Saturday, September 30, 2006

Le Gorille Blanc

Here are my thoughts on Le Gorille Blanc - a fabulous neighbourhood bistro in Paris near the Bon Marché that we hadn't tried before.
I didn't want to go because the name sounded silly but I was so very nicely surprised. The food was beautifully executed - not the overcooked plats you often have in Paris bistros. The service was very professional but also had the feel that you were in someone's private dining room. Very warm and welcoming.
To begin I had persillé de lapin - the gelatine was light and had that desirable lip-smacking quality you find in well-reduced meat stocks.
Richard had the terrine de champignons avec crème à l'ail. The terrine was superbly rich and flavoured with what I assumed were cèpes. I am going to make that one.
Next we both had the jarré de veau confit au miel et romarin with what I will call (because I don't know and didn't ask) terrine d'asperge. The delicate, honey sweet jus was light and lean and the terrine was loaded with fresh asparagus.
Finally, the tarte fine aux figues. An almost paper thin disc of pastry with thinly sliced fresh figs loaded and layered on top, baked and dusted with icing sugar. Simple perfection.
On the down side: the colour of the walls was a bit pastel yellow for my taste.
A bottle of Moulin à vent completed the meal. Total cost for two: 100 euro.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I also ate at the GB and it was excellent.
Snoopy