Les Fines Lames — Restaurant in Paris

The food was exceptional!

A last minute find and it was like we hit gold. When you travel it can be a challenge to pick out a place and be confident that it will satisfy all members of your group. After a week of searching, false hopes, and overpriced let downs, Les Fines Lames was nothing short of redemption.

On our last evening in Paris, eager for a meal that would have us talking for years to come, the hunt was on. However, we were late to the game and it began to feel as if the bounty had slipped out grasp. Perhaps our own undoing seeking a reservation last minute.

Yet, luck was on our side. With a simple online booking service, a table of four was secured.

Just around the corner from a bustling collection of restaurants that was inviting but also the epitome of a tourist trap, our dinning venue awaited. At first glance, simple and elegant, nothing too flashy. With a step inside the door, excitement started to build. Met with a warm smile and a charming unique character, it was obvious a treat was in store.

A simple but sophisticated menu made ordering a breeze. A perfect mix of starters brought delight to our eyes. The mains could only be on thing, steak, a t-bone, a rare find. Cooked to perfection for each request - exquisite. Coupled with wines which paired beyond any kinship, how could we ask for more.

To finish, our palettes were cleansed with a flurry of sorbet, followed up with a digestif.

An experience, a must visit, and most definitely a would...

What a dining experience! I started with a glass of there excellent Faugères, enjoying the really nice setting on the terrace in this very typical Montmartre street. I had the Filet with the French fries and a Bearnaise sauce for the fries. After a little misunderstanding on the grilling level, they replaced me the filet (nice move!) and ... what I received then.... I travel a lot for business and can say I eat about 15-20 steaks per year. But this was from far the best of the year, and probably one of the best I ever had. They succeeded in having it have a tiny, just so thin crust from the grill, and then a melting tenderness of meat below. I usually like to have a thick steak and bite large chunks of it. But I caught myself cutting tiny pieces just to have it last longer. The meat was almost melting in my mouth. And the fries!! So crunchy and tasty and... WOW. And then came the dessert... Following the wonderful owner's advice, I chose the Brioche Perdue. Just like one would do French toast, soaking bread in milk and egg, they used a large slice of Brioche, making it even intenser. It came just perfectly sweetened, with one of these crusts, so delicate and just so savoury. It happens sometimes, not often, but today again: when eating some particularly good tastes, I would get 'emotional' and , today again, I had cold chills while enjoying this. Thanks to the owners, who take care of their guests personally. You add this nice 'guesty' note that finished the...

OK, let's face it, Paris has some amazing restaurants and this, this is no exception. Hands down THE best steak (and wine pairing) I have ever eaten. We had a sharing dish, an Angus Rib Stockman. It was charged by the kilo and they bring out a little board to show you which weights they have in the kitchen, so you can choose based on how hungry you are, how many ppl in your group or just how much incredibly tasty meat you want on the huge wooden board that they bring out. It comes with 2 sides and 2 sauces of your choice. We had 1.156kg for 2 of us, they reminded us that the rib weighed about 200g so we should consider that when thinking about how much meat we really wanted....

We had a soup of the day, an amazing gazpacho with pumpkin and basil and the bottle of wine they suggested based on our preferences was an excellent accompaniment.

The service was delightful, although one of us is a fluent French speaker, we still had some questions, we'd never heard of a Stockman before and had plenty of questions re their (very good) wine selection.

The whole experience was by no means cheap, the bill was ~€120 but hear me when I say....worth EVERY cent.

They sent us on our way with a tipple on the house and a huge smile on our faces.

Pretty sure this is the longest review I've ever written, I clearly enjoyed myself. Oh, and have a look at...