Septime — Restaurant in Paris

As someone who is a food enthusiast, I was extremely excited when I got a dinner reservation after months of trying. Mind you, I got one three weeks out. This is a restaurant who is ranked 24th in the world ranking and has a Michelin star. So it's safe to say, the expectation is high.

When we entered we were greeted in a friendly manner and I would say throughout the meal, the staff were attentive and kind. They explained clearly and were never rushed.

I won't explain all the dishes but I felt the overall dishes were so average, I wasn't sure if maybe we came on a bad day. I know things can be hectic and drama can heavily affect the kitchen performance, so maybe we came on a bad day. But the execution on the dishes were forgettable. I understand the intricacies of the combination of flavor and unique ingredients. But I didn't see any unique techniques represented in any of the dishes. Don't get me wrong, the dishes were not horrible or inedible. Some of the flavor were great and on point. The flavor profile were there but I just expected a lot more from a restaurant of such caliber. I do have to say, we thought lot of the dishes were extremely salty and too acidic. While I appreciate salty and acidic components to be factor of certain dishes in what makes them unique, I felt few of the dishes were over the top in terms of those components.

Please understand, it is not that we didn't enjoy the meal. It's just when you spend 135 euros per person on a meal that is ranked one of the best in the world, there is an expectation. To be honest, my partner and I went to a few tasting menu restaurant in paris that were unrecognized and 1/4 of the price that were much more enjoyable. My partner and I traveled around the world eating at the best restaurants and so we were rating this restaurant relatively based on similar caliber. So maybe you can say it's unfair.

Again, our review is based on our experience that particular night. Who knows, maybe there were issues in the kitchen (missing/shortage ingredients) or staff shortage/problems. Who knows, maybe the guest next day had a way better experience.

EDIT: We spoke with other friends and families who have dined at this restaurant earlier this year and last year. They were also very...

Was thrilled to dine here after securing a dinner reservation via the waitlist; however, I was met with lots of disappointment.

Service: 0/5 Unprofessional Behavior: Upon our arrival, we were excited to dine at the “11th best restaurant in the world” and took some photos of the interior. Despite the restaurant being nearly empty, our servers, Ljuba and a man with a mullet and heavy French accent, reacted with eye-rolling and mocking laughter. Ljuba also consistently addressed us with a smirk and a condescending attitude, which is unacceptable for a Michelin-starred establishment.

Lack of knowledge for menu: When we asked about the ingredients in our hummus, the male server was unable to provide an explanation and did not offer to find out. Typically, Michelin-starred restaurants make sure their staff are well-versed in the menu and its preparation, but this was not the case here.

Inattentive and slow service: We had to wait abnormally long for our water to be refilled as the servers were preoccupied with joking around with each other, as though the restaurant was an elementary school playground. Also, another party that arrived 30 minutes after us finished their meal about 50 minutes earlier. We had to wait extra long between courses and for the bill.

Food: 3/5 Hair in food: We found a short strand of blond hair integrated into the bread that went with our hummus. I couldn’t believe this was happening at a restaurant of this caliber. The servers only said a quick, insincere apology.

A few standout dishes; majority were average: The roasted zucchini dish had an acidic, yet creamy flavor that I particularly enjoyed. The strawberry basil sorbet was delectable, too. The rest were very average, and we also noticed how many dishes had distinctive Asian flavors and cooking methods. The potatoes were cooked similarly to Sichuan shredded potatoes, and the mushroom ravioli broth tasted exactly like Taiwanese beef noodle soup. Perhaps, these are flavors that taste novel to locals but to my group, they were very ordinary.

Overall rating: 1.5/5 Septime does not deserve 11th place on the world’s best restaurants. At 135 euros/person, it was completely...

After fighting tooth and nail for a reservation, I finally had dinner at Septime, one of the trendiest restaurants in Paris. I had the spring menu, which I hope is still a work in progress. The experience was good, but unfortunately it did not live up to the hype.

First to the positives: extremely nice staff and relaxed ambience. Not too formal and the view of the kitchen makes it all the more interesting. Also, the price is reasonable for a Michelin star restaurant and there were standout dishes.

The menu started off really well, with a fried kale, hommus and zatar amouse-bouche. It went on to a delicious fatty tuna and miso, followed by an incredible oyster dish. The next course was an asparagus dish with a surprisingly delicious dark bread sauce. However, at this point I already missed something warm and more substantial. Somewhere in the menu there was a radish course, which was frankly very bland and that was not popular at my table (also, yet another cold course). Towards the end, there was a lamb course served in two steps, the first one a tiny taco (good, but commonplace and also... cold) and a tiny tiny piece of lamb chop barbecued, that could hardly make up for the lack of proper main course. The first dessert was good, the second common and just ok.

Overall I felt the menu lacked evolution. It seemed to take the "springtime meal" concept a bit too literally and didn't really check all the boxes for me.

I also had the wine pairing, which I really don`t recommend, unless you are a big fan of low intervention organic wine. The sommelier was very nice and extremely knowledgeable, but he as clearly trying too hard to think outside box (Armenia, Georgia, off the beaten path in Spain, grape beer, seriously?). Most pairings had a lot of thought behind them, but the wines, in and of themselves, were unremarkable. I feel like there could at least be an option of a pairing that is not so organic-focused.

This was my experience. I hope the menu undergoes some changes, maybe adding some warmer dishes and dropping that radish course.

It is by no means a bad restaurant. It just had a lot to live up to and kind of fell short for my...