Because many people seemed to enjoy my last post on the « cuisine végétale » at Arpège, I would also like to share some photos and thoughts from my visits during its « cuisine animale » era, focusing on Alain Passard's signature dishes as well as some items on the menu that I particularly enjoyed. I would appreciate it if you treated this more as a memoir than a review.
Pic 1. Aiguillettes de homard de Chausey au vin jaune, Belle de Fontenay fumée au bois de chêne.
The homard bleu from Île de Chausey, and is served with a frothy, nutty sauce made of vin jaune. On this day it was paired with delicious leeks, lettuce, and Belle de Fontenay potatoes.
Pic 2. Sole grillée au légendaire vin de voile du Jura, chou de Milan.
The protein in the previous dish could be replaced with sole grillée (pictured) or turbot, at the chef’s whim. The rest of the components remain more or less the same.
Pic 3. Chaud-froid d’œuf à la coque au sirop d’érable vinaigre de Xérès, quatre épices.
"The" egg. A warm egg yolk topped with a cool sherry vinegar foam, hence the name chaud-froid (hot-cold). The sweetness of the maple syrup works brilliantly against the acidity of the sherry vinegar and pairs surprisingly well with the warm egg yolk inside. The version by David Chang.
Pic 4. Carpaccio de langoustines au caviar.
The legendary carpaccio of langoustines on raw cream flavoured with fig leaf–infused rapeseed oil, EVOO, and caviar. Simply the best raw crustacean dish I have had in my entire life. Very much like the Escalopines de bar at L'Ambroisie, the excellent caviar is a prominent flavour component, not an excuse to bump up the prices.
Pic 5. Carpaccio de coquille Saint-Jacques aux nuances brumales, pétales de radis.
I thought I had a photo of the version with shaved black truffle, but maybe I don’t. This is a version with radish petals instead, drizzled with garam masala oil.
Pic 6. Bouquet de homard de Chausey aux pétales de courgette, miel de notre rucher.
This video, but with lobster instead.
Pic 7. « Célerisotto » Monarch au comté, garde d’exception, truffe noire (Tuber melanosporum).
A risotto of diced celeriac with shavings of aged Comté and winter black truffle. It’s a shame this almost vegetarian dish cannot be served, as it contains dairy.
Pic 8. Tarte à l'oignon? aux échalotes?
Not listed on the menu, but an complimentary gift from the kitchen (which the kitchen often sends out, whether you're a regular or not). I don’t know the official name, but it was clearly an onion/shallot tart with plenty of butter and flavoured with anchovies.
Pic 9. Croque-monsieur végétal.
Again, a gift from the kitchen. Categorised as cuisine animale because of the cheese, but this is something I would expect to see again in the future (without the cheese on top, of course).
Pic 10. Grande rôtisserie d’héritage Louise Passard, éleveurs de nos régions.
Louise Passard is the name of the chef's grandmother. Chef Alain Passard is a master rôtisseur and personally it's a shame I won't be having his roasts in the near future. This version was a roasted Poularde de Bresse.
Pic 11. Pigeon de Louvigné-de-Bais au thé rouge rooibos.
Again, I thought I had a photo of the pigeon with hibiscus tea sauce, but I couldn’t find it. This is a version with rooibos tea, but alas, it lacks the gossamer acidity of the hibiscus.
Pic 12. Carré d’agneau des Pays d’Oc grillé aux huîtres de Saint Coulomb.
One of his more recent creations, I had this back in 2024. The green-brown sauce is made from oysters, adding a rich iodine note to the lamb. An amazing pairing. I wonder if it would have been even better had he used agneau de pré-salé.
Pic 13. Millefeuille croustillant « Caprice d’enfant », rhubarbe, fraise, gingembre.
My gold standard for millefeuille, certainly the single best millefeuille I’ve had. No one has ever reached this level since, not even Arpège itself (recalling only from pictures, I believe I had four different variations, including the more famous all-chocolate one).
In this variation, the rhubarb takes centre stage. Broken down through long cooking, it melts in the mouth like the crème pâtissière it replaces, providing its characteristic acidity. The strawberries provide sweetness, and the ginger provides fragrance. This really is a dessert worth talking about for years… The only animal ingredient is the butter in the pastry, but unfortunately there are no exceptions, I suppose.
Pic 14. Millefeuille chocolat « tout chocolat ».
While an excellent dessert in its own right, it was unfortunately overshadowed by the glorious rhubarb and strawberry millefeuille.
Pic 15. Tarte aux pommes bouquet de rosesⒸ.
His most famous sweet creation and undoubtedly beautiful, but flavour-wise I am still not entirely convinced by this apple tart.
Again, I am not trying to convert anyone to my religion; I am simply trying to share what I found beautiful about the cuisine at Arpège and why. To conclude, a quote from the great Paul Erdős:
Why are numbers beautiful? It’s like asking why Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony is beautiful. If you don’t see why, someone can’t tell you. I know numbers are beautiful. If they aren’t beautiful, nothing is.
I find Arpège beautiful. If you still don't see why, I can't tell you.
by matteroftastekr
1 Comment
This looks quite good.
I personally had a bad experience at Arpege two years ago. Forgotten courses. One course delivered twice. And then when chef came out to do his rounds and take pictures it all felt like a joke. But maybe I went on an off day