Everyone dreams of living in a palace, but as everyone knows, palaces are reserved for princes. Are they really? But what if I told you that you could live the palace life for 110€, the time of a breathtaking brunch?
We meet at the Plaza Athénée, in the Alain Ducasse restaurant, a magnificent setting with crystal chandeliers that make the room's walls sparkle as much as our eyes. As soon as we arrive, we're greeted by an attentive team who show us the brunch menu. A 6-course service, in other words a marathon: we thought we'd be enjoying good food, but we weren't prepared for so many good things!
So, as soon as the pastries arrived, we wondered how we were going to manage to taste everything (yes, at the price we paid for brunch, we didn't want to miss a crumb!). Hot drinks, fruit juices and fruit yoghurts complete the "breakfast" part of this gargantuan brunch. A glass of champagne is also available, but we prefer to reserve it for the eggs, which serve as the main course.
The maitre d' tells us to take our time, and there's no need to force us, as the rest of the pastries served on our table will be given to us at the end of the meal, for breakfast the next day (and I might as well tell you that it's necessary, as your daily breakfast will seem quite insipid after this brunch!). After a couple of Plaza croissants, and a few pieces of bread (and what bread!) topped with Alain Millat jam and Manufacture Alain Ducasse spread, we get used to the idea of moving on to the "lunch" part of the meal.
So we choose between a carpaccio of sea bass marinated in olive oil by Cédric Casanova, rocket, green asparagus from Pertuis and thin slices of artichokes from Brittany, lamb's lettuce, black truffle, the two starters proposed by Philippe Marc. To tide us over, a small cold soup is offered as an amuse-bouche. The starters arrive quickly, and are gourmet, subtle on the palate and served in very generous portions...
Then come the famous eggs, so characteristic of brunch. And then, surprise, we rediscover this ingredient, so little appreciated in today's kitchens. Eggs are served Benedictine style, with muffins, salmon and truffles, soft-boiled, in cardinal sauce with artichoke stock, slices of truffle and a lobster medallion, or in a third way, depending on the inspiration of the day. We're blown away by these dishes, which magnify an ingredient we all have in our kitchens.
After a much-needed break, we're brought an assortment of cheeses from Anthès -comté 18 mois, camembert au lait cru, emmental- which we enjoy with Damien Destruel's extraordinary breads, including an incredible cumin bread. If you thought you'd finished, you'd have to overlook the farandole of desserts "to share", signed Christophe Michalak - between a salted butter caramel religieuse, French toast served in his frying pan, and four verrines, including a chocolate mousse, a panna cotta and a matcha tea cream...
The verdict? We're treated like princes for three hours, and leave delighted with a bag full of viennoiseries and breads to enjoy at home. From Philippe Marc's savory dishes to Christophe Michalak's viennoiseries and desserts, served in Alain Ducasse's temple of gastronomy, we won't regret this meal for a moment, even if it costs 110€...
Note that the Plaza Athénée also offers a continental breakfast for 44€, and a tea-time-style snack by Christophe Michalak, available from 30€ per person; who said palace life was reserved for others?
Practical info:
Brunch Haute Couture du Plaza Athénée
Location: 25 avenue Montaigne, 75008 PARIS
Served from 11am to 1pm, Saturday to Wednesday
Prices: 110€ per person
Location
Plaza Athénée Hotel
25 avenue Montaigne
75008 Paris 8
Prices
par personne: €110
More information
Opening hours: 11am-1pm, Saturday to Wednesday
