Galanga, Monsieur George hotel restaurant shaking things up

Looking for a mouthwatering culinary experience that is all about discoveries? Run to trendy Monsieur George restaurant-bar Galanga set a stone’s throw from the Champs-Elysées. Between signature cocktails and inventive cooking, the spot breaks the rules in a chic and friendly atmosphere.

Calling all gourmands that love cocktails and delicious culinary experiences, this is THE spot you do not want to miss. By the Champs-Elysées, head to rue de Washington and discover Galanga, aka Monsieur George bar-restaurant. A stone’s throw from the world’s most beautiful avenue, this incredible address takes us to a soft and trendy atmosphere reminding us of London.

Comfortable velvet bench seats, green marble tables, mirrors all around us, Galanga design causes a sensation. Architect Anouska Hempel won her bet of making of Galanga a chic but not stiff place that feels like home. In the back, you can even discover a small lovely confidential and green terrace, far from the French capital’s hustle and bustle.

Bar side

But first things first, let us speak about the bar. Cocktail fans get it, mixology is an art. In Paris, many bartenders make us forget about classic with their own original recipes. These shaker geniuses raise the art of cocktail and propose an exclusive gourmet experience with new flavors for our taste buds’ greatest joy.

At Galanga, barman chef Ludovic Riou runs the bar and delights us with his signature creations based on surprising recipes. Fond of travels, he uses his experiences across the world to improve his art and share discoveries with each one of us through his cocktails. You really do not want to miss it!

Among the creations, there is the Aphrodisiac. If we were to sum it up, we would say this is a rose cocktail. But since you will quickly understand, at Galanga, originality always hides behind simplicity. Therefore, expect to taste rose like you have never done before. Far from the aroma we usually find, the Aphrodisiac is a genuine reproduction of rose but cocktail style. Damascus rose-infused gin, Pandan cordial (pandan being a tropical plant found in Asia) and ambrette, with chemistry-worthy mixes, Ludovic Riou wins his bet and could even make you make peace with floral flavors.

Another beautiful discovery expects you at the Galanga bar: the Run Me My Honey. Chai tea honey liquor, ambrette and Moët & Chandon Champagne, this creation has a very-well studied balanced surprising us. The choice is risky: it too often happens in this type of recipe that flavors and other ingredients take the step over champagne. And this time, this is not the case: the sweetness of the honey liquor is counterbalanced by wine, once again Ludovic Riou shows off his know-how with masterfully skilled pairings.

To pair these surprising creations, the bar offers tapas that give a foretaste of the restaurant. If you are into Finger Food, tempura prawns, taramasalata, truffled and parmesan French fries, and even board of cold cuts from Bellota-Bellota will likely make you happy.

For the bigger appetite, you can go for Monsieur George’s classics including this surprising quinoa bowl. And careful, if you find poke bowl are overrated, here is the proof you are wrong: this vegetarian bowl is served warm with smoked tofu, smooth avocado, tasteful zucchinis and carrots, the whole topped with almonds for some crunch.

This foretaste whetted our appetite. Let’s go eat, shall we?

Restaurant side

And there we are, moving further in Galanga, still enjoying the warm and soft atmosphere to seat in the restaurant area. When browsing the menu, we get the red thread between the bar and the kitchen: like Ludovic Riou, Galanga chef Thomas Danigo has traveled the world and is inspired by his travels to come up with as surprising recipes. His favorite travel has been Vietnam, from which he draws a very special approach: offering simple-looking dishes but always with this twist. From starter to dessert, the devil is in the details.

As a starter, it is out of question we do not go for the king shrimp dumplings served in a galangal broth with vegetable julienne. Beyond the nod to the restaurant, galangal is a spice close to ginger. In Paris, many restaurants have us eat delicious dumplings. But to be honest, Thomas Danigo’s version marks the occasion. As we said it, the twist makes the whole difference.

Moving on to main courses, we fall for the 20 to 30-day cured beef served with brocoletti and mini corn. So, what is the detail taking this already mouthwatering dish to another level? There are three of them: mustard seeds adding a nice crunch to the extremely smooth meat, seaweed teriyaki as a nod to the chef’s Asian inspiration, as well as peanut praline for a luscious touch. We love it.

But if you cannot help yourselves but not forget the king shrimp dumplings you had as a starter, we invite you to continue with seafood with the green curry cod with galangal, girolle mushrooms and shimeji. The fish smooth meat wonderfully pairs the curcuma and coconut milk sauce. A delicious dish making us want to travel.

After all this, we cannot help ourselves but get excited to see what Thomas Danigo has created for dessert. And you will not be disappointed. If you love the classic fruit salad, wait until you get to taste Galanga’s version. Under a soup of red berries sprinkled with praline rose, a mixed herb infusion, the whole is accompanied by cherry tree honey to bring this famous unexpected twist making it a favorite.

If you are more of a savory tooth and not really into dessert, forget about it and go for the roasted figs! This sweet-savory version is served with ricotta and thin and crispy tarragon meringues flavored with… lavender. How surprising! And yet, this floral touch breaks the sweetness of the meringue. Last but not least, it is time for you to make peace with desserts!

You get it, Galanga is the good restaurant breaking the rules. The spot wonderfully embodies the Parisian gastronomy revolution bar side and restaurant side. It is a must!

Alcohol abuse is bad for your health, please drink responsibly.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.