Restaurant LOUIS — Restaurant in Paris

There are over 100 1-star restaurants in Paris so how do you choose where to go when in town for the weekend? Price point? Of course. There are some 1-star restaurants charging 320euro pp for a tasting menu. That’s just preposterous. Dare I say egotistical bordering on narcissistic by the chef patron. Cuisine, absolutely. Proximity to hotel? To a lesser degree but if it’s walking distance it’s an absolute bonus, especially if you’re going all in with a wine flight. And of course the reviews. I’d take the latter with a pinch of salt in this day and age because we all have different palates and tastes. Restaurant Louis was my 3rd choice but since the first two were fully booked, off we popped.

First impressions? Not good. It’s a tiny restaurant. The internal decor reminded me of a dodgy Indian restaurant off the Old Kent Road. I expected to see poppadoms flying around, mango chutney and flagons of ale. And the chairs. Ikea level and so uncomfortable.

But don’t judge a book by its cover. The service provided by Aurelian and his much younger side kick Bastian was tremendous. So natural. So welcoming and they made every effort to make my 6 year-old soon feel at home. Chef Stephane did pop in for a moment. He took care to say hello to all the diners. Top marks.

Now to the food. Two words. Vraiment superbe!!!

Every course of the 7 course menu was excellent. Every ingredient on the plate had a purpose. Salt sweet sour bitter. Temperature. Texture. Umami on some occasions. There was a dalliance with the Orient in some courses, which worked very well. The standout dish was the starter of pickled daikon infused with rice wine vinegar and mirin. Salty sweet with crunch. Cockles added little pockets of umami. And there was what I assumed was a bed of sheep’s curd that added a soft yoghurt astringency that perfectly paired with the radish. It has to be one of the best starters I have ever had. So simple yet just refreshed every corner of my palate for the gastronomic tour de force we were about to embark on.

Ok I’ve waxed lyrical enough. The grotto soon grows on you too. It’s all part of the charm. And the uncomfortable chairs are soon forgotten when the food is of this standard.

Wine pairing was above par. Particular mention for the cider from Normandy. That was a revelation!! So much so Aurelian kept refilling my glass with it!! Sublime.

I find you often leave 1-star restaurants wondering why they’ve earned such an accolade. I left this place happy and wondering when I can arrange anther dinner...

#11 cf my Michelin Stars Challenge in Paris list. A French explorer from Brittany

The interesting thing here is that it’s a French chef that he is exploring the world, and even Asia with one dish. Oh, it’s subtle, but he’s looking around alright. That’s interesting when most of the chef in Parisian Michelin are Japanese, to have the other side of the coin. It’s perfectly executed and you’ll spend a good time amongst the happy few (must be room for 16 customers or so). But I must speak about the chocolate dessert smoked with beechwood and with a little taste of Cigar! Cf Pics. Yeah, right! Why don’t we finish the lunch a cigar seemed to tell us the chef? You bet I will since my doctor approved this! Joke aside, you can understand through this that the chef has a journey prepared for you. The crowd was couples, friends and business. Great for business lunch in a discreet place.

Solid one star

2022 Update: As suggested in his kind reply to my review, I did come back. The crowd was a bit more international (which is good, it means they know how to deal with non French). The menu changed, which is also something I appreciate. Actually, I even noticed a slight improvement in the salad that goes with the cheese. Food wise I ll say it was slightly better than last year. But the chef keeps this very particular and quite unique personal style. The usage of caviar is one of the best I have tasted. Definitely a...

The waitstaff and service was absolutely first class. However, the food on the tasting menu left much to be desired. We had the 9-course tasting menu, and our final impression was that the chef was more concerned with showing off his artistry and techniques than with the taste and overall dining experience. Our greatest disappointment was the steak course, where the steak was wrapped with seaweed and served with a watercress sauce. The preparation and effort was ruined by the use of a poor cut of meat (supposedly a fillet tail) that resulted in a tough and chewy unpleasant mouthful (despite being cooked rare, as the chef recommended, and as I normally enjoy). Another course of fish in broth (cooked in an exotic fashion by steaming the fish on herbs over the broth in a setup was right out of a chemistry lab) was a disappointment as the fish was bland and the broth was served lukewarm at best. 2 other courses felt like they contributed nothing to the overall experience, though the desserts were excellent and the starters were decent. Overall, we felt like this was not worth our money. We dined at two other Michelin 1-star restaurants the following days, (one more expensive and one less expensive) and their excellence both reinforced for us how unsatisfying our meal at...