I believe it’s not difficult at all to find out more information about either l’Arpège or Alain Passard via the powerful Google. Then, I’ll pass this task to it.

The images will talk. So, please enjoy the photo show as follows -

The aperitif - Champagne Billecart-Salmon Extra Brut

The Radis

2009 Weingut Knoll Grüner Veltliner Federspiel Kreutles

The gaspacho

L'Amuse-bouche - The little vegetable delight

L'Amuse-Bouche - The little vegetable delight

La Gratinée d'oignons avec des citrons confits

The green salad of cucumber & melon

The sea bass carpaccio

The haricot, white peach, and basil mousse

The tagliatelles

The tomato cubes with honey sauce

The exquisite vegetables raviolis

The transparent "gnocchis" made by tomato cubes wrapped with sliced cucumbers

The tomato salad with the raspberry sauce

Nothing more than a decoration...

A smart knife stand

Le homard des îles Chausey - The lobster from the island Chausey

Le homard des îles Chausey - The lobster from the island Chausey

L'agneau - the lamb

2007 Domaine Jean Foillard - Morgon "Côte du Py"

La tarte feuilletée aux pêches et dragées - The peach pie

Les petits fours chez Arpège

l’Arpège (map)
84, rue de Varenne
75007 Paris
Tel:  +33 (0) 1 47 05 09 06
Fax: +33 (0) 1 44 18 98 39
E:  arpege.passard@wanadoo.fr
www.alain-passard.com 

Here, I’ve listed 11 bistros I like very much in Paris. I tended to make the info brief rather than detailed, for those people who need a quick review. I’ve also uploaded a lot of photos to my Flickr albums which might be helpful as a reference.

Price range -
Lunch set – 30€ to 40€
Dinner – 30€ to 60€

Paris 75001

Les Fines Gueules

Les Fines Gueules

Check my report about Les Fines Gueules.

Hours:  Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.  Bar hour till late night.
Address:  43 Rue Croix des Petits Champs, Paris 75001 (Map)
Metro:  Palais Royal, Bourse, Sentier, or Pyramide
Tel :  +33 1 42 61 35 41
Flickr Photo Set

Yam’Tcha

Yam'Tcha

Just started in this year, Yam’Tcha has been a big hit in Paris. Every gourmand friend of mine is talking about it. I went it once this summer and found it intriguing. The female chef Adeline Grattard has an impressive resume: worked with Yannick Alléeno at the Hotel and Pascal Barbot at L’Astrance-l’Astrance in Paris and then spent 2 years working in Hong Kong, including at the restaurant BO. IMO, her cuisine is full of Asian touch, the presentation is very French however. Please make a reservation as early as possible.

Open Hours:   Wednesdays to Sundays
Add: 4 rue Sauval, Paris 75001  (Map)
Metro:  Louvre Rivoli
Tel: +33 1 40 26 08 07
Flickr Photo Set

Paris 75004

Benoit

Benoit

Founded in 1912, Benoit has kept its well-known traditional cuisine well till now. It’s a bistro very comfortable and very Parisian. Benoit has been acquired by Alain Ducasse Group in 2005 from the ex-proprietor Petit family. It’s a Michelin one star restaurant, but the price is pretty fair – lunch set costs 38€ and a la carte at dinner costs around 60€. Delicious food and cheerful ambiance.

Open Hours: Mondays to Sundays. Annual closed: July 26th to August 25th and Feburary 25th to March 2nd.
Add: 20, Rue St-Martin, Paris 75004  (Map)
Metro:  Chatelet or Hotel de Ville
Tel: +33 1 42 72 25 76
Flickr Photo Set
http://www.esprit-bistrot.com/

Paris 75005

Ribouldinque

Ribouldingue

The owner Nadège Varigny had worked with Yves Camdeborde for around 10 years before. It’s a place for those who love offals (les abats): Instines, tripe, cheeks, tongues, kidneys, and the rest. The wine list is a very brief but well selected one. The food is hearty and yummy.

Open Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays. Annual closed: From Aug 9 to Aug 31 and December 27th to January 4th.
Add: 10 Rue St-Julien le Pauvre, Paris 75005  (Map)
Metro: Saint-Michel, Cluny La Sorbonne, or Maubert Mutualite
Tel: +33 1 46 33 98 80
Flickr Photo Set

Itineraire

Itineraires

The chef Sylvain Sendrais is from the famous bistro le Temps en Temps. The interior deco is very modern and bright. The service is inviting and friendly. The food here is delicious and contemporary. Of course, make sure that you book a table in advance.

