L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon - Paris
I don’t really have much to say about L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon. I had casually high expectations, but my food was just good — I didn’t have anything either bad or outstanding, though someone else told me that they had an amazing assortment of tarts for dessert and perhaps that would have changed my experience a bit.
The layout was a little awkward for 7 of us at a counter — though I expected that. What I didn’t expect was how awkward the counter itself was. I can still remember hoping that the servers wouldn’t pop a shoulder out of socket each time they launched into a butterfly stroke-like motion to get at the space in front of us; I’ve never felt that way eating at a counter before.
The service was friendly, if a bit uneven. I didn’t get my aperitif until after my appetizer.
Mille-Feuille of Eggplant, Tomato, Mozzarella, Zucchini, and Basil.
Rabbit Pate de Campagne.
Clams Stuffed with Purple Garlic and Mushrooms.
Roast Pork. Juicy and tasty. I liked the crisp skin served as a garnish. This was a special that night, and you could see pigs roasting in the open kitchen in the middle of the restaurant.
Mashed Potatoes. Tasted more like mashed butter.
Chartreuse Souffle with Frozen Pistachio Cream. The server performed the smoothest motion to perfectly insert the cream vertically into the souffle.
Sorbets. The basil and strawberry were a great combination. We had been told that there was orange sorbet, but it turned out to be mango.
