La Vie d'Ange — Restaurant in Paris

I've been reading about this place and its stellar reviews and I was very keen to try it as it was so close to our appartment. We made a reservation on a Saturday evening to celebrate my birthday and it actually was very convenient as the general strike of Paris was on. The owner is really friendly and welcoming and he is the one who is doing all the serving and order taking. He speaks English very well and he is very helpful to explain every plate on the menu and to propose the right wine to pair your meal. It is a small and cozy place with a nice ambiance. We had a nice dinner and enjoyed our meal. I can't really say it was the best dinner I had in Paris, -as I had read on many reviews-, nor I would suggest anyone to get out of their way to try it. I should also add that it's a bit overpriced. And I believe it would be wiser for the owner to present a wine list with all details and prices on when suggesting a wine. We accepted his proposal without knowing anything about the wine he proposed, without even looking at a wine list, and we got a wine that later we found out it was priced at 42 euros. It was good, but I'm not sure it was worth €42. As I said earlier, a bit...

I first dined at La Vie d’Ange on a visit to Paris nearly 10 years ago when the restaurant first opened. I remembered it being magical — a kind and welcoming husband and wife team running the restaurant who were a joy to chat with, a warm and cozy environment, and unbelievably delicious food.

On a return work trip, I knew I had to visit again and brought my colleagues and friends with me. To say the experience exceeded my high expectations would still be an understatement. Thierry and Aida were just as warm, kind, and funny as I remembered and my entire party was blown away by our food and wine.

To start, we had the escargot and panned foie gras — both delicious.

Each of us had different entrees; duck breast, lamb shank, deer stew, and coq au vin and each thought our own dish was the best dish. I had the 7 hour lamb….it was so tender and flavorful, my taste buds were in heaven.

For dessert, we had two varieties of crème brûlée, both wonderful.

Aida is a wonder in the kitchen and Thierry is a wizard in regards to being knowledgeable about wine. I highly, highly recommend dropping by this gem for a dining experience...

Appalling, pokey, dirty little restaurant with slow service and mediocre, overpriced food.

The decor is dusty, which gives you an immediate insight into the cleanliness of the overall restaurant.

It took 1h to serve us, which I find unacceptable and then the food was over seasoned with what I can only describe as Christmas Spices. Venison, over powered with cloves and cinnamon is just not my thing.

If you have a starter, main and dessert from the very limited menu, you will pay €50-60 per person plus the cost of drinks that will easily take you over the €70-80 mark. Complete extortion.

And to top it all off, at one point I saw the rude waiter wipe his nose with the back of his hand before serving another table. I should have walked out right then and there but was too polite... now I've spent the last 2 days in bed on ibuprofen and paracetamol. Thanks waiter, just...