Open Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays. Annual closed: From Aug 4 to Aug. 25 and December 20th to 29th.
Add: 5, Rue de Pontoise, Paris 75005  (Map)
Metro: Maubert Mutualite
Tel: +33 1 46 33 60 11
Flickr Photo Set

Papilles

Papilles

Papilles is definitely for those who love both drinking and eating. Very good wine selection. The price of the wine you drink here is the same as take-out. The food served here is in a bit rustic style but doesn’t dismiss its genuine deliciousness.

Open Hours: Tuesdays to Saturdays. Annual closed: August 1st to August 21st and January 1st and 8th.
Add: 30, Rue Gay Lussac, Paris 75005  (Map)
Metro:  Luxembourg
Tel: +33 1 43 25 20 79
http://www.lespapillesparis.com

Paris 75006

Le Timbre

Le Timbre

The Chef Chris Wright is from the UK. He runs this very small bistro Le Timbre with a very compact team. Last time when I had lunch there, he was alone at kitchen with a waitress taking care of the guests. Service is friendly. The millefeuille du timbre is very very good, please don’t miss it. It’s a bistro that you would like to visit from time to time if it was in your neighborhood.

Open Hours: Tuesday to Saturday. Annual closed – May 1st to May 7th, July 27th to August 23rd, and X’mas holiday.
Add: 3 Rue Sainte-Beuve, Paris 75006  (Map)
Metro:  Notre-Dame des Champs or Vavin
Tel: +33 1 45 49 10 40
Flickr Photo Set
http://www.restaurantletimbre.com

Le J’Go

J Go

J’Go serves southwest cuisine. The outdoor ambiance is very nice and lively. The service, honestly, is sometimes a bit disappointing (so please don’t expect too much). The food is very delicious though. Make sure you get the grilled duck heart, yum yum.

Open Hours:  Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.
Add: Marché St Germain, Rue Clément 75006 Paris  (Map)
Metro:  Mabillon or Odeon
Tel: +33 1 43 26 19 02
Flickr Photo Set

http://lejgo.com/

Paris 75007

Chez l’Ami Jean

Chez l'Ami Jean

The chef of Chez l’Ami Jean, Stephane Jégo is from La Régalade. Its Southwestern France style cuisine (from la Basque) is very hearty and delicious. Chez l’Ami Jean is renowned for its game specialty. The decoration is warm, rustic, and very Basque.

Open hours: Tuesday to Saturday. Closed on Saturday, and Sunday. Closed from July 25th. to August 20th
Add: 27, Rue Malar, Paris 75007  (Map)
Metro:  La Tour Maubourg
Tel: +33 1 47 05 86 89
Flickr Photo Set

Paris  75009

Spring

Spring's Chef Daniel Rose

The very talented chef Daniel Rose is from the US. Daniel Rose learned his cooking at L’Institut Paul Bocuse and then he went to work at Hotel Le Meurice. Spring has been a very popular bistro in Paris. It’s quite difficult to get a table there, because there’re only 16 seats at this place. It’s necessary to make a reservation in advance.

P.S. Spring will move to 75001 area in October. Please check the correct address when making a reservation.
Open hours: Tuesday and Wednesday (dinner only), Thursday and Friday.
Add: 28 rue Tour d’Auvergne, Paris 75009  (Map)
Metro:  Cadet
Tel: +33 1 45 96 05 72
Flickr Photo Set

http://www.springparis.fr

Paris 75014

La Régalade

La Regalade

This bistro isn’t located in the center of Paris, but it’s definitely worth a trip to go there. The chef is Bruno Doucet who bought La Régalade from the ex-chef/owner Yves Camdeborde who is the owner of Le Comptoir du Relais. La Régalade serves very hearty food and the ambiance is animating. Don’t miss its signature all-you-can-eat pork terrine and cornichons. My favorite dessert at La Régalade is “Souffle chaud au Grand Marnier”. You’ll regret if you didn’t try it.

Open hours: Monday (dinner only), Tuesday to Friday. Closed on Saturday, and Sunday. Closed from July 25th. to August 20th
Add: 49 Avenue J. Moulin, Paris 75014  (Map)
Metro: Porte d’Orléans
Tel: +33 1 45 45 68 58
Flickr Photo Set

Tasting date – Aug., 15, 2009

2007 Yves Cuilleron St-Joseph Blanc & 2004 Clos de Vougeot Tasting

2007 Yves Cuilleron Saint-Joseph Blanc

The corks.

