Pouliche - Amandine Chaignot — Restaurant in Paris

A stunning experience that transcends ordinary dining, a beacon of culinary excellence in Paris's competitive gastronomic landscape. The kitchen demonstrates remarkable versatility, with extraordinary attention devoted to vegetarian and vegan offerings—a refreshing departure from the perfunctory alternatives often found elsewhere. Every dish emerges as a testament to culinary artistry, where flavour profiles are meticulously balanced and presentation elevated to visual poetry. The wine deserves special mention, particularly the Pinot Blanc—a subtle complexity that demonstrates the sommelier's expertise. This versatile selection proved to be the perfect companion throughout our multi-course journey, its notes evolving harmoniously with each dish to enhance rather than overwhelm the culinary experience. The staff exhibits that rare combination of warmth and professionalism—attentive without hovering, knowledgeable without pretension. Their genuine enthusiasm for both the menu and the dining experience creates an atmosphere of welcome sophistication that puts guests immediately at ease. The thoughtful interior design warrants recognition as a crucial element of its allure. The space achieves that elusive balance of refined elegance and genuine comfort, with carefully considered acoustics, lighting, and spatial arrangement that encourage both intimate conversation and appreciation of the surroundings. Every aesthetic choice serves the overall experience rather than competing for attention. Here, you are not merely offered a meal but crafted a comprehensive sensory journey that exemplifies dining at its most sublime. For those seeking a truly exceptional Parisian dining experience, Pouliche stands in a class of its own—a destination worthy of special occasions and compelling enough to inspire...

Nice though pretty average. Got no “welcome” when arrived, no smile, no warmth. The waiter sat me at my table and left - without drink menu, as there’s no; just a QR code that I asked for before he suggested - meaning, I was sitting in the restaurant with no menu and with no attention for some time. Ok. Then, I had to start the food conversation, saying that I don’t eat fish - though they knew, as I mentioned it in a reservation. I’ve chosen the fish main and ordered a glass of rose. The waiter poured me a tasting of it and got distracted with another table. Without asking for my approval , he just poured me the glass (though the wine was pretty bad. Flat and not even floral or fruity, or mineral. Nothing. Just pink and containing alcohol). Ok, then came the starters. Zucchini and kiwi soup was delicious. Green beans with herring and peaches - tasteless. The sauce was pale, the peaches were unripe and not sweet. Octopus was cooked precisely, but lacked flavour as well. The aubergine cream at the bottom tasted like nothing. I asked for salt, and when I finally got it, the dish became eatable. Main course, sea bass fillet with red fish roe and leeks, was amazing; the plating - horrible. I could not take a bite of all parts of the dish together. Requires a spoon/different plate.

Then, I got a tea spoon for the dessert. Laying on a table that no one cleaned, with bread crumbs drops of sauce. Like, seriously?

The dessert was amazing, though. Rich hazelnut cake with mascarpone cream and raspberry sorbet, fresh berries and...

We elected to come here due to the promising reviews on other platforms. Unfortunately we were left pretty disappointed.

Despite there being ample space available in nicer tables in the front of the restaurant, we were seated in the back corner near the toilets. It took some time of discussion with the staff to finally give us a nice table in the front. It was easier to discuss in French and the owner kindly brought us to the nicer table.

We had the "secret" tasting menu of 5 starters, 1 meat or fish dish, 1 cheese, and 1 dessert. From other reviews, we were expecting some nice starters. But on this evenings menu was only cold vegetable dishes - carrots, haricot verts, sardine pate. Not to our palette, we didn't really enjoy any of those dishes.

One thing that stood out was that after these dishes our cutlery was covered in the dips and the servers didn't want to change them. They wanted us to continue using them for the next courses and only when asked did they change them. Felt like a strange practice given the price point, which wasn't cheap at 65€ per person.

Then came some razor clams and hot zucchini soup. Razor clams are difficult to cook and can quickly become tough if overcooked - which they were. The zucchini soup was very good though.

The entree options were veal or white fish. Most of my family took the veal and I had the fish. Both were fine/okay, but nothing memorable.

Dessert was some chocolate pudding - which was pretty sweet and good.

All in all, not a great experience vis-à-vis...