they fine-tune the tasting menu concept and rethink the bread obsession, Jean Imbert’s vision may remain more beautiful than it is satisfying.

Still, as you step out onto Avenue Montaigne and catch a glimpse of the Eiffel Tower twinkling in the distance, you’ll be reminded that in Paris, the setting alone can...

An elegant tribute to the classic French recipes

I must admit I was a bit worried before sharing a lunch with my goddaughter - a fan of fine gastronomy like me - to the Plaza Athénée’s flagship, given the controversial opinions on Jean Imbert’s « parti pris » since he took over from Ducasse and the - sometimes - harsh reviews posted on Google or other websites. I would have been very disappointed to fall into a « tourists’ trap » as a few are describing it, but I hardly believed a palace as the Plaza would have played such a pointless game.

First of all, I find very comforting that young talented chefs assume and propose such classic French meals. There are enough proposals for modern, light and innovative cuisine in Paris and elsewhere. Of course Imbert is not the only one to play the classics among the starred chefs but the fact that he assumes it so explicitly with the communication tools of the younger generation is a form of public service for the international branding of the French cuisine legacy.

Second, the food. Well, it was simply very good, from the beginning to the end. The Belllevue (I did not know what it was, so happy to have.learned something) was good and refreshing to start with. The fried artichoke (a la Médicis) had a very nice consistency but the taste of the carpaccio of artichoke leaves was much more balanced and excellent. The Bar looks undercooked at first glance but it was not, actually perfectly soft and mouth-melting. But I must say I regretted not to have selected the peach duck my goddaughter was smart enough to pick from the menu. The duck itself was excellent but the tartine of duck’s offal was just the climax of the lunch, with both the sting taste from the duck liver and the acidity of the red fruits. By the way, if there was a persistent taste along the whole lunch (from amuse bouche to dessert), it was probably some level of welcomed acidity from the use of many different red fruits. A positive surprise when everyone is warning about the richness of the menu. Ultimately, the grand dessert (rightly advised to be shared by M. Decourtiade) was a mix between wonderfully light and balanced proposals (pêche Melba, Fontainebleau) to (too) sweets (glace au calissons) or less affirmative (Charlotte au chocolat).

The service was good, curiously a bit slow to start, but once M. Decourtiade introduced the menu, everything fell into place efficiently. Special mention to the sommelier who proposed some solutions by the glass that matched perfectly with the different meals, while being very friendly and funny.

So why not 5 stars? To be frank, I was almost prompted to give 5 stars to offset some of the excessive harsh comments I have read and I think are deeply unfair. But the truth is that not everything is perfect either. I will skip rapidly the question of the price. Yes it is true that the price is more at the level of a 3 stars than a one. But first, I think the food deserves 2 stars and second you pay what you get for: a 3 hours show in a beautiful room in a palace in one of the most prestigious avenues of Paris. It is still true however that some meals and especially wines by the glass might be a bit too pricey). The food and service are definitively between 4...

#92 in my challenge of trying every Michelin Star restaurant in Paris (the challenge is complete but follow me as I’m now publishing the reviews and starting a new challenge)

What’s interesting here? As usual, I’ll focus on only a couple of things otherwise I could go for ages. What’s interesting is how the place really fully expresses itself through the desserts.

What you have to know, and, because i did not as I don’t watch tv I’m completely immune to it, it’s Jean Imbert is famous. He’s French Tv famous, which is real fame, I’ll give him that. But as you’re reading a review in English, you may not fully appreciate the extent. Does it matter? Well, it does because thanks to his fame, the restaurant is completely transformed. And thanks to the freedom he has been granted he resuscitate the art de vivre and its grandiose luxury from the late 19th century. The flowers, the little bell to call for service (useless therefore a must), the gorgeous dishware, the candelabra, the dishes, their presentation, etc… OMG would be appropriately used there. It is truly insane. The completely assumed goal is to extract you from your world using luxury as a mean. You know what? It does work. But it does something else. Something that amazed me and you’ll truly see once you reached the dessert. The place resuscitate, is brought to life, and you’re carried away. The desserts are an hommage to the cuisine bourgeoise of the 19th. A cavalry of dessert (I’m not understating here) will come at you, and take you in that golden age. During a brief moment, I could hear the laughter that happened in the same room more than an hundred year ago resonate. I had a « midnight in Paris » moment. I was not the only one, my neighbor was completely taken away (watch the video when they open the dessert « mirror « ) To reach that, it means that the chef and the team (my deepest congratulations to the pastry team), dedicated themselves to the place and to resuscitate its best hours.

It’s a very solid one star, but more importantly, it’s a luxurious experience, and a...