Solstice — Restaurant in Paris

I dined at the gourmet restaurant Solstice on a Saturday in Nov. 2022.

Service: I found the service very nice and obliging. There was a good mood in the team which contributed to the generally good atmosphere.

Food: The menu was compiled with sufficient care. I would describe the style as basically classic and almost always enhanced or even replaced with more or less pronounced Asian ingredients, seasonings and/or interpretations. I consider this to be the greatest strength of the kitchen. Everything tasted well and - overall - I was satisfied with the range and depth of flavors. I found the level of most dishes and components high and in some cases (an amuse with tofu, an intermediate course with lobster and perhaps the dessert) even very high. However, the bread was simple, the starter, built around cream, lacked depth and meaning and I found the main course (chicken) quite ordinary.

Wine pairing: All wines came from France, usually from different regions. I found the style of the wines mostly modern and ambitious and with a certain focus on famous wine regions. The wines tasted very good and were matching the dishes. One or two wines were remarkably complex.

Presentation: I would rate the presentation of the dishes as average: Colors and decorations were largely unremarkable. The same goes for the textures, apart from one exception: The dessert bore a crunchy topping of what I think was crystallized isomalt. (However, it did not fail to have its notorious laxative effect, which is why many restaurants refrain from using sugar alcohols.) Apart from one or two very simple surprises and positionings there were no "special effects" included. Besides a simple naming of ingredients, the dishes were served in only a few cases with additional attunements or explanations of the aromatic structure. However, I liked that the team almost always added components to the dishes at the table. Moreover, the proceedings at and around the table were very comprehensive. I found the timing too fast and the sizes of portions good overall. The pre-dessert (was very good) was served not before, but after the dessert - I did not like this sequencing. I would rate the presentation of the wines as substandard: All wines were poured after the dishes were already on the table. In my opinion,  this reduces the presentation of the wines - which ought to be a very enjoyable part of the performance - to an unwelcome disturbance: Meanwhile your food cools down, something frozen melts or something crispy gets soaked in sauce. Moreover, there is no opportunity to familiarize oneself with the wine and finally the chance for a welcome break between courses is missed. The wines were served with hardly any explanations or attunements.

Premises: I liked the brightly decorated small room. Since I was alone, I was understandably seated at a sideboard table, which protrudes from the entrance to the kitchen into the room and which was used to arrange dishes. That was entertaining, but I sat there uncomfortably on a bar stool with very limited legroom.

Price: There were two menus on offer: One with five courses at an unbeatable price of 90€. The other with six courses at 150€, which then would have been a "uniquely prepared meal" with some kind of "high-grade ingredients" ("... nos produits rares …", as it says on the restaurant's website). With a view on the - in my opinion - relatively expensive wine pairing, I opted for the first menu. But I think this was an odd choice: l wondered if the restaurant could produce a gourmet-level menu at 90€? Or would they have to serve some ordinary stuff with "second-rate ingredients" instead of their "produits rares"?

To sum up, I would say that the restaurant met my very high expectations relatively well. The kitchen and the team obviously possess...

#47 follow my MichelinStarsChallenge in Paris An étoilé for the chef

Spoiler alert: it’s an étoilé, you can go. You may want to read the review after. Meilleur ouvrier de France for a chef is way way harder and more prestigious than a Top Chef or any another reality show. Simply because it’s every 3-4 years, you’re preparing it for months ahead and the judges are la crème de la crème. You’re awarded by the French president and there’s a reception (I assume that the food must be good…) at l Élysée. So when you set foot in a restaurant where the chef is a MOF, you know standard should be high. But when, the chef is also part of the Ferrandi school, which is one of the best school for hospitality businesses in the world, you know you’re in a chef for chef cuisine. Then…. Yes it’s not over… you discover that the guy went around the world (Seoul) to open a restaurant and came back with an increased experience and a wife sommelier! It’s a good thing I avoid reading reviews or about the restaurant before because I would not had have fresh eyes. Still when I arrived I knew it will be Haute Cuisine with a design and zen, but not distracting, style. The focus will be about the food. Right from the starter you understand that’s a top tiers one star. The dishes are not necessarily great for Instagram (which is not a bad thing nor a good) but they slap you with their precision, impact and profoundness. I was disturbed at the beginning because I wrongly assumed it was the another Japanese chef trained in Paris and cooking French food (I do my best to go blind to étoilés as i said) but by the second dish, I was really disturbed and then I discovered that was a French guy (Parisian) trained in Asia. It’s not so common and the love connection brings a desire to understand the other culture that you can feel it. Actually, you ll witness it at Accents table bourse that same phenomenon. The professorial side can be felt in all the dishes because they are cases, demonstrations of skills, flavors combinations and chemistry. It is indeed a chef’s chefs restaurant. The crowd was friends, family and couples (it was a Saturday). I could have a business lunch with Michelin aficionado. The dress code/mood: casual chic. No need to show to much jewelry, it’s about the food. Just respect the art and the effort by dressing properly and you’ll fit in. My experience: very focused on the cuisine. Managed to confused me at the beginning. Overall it was an experience. Kind of intellectual experience as it grows on you.

Update 2022: I went back less than a year after the first visit as I did enjoy it the first time. There were some changes. A beautiful community table is now there, as a chandelier. But it s not the most important. The menu changed. Some dishes are new. Some are incrementally improved, like the foie gras and the lobster. I really appreciate when the chef brings variations in his menu. It’s also shows that he’s constantly improving, trying to up his game. I noticed it was a bit more “gourmand “ this year. The crowd was the same, with some foodie foreigners in the know. New pictures and videos directly uploaded A top...

It’s hard to figure out where to start with my review because to be very honest - everything was amazing and honestly exceeded our extremely high expectations!

The Maitre De was warm, inviting and first class. He welcomed us, seated us and chatted with us in a manner which made us feel as though we both knew the Chef and that we were at his home for an amazing meal.

The Server and the Bus Person were both always available, always fussing over us yet they were never obtrusive or bothersome. Our plates were cleaned away, our glasses were full and they were both charming and knowledgeable.

The Sommelier was a true gem. Her wine pairings were perfect - PERFECT! When you go to Solstice, you have to indulge and include the wine pairings with your meal.

And finally the Chef and his staff created for us, one of the best meal experiences we’ve ever had. This restaurant oozes with talent and approachability - not a common combination for a restaurant of this caliber.

If you’re staying in Paris (especially anywhere in the 5 arrondissement) and you do not go to Solstice, in my opinion you have missed out on one of the best meal experiences possible.

Oh, and the cheese dessert paired with the wine at the end was the highlight - make sure to order this when you’re here!

Bien joue and...