Restaurant Frederic Simonin — Restaurant in Paris

I was in Paris on a work trip and came here for a break from being professionally "on" all week. To be honest, Frederic Simonin was not my first choice, but it was the closest Michelin-starred restaurant to my hotel and you know how it is when you're an introvert.

For a one-star restaurant, the experience was disappointingly average--and I say this based on having been to one Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world (yes, the world, not just Europe). The dishes were well-cooked, but not particularly unique or creative, and even by French fine dining standards, it felt like the chef played it too safe.

I did the five-course Tentation menu. The most promising bites were honestly the two amuse bouches: 1) Radish jelly, horseradish cream, bread, and 2) A mushroom tartelette and curry yuzu tartelette with fois gras.

Then things got boring with a dish of asparagus, mustard seeds, and matcha powder. I appreciated the fresh mustard seeds, but the asparagus was unseasoned and the use of matcha just eye-rolling. Some homemade buckwheat bread and buckwheat butter came after, which was nice, but they took my bread away before I had a chance to finish it all!

Next was a dish of monkfish with daikon, mushrooms, chive flowers, and dill, which was perfectly cooked but too salty. The next dish of seared veal was unfortunately even more oversalted, though the accompanying swiss chard-wrapped dumplings were great.

I was at a loss when my server set down a large bowl of "super-sized mashed potatoes a la Joël Robuchon". By "super-sized", I guess they mean that this one has even more butter than Chef Robuchon's...but the whole thing felt bizarre and out of place for a tasting menu that's supposed to celebrate the produce of spring.

Dessert was better: a hazelnut cigar with oranges, raw hazelnuts, orange slices, and a delicious scoop of saffron ice-cream. The obligatory petit fours were a bit lackluster: a yuzu marshmallow, a candied pear gelée, caramel, and a pear and almond financier--but I suppose it's not nice to complain about freebies.

Where FS really fell flat was the service. I had multiple servers throughout the dinner, and they were all at least a BIT snooty. Look, I lived in France many years ago, grew up speaking French and have been to Paris many, many times. I expect a bit of that French haughtiness everywhere I go. But at a Michelin-starred restaurant, the service shouldn't be like this. I've dined at enough to know. The service was the worst part of...

#42 see my Marathon des Étoiles list on Googlemaps A chef with a strong character in beautiful but discreet restaurant. The first thing worth noticing here is when you start to taste the dishes. Instantly you’ll know that the chef has a strong character. His cuisine is very tasty and will not go unnoticed. Still it’s done skillfully by the chef who was “meilleur ouvrier de France “ (basically Top Chef without the show and the drama judged by only pros). One sign of mastery is that the main dish is in line with the others (often the skills are shown in the starters or dessert, leaving the main dish as the weak link). The interesting point is that the restaurant design and service don’t reflect this strong character. The service is very discreet and of course extremely nice. I m saying of course but they are above average in a Michelin star. The design is very modern, what I call “cosmopolitan “. You could be in an elegant and modern restaurant in New York. This contrast is interesting but doesn’t change the global appreciation. It’s just that the cuisine has a lot of character, and the design is gorgeous but expresses slicker side. Mood/Dress code: it’s an high end restaurant, for quite wealthy patrons who don’t need to show off their money. Dress well but you don’t have to flash your wealth. The crowd: We were there a week end lunch. My appreciation is a bit biased. But I saw family, friends, young and older couples. I think it’s perfect for a quiet business lunch. Also, perfect if you’re in an hotel nearby and you want a great meal, well served , comfortable and yet relax. I don’t think it’s a spot to people watch (or to see and be seen). It’s a solid one star My experience: I spend a great time, each dish create its own experience, and still the entire meal had its coherence.

Update 2022: Went back during the week. I was sad to hear that the waiter I had last time left for overseas. You’ll see that the menu had changes. The appetizers stayed the same but after that you’ll be able to enjoy new dishes. Still a strong character with a lot of flavors. I appreciated the seasonal dessert. It’s definitely a...

Came for lunch and had an exceptional meal. I feel really sorry to cluster all the French chefs in one but I have not had one bad experience at any place who is listed, let alone have a star or more on Michelin. They are half the reason why I keep coming back to France (other half is boulangeries and wines) and I want to say Frederic Simonin keeps my beliefs that France provides one of the best western food in the world. If you can see, the chefs attention to detail is exceptional and the presentation was really cute. It was like eating a miniature forest! The dessert was also amazing, it wasn’t just so dynamique and elegant but the flavour blew my mind as it had the best of what a citrus can provide all condensed in one plate.

Servers spoke very good English so I didn’t get to try my broken up French that I’ve been studying for a while now but they were very nice and didn’t make me feel out of place for wearing a t shirt (I still had pants and shoes) as I had trouble with the transportation and didn’t have time to change.

Next time I come back I will check out some recent photos and definitely come back, hopefully this fall when I can make time to come back to Paris again. Thank you for the great experience to all the staff(and other French food industry professionals), you make my life 100x better and something to look forward to everyday as your dining experience ads color to my life which I only get to live once. You are one of the reason why I do not regret being born to die and not regret at all, as long as I am able to experience something you...