1989 Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanee "Cros-Parantoux"

Tasted: June 28, 2009 *****

The chef sommelier Sergio Calderonof Michel Bras made a key chain for me by this cork.

During the last 2 months of my stay in France, Les Fines Gueules became one of my favorite venues to stop by – for a drink and for the good food.   The dynamic owner/manager Arnaud Bradol is an enthusiastic fan of bio-wine, or so called “natural wine”.  He is also fanatical about top food ingredients.  Here, he features the best suppliers including – Hugo Desnoyer for beef and veal, Jean-Yves Bordier for butter, Joël Thiébault for vegetables, Poujauran for bread.   Plus, the cave under the restaurant is another thing to make you “wow”.  More than thousands of wines are quietly lying there.

The restaurant is located in a building that used to belong to la Banque de France.   The building is elegant and tells its own history.   Nevertheless, when you walk in the restaurant, you don’t feel it is like other traditional wine bars or bistros in Paris – the interior design is a nicely calibrated mixture of contemporary and vintage touches.

There are no printed menus or wine lists.  They bring you a menu/wine list written on blackboards instead.  For the menu, I found they change the dishes quite frequently, but you can always find their signature dishes –

Assortiment de Charcuteries Fines

Entrée

• Assortiment de Charcuteries Fines
• Carpaccio de Veau élevé sous la mère, parmesan bio 36 mois et huile d’olive extra vierge

Fameux Tartare de Limousine au couteau grenailles et salade

Plat

• Fameux Tartare de Limousine au couteau grenailles et salade
• *Its carré d’agneau and fish dishes are also very good and worth a try.

So, about the wine, oui…!  If you didn’t try any wine here, you would leave feeling VERY sorry to yourself.  The first time I visited Les Fines Gueules with friends, Arnaud brought us a red wine which had been put in a decanter.   The first nose of the wine to me was eucalyptus, very fresh and quite spicy.  It’s so unique and intriguing.  The taste was also full of spices; the texture was pretty round.  It’s like a breeze gently brushing your cheek during summertime when drinking this wine.   It was not easy for me to figure out the region this wine belongs to.  I would guess it’s from the south France, maybe la Corse?  Or Languedoc-Roussillon?

Le Petit Domaine de Gimios Rouge Fruit

Finally, Arnaud brought the bottle to us, it’s a domaine called Le Petit Domaine de Gimios which produces only nature wine, no sulphur or SO2 added at all.   Plus, the vines here are all very old vines.  It is run by a 60+ year old woman named Anne Marie Lavaysse, who insists on using the most natural and organic methods for taking care of her vineyard. She maintains very low yield, which is only 10~14 hectolitres per hectare (hl/ha).  The grape variety of this wine Rouge Fruit contains Cinsault, Alicante, Grenache, Carignan, Aramon, and Muscat.   Besides this wine, I was also lucky enough to be comp’d with a glass of 1975 Château Pichon Comtesse de Lalande.  It was just splendid…!

At Les Fines Gueules, the wines are always full of surprises (good ones, of course) and the food is promising. Very relaxing and cheerful ambiance.  Free live Jazz concerts are performed here from time to time on Sundays.

Les Fines Gueules satisfies those with good palates and good tastes.  A truly cool place for those Hao Kou Fu people.

Les Fines Gueules
Address – 43 Rue Croix des Petits Champs, Paris 75001
TEL – +33 1 42 61 35 41
Hours –  Open 7 days for lunch and dinner.  Bar hour till late night.
Metro – Palais Royal, Bourse, Sentier, or Pyramide

More photos -

The chef - Koji Sawada (澤田幸治)

It’s indeed not easy to get a seat at Sawada. Think about this – 7 seats only, Michelin 2 stars, one of the hippest Sushi places in Tokyo. I was lucky enough to get in there and be seated right in front of the chef Sawada Koji (澤田幸治). Sawada is 38 years old, the same age as RyuGin’s chef Yamamoto. He used to work for one of the top Sushi places in Ginza – 青木 (Aoki). Some Japanese media even claim that Sawada is the most difficult sushi place to get a seat which really tempted me to go there.  

The entrance of Sawada

I arrived at 13h50, 10 minutes earlier than my reservation scheduled at 14h. There were another 2 guests who had just arrived. There are only 2 people working at Sawada – the Chef himself and his helper. Sawada speaks a little English. He asked me if there is anything I don’t eat. I told him I even ate ball fish, then he laughed.  Before starting the meal, his helper brought this sake – “醸し人九平次 別誂（べつあつらえ）純米大吟醸 Eau du desir” to me.

