L'Oiseau Blanc — Restaurant in Paris

#65 in my Michelin Stars Marathon. Earthy delights touching the sky

Just like the previous review, there’s so much to say here, that I ll just try to focus one main point. You’re in the sky with a chef that totally assumes being from earth! First, let me give the context. The owner of the Peninsula brand is crazy about planes. Each palace has a reference to them. Here, it’s to « l oiseau blanc «  the white bird, a pioneer equipage that tried to cross the Atlantic right before Lindbergh. It’s not just a reference, the entire restaurant is an hommage with a plane (actually a slightly smaller copy), the decoration, and the toilets. Yes, you read it correctly. The toilets design worth the trip. And not only because there’s a perfect Instagram shot from its balcony. No, just the Art Deco design is a wonder. Have a look at the pics and the videos. But let’s focus to the main dining room. You’re basically in the Parisian sky, with the Eiffel Tower and the sacré cœur. Quickly you’ll realize something. The chef is from earth. And he likes it very much, thank you! He has a tough job. Palace’s crowd is an headache. Why? Because you have accommodate a wide range a taste. How can you create a plate that pleases a French, an American, a Asian etc…? Well, the chef uses his love for earthy pleasure, with a masterful technique and a bit of ingenuity. For example, we had scallops with truffles. Perfect match. And perfect for an international palace. The simple fact that the chef went there shows you that he assumes his loves for tasteful cuisine, and his unapologetic about it. You know what? Don’t be, I love it! And I think it’s a great match with the crowd and the place. At the end of the day, you do not have that many chefs like him in Paris (or at least that are in a place where they can do that). It’s refreshing to have a guy from the north west of France that assumes it roots (but does not stick to it), offering genuine French cuisine to his customers. The crowd and atmosphere is very palace. A mix between travelers and locals enjoying the place (like me). We had very few business, more family and friends. Note that there’s a “table du chef” (chef’s table) during the summer evening hidden on top of a roof a bit outside. Perfect to pop the question. The service is at a palace level, especially with the maître d hôtel and a young recruit we had. They know how to make you feel special, and that’s a great gift. My experience: The cuisine is clearly a top tiers one star. But for my personal taste and thinking of it after a couple of days, we had a two stars palace experience.

Update 2022: Back « l oiseau blanc » a year after and now boasting 2 stars. Glad that they had, as I thought it was a two stars material indeed. But now, it’s really a two stars. Not a contender anymore. The main point is that the generosity is more assumed, and yet more refined. Some would say more mature. I would say better. The videos and new pictures will be posted directly, you ll see.

It’s already a very solid 2 stars....

I very carefully selected L’Oiseau Blanc for my wife and I to enjoy our first dinner in Paris on our honeymoon and on a very special date for us, June 11th, the date we got engaged and the date we met. I really wanted us to have an amazing experience and for our meal to be unforgettable but L’Oiseau Blanc unfortunately fell short and left us with very mixed feelings and an overall negative experience.

To start off with the positive, the atmosphere and decor were stunning as expected - the luxurious white interior full of sunlight and 360 degree rooftop view of the beautiful city of Paris and the Eiffel Tower were absolutely stunning and the aviation theme was charming and refined.

We ordered the tasting menu paired with various wines and each course was beautifully presented, and challenged, engaged, and stimulated our palates. Each dish masterfully built on the previous and transitioned into the next to tell a beautiful and elegant story of French cuisine. In particular, the crab and duck were outstanding and some of the best we ever had. We thoroughly enjoyed the cuisine.

Unfortunately the service was severely lacking and nowhere near Michelin star standards. The managers/servers were very inattentive and cold/aloof. We saw no smiling, eye contact, or warmth, only coldness and disdain. One of our wine orders was forgotten and 20 minutes later I had to flag down someone else to remind them and received no apologies for the oversight. We were largely ignored by our server and not asked if we needed anything else or how our experience was. When we were exiting the establishment two of the servers were chatting with each other and didn’t even bother to offer a greeting or thank you for selecting L’Oiseau Blanc, and when we offered a heartfelt Merci for the delicious meal we were completely ignored by these same two servers which was unforgivable.

The only saving grace among the entire service team and only reason I am still rating L’Oiseau Blanc 4 stars was Anthony, whose beautiful smile, warmth, and humour somewhat salvaged our experience.

I’m sure L’Oiseau Blanc could have been one of our best and most memorable dining experiences in France but unfortunately due to the poor service it left a bad taste in our mouths in spite of the stunning tasting menu. I hope the ownership takes a good hard look at the type of experience L’Oiseau Blanc wants its diners to have and at how it’s service team represents French hospitality and fine dining as a whole. I hope one day the entire staff minus Anthony are retrained to be better and worthy of the 2 Michelin stars the restaurant currently carries.

Due to our overall experience we sadly can’t imagine ourselves returning again the next time we visit Paris or recommend L’Oiseau Blanc to our friends when there are just so many other 2 and 3 Michelin star restaurants in the city that can offer better and more welcoming overall...

Total flop, I wouldn’t be surprised if this place loses a Michelin star soon. Here’s why.

The bad: we were in the corner booth near the airplane and during the dinner on April 27 a spider actually came down on a web and landed on the table. We didn’t mention it because things happen and didn’t want to be seen trying to get a free meal. After we had the starters, the service stopped almost entirely and they did not tell us what the meals were/made of or how to enjoy them like the small bites they did or ask if we wanted drinks anymore. I don’t need instructions, but being so nice at first it was as if we said the wrong thing and they just wanted us gone. Everyone was soooo nice the first 30 minutes and it all totally went stone cold. At one point we waited so long for water we ended up pouring it ourselves (the water was not even at our table) and still no one noticed or offered to help. They charged us for two bottles of Champagne and had to get it corrected. They also served us the desserts incorrectly, which is semi-excusable but for $1,000+ dinner, get it right. That right there is 4 strikes, I’ve had better dinners for $20. If reading this I’d recommend something like Le Ciel de Paris, much cheaper with a better view and they’ll actually make sure to fill your glass with water before they take away the pitcher. I’ve never been to a Michelin Star restaurant let alone 2 Stars and I was super excited for this and it’s ALL hype. The only gripe on the food was the Madagascar chocolate, it didn’t seem to be innovative or taste any different than some melted dark chocolate. The rhubarb was good.

The positives: They were accommodating for us being late though it seems your table for the dinner is held for the night so you can show up any time. The food was pretty awesome, and I was impressed with the service for the first half hour.

My theory is that the positive reviews are “high rollers” spending thousands and thousands of dollars and everyone else just gets bent. We saw other tables have CONSTANT service but for 4 people spending over $1,000 you won’t even get your glasses filled with water. Look around and I’m not the only one saying this.

Thanks for being my first...