Restaurant Pierre Gagnaire

Summary: One of the best meals I've had in my life. Maybe only to be topped by A5-12 Kobe in Tokyo!

Pierre Gagnaire also came by to say hi to us while we dined. Nice guy!

Anyways, the food tasted amazing. So delicate yet so different. Gagnaire is into fusion but respecting the past. So while you dine, the food sparks curiosity, familiarity, and delight. On one hand you recognize a little bit of what you are eating, then on another hand, it looks far out. But reguardless how each bite looked like, you're always exciting to eat. I think that is the best way to sum things up as pictures somehow won't do things justice. Gastronomy at its finest needs to be experienced, not viewed.

Anyways, I enjoyed my multicourse lunch prix fixe. The main course was fish with squid. It's a little sweet, savory and tart. The squid was done to perfection with a lil pop when you bite into it without any hints of rubberiness.

Service was top notch.

We came to Paris to attend the French Open. We booked 3 Michelin stars restaurants ahead of time. Pierre Gagnaire was the first that we visited. We were their first patrons to arrive and were seated at, in my opinion the best table of the restaurant. It was elevated and has the view of the entire sitting area.

We each ordered an appetizer set, it came with all the garnishes. My girlfriend ordered a meat entree and I ordered a seafood entree. Should we know the portion of the appetizer, we could have split an appetizer sets. They were very generous with their portion. We were thoroughly satisfied. Food are very tasty and there isn't a dish that we wouldn't like.

Sommelier was very knowledgeable and his recommendation were spot on. We even visited their 4,000 bottles wine cellar.

Service was exceptional. Waiters were very attentive. Well, a couple of them spoke with a heavy French accent and was a little difficult to understand. All in all, we had a fantastic experience! Will definitely visit again in the future.

I was here the same week Notre Dame burned down. So, this was indeed a memorable trip.

The word unbelievable comes to mind to describe my meal. It was one of the nicest meals I've had. The food was extraordinary and it just kept coming. There were tons of little bites and various pallet cleansers between dishes. Each little bite looked like it would have taken a tremendous amount of work and time to prepare. Meanwhile, there were probably 7-8 staff members at any given time serving our table. You'd think the staff were trained by ninja's. Never once did the staff make us feel like they were hovering or overbearing. Yet, if my drink was getting low, I'd turn around to discover it was once again full, like magic. Empty dishes? They'd disappear before you got a chance to look at them a second time. Truly a fabulous experience and meal!

I wish I could tell you specifically what I liked the most but I honestly cannot remember, only that there wasn't a single disappointing dish or morsel of food.

Food was fine - some very good and some not. The worst part of the meal (which was on our engagement) was being clearly discriminated against. They sat us in the very back of the restaurant next to the door to the kitchen and bathroom in a cramped space despite there being plenty of open seating throughout the restaurant (which remained open the entire time we were there). I don't know if it is because we are American or because one of us is Asian, but this left a very poor impression in my mind of this place and the people who run it.

Expectations were set high for our dining experience at Pierre Gagnaire. The cool, elegant ambiance of Gagnaire's restaurant seemed to preview an afternoon of dining excellence for which we were well prepared to enjoy. From your entrance to your desert, this Michelin Three-Star restaurant serves up interesting food, attention to detail, and impeccable service.

Pierre Gagnaire is located in business/finance district at the Hotel Balzac. The ambiance is traditional, classic, elegant and nuanced.

During our lunch, we were seated at a table on the second level of the single-story restaurant. This was nice, as we were able to observe the main dining area throughout our entire meal. I reccomend asking for this area for seating.

The table was beautifully set, down to the napkins, each uniquely embroidered. The flatware and dishes were all stylish and nuanced. I found myself noticing the intricacies of each item throughout the meal.

Other guests seemed to be business colleagues and a few couples, all 40 and up. This was not a young crowd.

As expected, we interacted with the sommelier, maitre'd, and manager
at some point during the meal and I really do feel they attended us with great care and class.

There were several types of bread offered. Nothing I would prefer over the offerings at my local boulangerie, but the butter served with the bread was creamy, fresh, and unique.

We chose to order the pre-fixe lunch option in order to try the kitchens best for the day.

The amuse bouche certainly was amusing for our pallets but not what I would call delicious, in fact, 2/6 of them had a strong fishy taste that was not pleasing.

We tried:

-Various breadsticks and butters. Presentation was colorful and amusing.
-The grapefruit, beetroot "salad. This was bright and citrusy.
-The mussle with Spanish chorizo. This was too fishy and very salty
-A Tuna Sushi- delicious
-A fois gras enveloped in a decadent coating. The presentation was cute but flavor was not great.

We paired our starters with an exceptional Laurent Perrier sparkling rosé served at the perfect chilled temperature.

Our main plate arrived, a tender lamb filet mignon Medalion wrapped in pesto and Philo dough, served with a spinach puree, fall roasted vegetables and squid in accent. This plate was dark and decadent in appearance.

In addition, we were served a side of lamb fillet diced with potatoes and onions, sort of a "Mirepoix" but with Lamb instead of carrot. This mixture was sauteed in butter and dressed in squid ink. I must admit the entire selection was too salty for my taste.