醸し人九平次 別誂（べつあつらえ）純米大吟醸 Eau du desir

It’s my first time to taste this sake, and it’s an unusual one. Why?! It’s the first sake being introduced to a few Michelin 3 star restaurants in Paris, i.e. Pierre Gagnaire and Guy Savoy. This sake is really good and I would not hesitate to say it’s the best one I had so far in this year.  

I-Ku-Ra, the loose salmon eggs

The first appetizer Sawada brought to me is I-Ku-Ra, the loose salmon eggs with a bit citrus sauce which offers a very light and elegant touch to the salmon eggs. The quality of salmon eggs is impeccable. They just easily melted in my mouth.  

赤貝 Akagai (Red Clam)

Afterwards, the Sawada style sushi feast started. I totally enjoyed looking at how he worked with his knife and shaped the sushi with skillful hands. He’s like an artist! Every sushi is just incredibly great and delicious. Sawada only uses the best fish he can get on the day (he has very limited sleeping time ‘cz he has to choose fish by himself every early morning). This sushi place totally blew me away. Even now, I could still remember how those fish tasted in my mouth… How that great O-toro brought the heavenly pleasure to me… The wild sea eel, the different unis (sea urchin) from Hokkaido and Kyushu, …everything is just incredible. Even the simplest atsuyaki tamago (egg cake) demonstrates what perfection would be. 

大トロ (Otoro)

Although our communication wasn’t much, by his genuine smile and extremely serious attitude to his sushi, I can tell that he really cares about his guests. Sawada, a man gives sushi with a spirit…! P.S. The 3 star sushi places are Mizutani (鮨 水谷) and Sukiyabashi Jiro (鮨 すきやばし次郎). At beginning, my first choice was Mizutani and 2nd choice was Sawada. I didn’t put Jiro as my first choice after doing reserach on several Japanese websites. The ratings of Mizutani or Sawada are the highest. Michelin Guide is worth it as a reference to, but when it comes to the end, I would rather trust a local insider’s taste.

さわ田　Sawada 
5-9-19 Ginza, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
東京都中央区銀座5-9-19

+81 3 3571 4711 

Here are more pictures - 

RyuGin, a restaurant renowned for creative Japanese cuisine, is hidden in the very modern and chic Roppongi area.   The chef Yamamoto Seiji (山本征治) used to work under the very famous chef Koyama Hirohisa (小山裕久) at Aoyagi (青柳) for 11 years.  When he was 33 years old, he started his own restaurant RyuGin in December 2003.  It’s rated as a 2-star restaurant by the first issue of Michelin Guide – Tokyo 2008.  Yamamoto was invited to the 2007 Madrid Fusion and presented a dish called “Silkscreen of Squid Ink with Squid Carpaccio” which earned an ovation at the event.  Indeed, Yamamoto is a super star in  Japanese cuisine nowadays.

The dining space of RyuGin is pretty small.  The main space could host about 20 guests only, but with a private room, it can host up to about 26 seats.  I was lucky to get a seat because I called to make a reservation just 2 days ahead, but I was requested to arrive at the restaurant at 18h, otherwise, there’d be no tables available until 22h.  I knew it’s very difficult to get a table there, so, I told the person that it was fine for me to be there at 18h.

2 choices of Champagne by the glass

On that day, I was the first guest to arrive at the restaurant.  The sommelier (who was also the person to serve me) told me it would be okay to take a few pictures of the restaurant since no other guests were there yet.  I was glad that the sommelier spoke English fluently.  He told me that he went to Australia to take a sommelier course before, so there was no problem to communicate with him in English at all.  Obviously, we have a shared interest – wine.  Soon, we started a cheerful conversation.  By his recommendation, I ordered the Gastronomy B set (which cost 26,250 yen, about US$250) which focuses on Yamamoto’s signature dishes.

After having the seasonal amuse bouche, I asked the sommelier what kind of whites they provided by the glass.  He soon brought 4 whites to my table.  Normally, I would choose the wine by myself, but in this case – I didn’t know how this “creative Japanese cuisine” would be, so I preferred to consult the sommelier.   Satisfyingly, he gave me this answer – “How about this – I’ll pour some of each wine for you, so you can try the different combinations with different dishes.”   How could I reject this offer?!
When the first dish came, I was still on my Champagne Henriot.  Then the 2nd dish – Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream came, the waiter suggested another wine which didn’t appear in those 4 white flight when he just showed me.  It’s a 2005 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurztraminer VT, what a brilliant suggestion.  “Le mariage” of the wine and food was very harmonious.  The bouquet of this Gewurz was dazzlingly aromatic.  I just couldn’t stop myself taking a deep breath of this wine…

Assorted Sashimi - RyuGin Style

The sommelier was indeed helpful and friendly.  He patiently explained every dish to me.  When the “Assorted Sashimi – RyuGin Style” was served, the chef Yamamoto himself even came to pour the soy sauce for me as well as presented his greetings.  Quelle surprise!

When I dined at some Michelin 2-star or 3-star restaurants in Paris, I sometimes found some dishes were not executed perfectly which usually made me feel a bit disappointed.  But at RyuGin, I would say – every dish just and simply blew me away.  I didn’t find anything over-cooked or not executed properly.  Plus, the ingredients were top quality and the service was inviting with a “Japanese” sincere touch.  Instead of “words”, maybe the pictures posted here would tell better by themselves.  You would understand what RyuGin is likely to be.

The selections for food & wine pairing

Winewise -
Champagne Henriot “Souverain”
2005 Zind-Humbrecht Clos Windsbuhl Gewurztraminer VT
2003 Chateau Villa Bel-Air, Graves
2006 Koshu Cuvee Denis Dubourdieu (Made in Japan and by original Japnese grape variety)
2006 Domaine Weinbach Pinot Blanc
2003 Domaine Jayer-Gilles Bourgogne Hauts Cotes de Beaune
2006 Chateau Mercian Nagano Merlot (Japanese wine)
1999 Louis Jador “Ladoix”
1998 Chateau Batailley, Pauillac
Japanse Sake “天明 Tenmei” 純米吟釀 Junmai-Ginjo

Gastronomy B set

1) Amuse bouche – Ichiban Dash soup (Traditional clear broth) with puree of 5 varieties of wild mushrooms.

2) Deep fried seaweed, stuffed with sea urchin

3) Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream. (The foie gras is from Landes)

Aichi figs with port flavored foie gras terrine served with sesame cream

4) Blue swimming crab and Shanghai crab topped with chrysanthemum gelee

Blue swimming crab and Shanghai crab topped with chrysanthemum gelee

5) “RyuGin’s house special – Contrasted of two abalone pieces cooked differently, steamed for 10 hours and the other in Shabushabu.” – The more transparent one on the right side is cooked by “shabushabu” way.

RyuGin's house special - Contrasted of two abalone pieces cooked differently, steamed for 10 hours and the other in Shabushabu

6) “Assorted sashimi – RyuGin Style” – There are 2 pieces for each kind of fish. For the first piece of each fish, the chef recommended me to eat with the sauce placed next to it. Then eat the 2nd piece with wasabi and dip a bit soy sauce.

7) Egg pudding, made with Hamo’s bone stock, flavored of autumn
8 ) Char grilled natural large eel with aroma of Japanese peppers
9) “Chef’s specialty – Grilled baby pigeon with autumn truffles” – the baby pigeon was only 28 days old! The meat is so tender… It’s grilled perfectly. The autumn truffle is very aromatic which tells the quality.
10) “Chef’s rice dish of the day” – The fish on the top is from Hokkaido, but I forgot the name of it…
11) Fresh compote of pear and small grapes with plum wine soda gelee
12) Caramel ice cream with Wasanbon sugar served with grated milk curd” – Wasanbon sugar is considered the best sugar in Japan. I really like the flavor of grated milk curd.
13) Baked chestnut cake served on full-moon presentation – very traditional Japanese dessert. Interesting presentation.

I posted this experience sharing on a gourmet forum called OAD (Opinionated About Dining), and I sent e-mail to RyuGin and told them I did that.  A couple days ago, I received e-mail from Ryu-Gin, and I’m so grateful for that.  Here’s the e-mail from Ryu-Gin -

Dear Ms. Ho,

Thank you for sending the URL for your photographs.
We have not heard of OAD website, and could you tell us the URL?
We assume it’s like Chowhound or EGullet and your word of mouth certainly help
s us as we are a tiny restaurant and don’t have the capacity for PR.

Recently, we started the online booking for overseas. Hopefully the guests wil
l feel more convenient to reserve a table whenever they want to from anywhere
in the world.

http://www.nihonryori-ryugin.com/en/reserve/

We hope to see you again on your next visit to Tokyo.

Sincerely,

RyuGin Administration