I found the lamb medallion to be cooked perfectly and the presentation to be phenomenal. I do not find the squid ink side was necessary or added value to the course in any way. the color was entirely black and unappealing and eating this was very messy as you may imagine.

(I appreciate the staff for relieving our embarrassment when the ink was splattered on our crisp white table cloths by bringing additional linens to cover them up. )

finally, our desserts was delicious. The selections were not described to us. This was fine because we were able to play the game of guessing what each thing was.

In the petit four collection I tasted:

-Pickled Ginger
-Pomegranate-Lemon
-Green Apple
-Cranberry-White Chocolate

Afterward, we were brought my favorite item which was a coffee icecream with bruléd sugar anise syrup and prune. This dish was both interesting and delicious which was impressive and excited considering some of the other items had been either-or.

Overall, the experience was memorable and interesting in a wonderful way. I found the food to be complex, sophisticated, and artistic, but at times a bit ostentatious. Sometimes simpler is better. In the end, the plethora of options in the 90€ pre fixe lunch, delicious wine (knowledgable sommelier), and impeccable service made up for any distasteful bites I encountered during our meal.

I was not in love with the cuisine but I still recommend Pierre Gagnaire for anyone looking for an interesting and pleasant Michelin dining experience.

We celebrated my parents' anniversary here with a private lunch in 2015 and it was far and away the best meal of my life to date. Dozens of courses, each very small and beautifully prepared and presented with combinations of flavors and textures I've never experienced or considered before. Service is impeccable.

This menu is only a fraction of what the chef served us.
Cocktail de poche:
Skate bouclee rubbed in hibiscus jelly; smoked legine fish and seaweeds flavored with an aged soja sauce.
Redcurrant sorbey, fresh palm tree heart and soft aprcot; rice water.
Cuttlefish and green apple with fresh corriander, lemon paste.
Green crab bisque; white polenta, beef marrow, grated Mimolette cheese.
Fresh anchovy; split beans puree, green pepper and chorizo

Liver Mousseline, cream of salt cod flavored with parsley chlorophyl; calico artichokes and flat beans.
Thin slices of fat duck, ratte potatoes from Noirmoutier; sweet onion syrup flavored with carob molasses.

There were certainly many exceptional dishes as you'll see in the account below:

-Infusion de navet daïkon au vin jaune du Jura, écrevisses pattes rouges, oxalis et feuilles de capucine - Crawfish(boiled), daikon radish, white wine, oxalis, nasturtium leaves.  Dazzling contrast  of flavors (sweet/sour/salty) that is technically hard to get this right even at this level. 10/10
-Carré d'agneau de l'Aveyron frotté d'origan - the lamb from Aveyron is known for its quality, and this Carré d'agneau did justice to its reputation. Excellent on all fronts: taste, texture, seasoning. A flawless Carré d'agneau. 9/10
-Papillons Noirs, datte medjoul, kinjiso - pasta made of black pudding was shaped as butterflies and was served with a mixture similar to chilli paste but without the distracting piquancy. Date palm was added to the dish. This, for my taste,  was sensational (complex middle eastern flavors,  the date palm  blending excitingly well with the  aforementioned chilli paste-alike mixture). It takes a Chef with an incredible palate to create  dishes of this sort.   10/10
-Selle en crépine, carpaccio de betterave rouge, betterave blanche au Roquefort. - The exceptional  lamb from Aveyron made a second appearance. It was paired with a carpaccio of  superlative beets. 10/10
-Crumble vert, ails roses sablés, chorizo, cébette - sauteed cabbage, garlic, chorizo was a classic dish but not of  the tired sort,- extremely flavorful. Another exciting dish. 9/10
-Soufflé à la vanille de Tahiti, crème glacée - Finished my meal with a benchmark vanilla soufflé which depth of flavor can only come from eggs and milk of exceptional quality. 10/10

Indeed, a Top-tier French 3 star Michelin anywhere across the globe, with, a service to match.

I was there alone for lunch. Wow, this restaurant serve an amazing food and amazing service. All servers are very professional and tried to make me comfortable. I've never had such a wonderful meal before. I lost my word. I would definitely come back here my next trip to Paris.

All of my life I have heard the term "fine French cuisine", but never really knew the true meaning until our lunch at Pierre Gagnaire. Many of the dishes were served in small portions - meant to eat in a single bite, (at least that is what my wife and I did). The taste sensation in each individual bite was outstanding - something I have never experienced before! I am amazed at the flavor combination ingredients like oyster, grapefruit gel, calico artichoke, grinder turnip leaves, anchovy and eggplant can make when combine and presented correctly. I don't care for many of those items individually, but served together with talented imagination - what an amazing experience.

We also enjoyed more familiar foods like chicken served with various various sauces and sides, as well as some incredible bread. This was one of the best meals I have ever had and highly recommend to any of you who have the time, money, and opportunity to reserve a table at this fine restaurant - DO IT!

Amazing experience, the staff treated us well. Pierre Gagnaire also greeted the table which was pleasant. People tend to dress up in a suit, but they don't have a formal dress code. As a traveler it can be hard to carry a suit for this one occasion and they understand. The restaurant is an experience. Very unique flavors and combinations I've never tried before. For a group of 4 we paid about $735 USD and did not leave hungry. When I'm back in Paris, I'll definitley come back.