L'Arpege by Alain Passard *3 Michelin Stars*

All dressed up to go!!!!
It's nice to be able to play dress-up here in Paris
coz no one will tell u that u are over-dressed!!!! *more like under-dressed*
and Men are usually required to wear a jacket to get into restaurants
preferably with shirt and tie too :P

Dinner usually begins with canapes to tantalise ur tastebuds
above were some finely prepared sweet sauteed vegetables from the garden of Alain Passard
yes he has got his own garden and ingredients are shipped in on a daily basis

Amuse Bouche of an egg
not just any egg but a hot and cold egg with spices
the top was some cold mousse with spices while the yolk was warm

beautiful creamie butter from Brittany
I dunno why the best butter and oysters have to come fr there
makes us wanna explore Brittany now....:)))))

carpaccio of Dublin Bay Prawns served with caviar
the raw prawns were so finely prepared with some chopped fennel/spring onions/leeks liked vege
drizzled with extra virgin olive oil and generous helping of caviar
so so so yummy!!!!
the balance taste of sweetness fr the prawns and savoury caviar

Spinach with carrot puree drizzled with toasted sesame
served on the side was lemon and beetroot marmarlade
For your info, Chef Alain Passard is a vegetarian so he is extremely good with VEGETABLES!!!!

Vegetables Ravioli in apple consomme that made me cried for more
U'll never thought that vegetables can be created this way
it's texture was as good as meat ravioli with the rich silkiness of the fillings
the skin was tissue paper thin!!!!
how did he do that???????

this ain't normal pasta
but it's a celeriac pasta with shavings of white truffles which is in season right now
celeriac is a root vegetable with a distinctive taste, it was shaven to looked like pasta
and cooked like one too!!!!!

Lobster with thinly shaved turnip and some honey garden leaves, served with a funky sweet and sour sauce
yes all the vegetables are from his garden

can't see the lobster? allow me to unveil.......

Ta-Da!!!!!!! they were seated neatly in the dome
the portion proved ain't enuff when it was this delicious
but then we have so many courses lining up for this degustation celebrating his 25th anniversary of this restaurant

Alain Passard is a true artist
he paints *all his paintings adorn the wall of the restaurant*
he does gardening
he plays the saxophone
and he writes.....
would love to have his books if they have in english version
:)))))))))))))

Celeriac Risotto with White Truffles from Alba
such generous shavings of truffles...
white truffles is more subtle than the black version
its mild taste is meant to be enjoyed delicately
they are more rare and highly prized

some beautifully roasted root vegetables
they were so so so sweet!!!!!

a whole TURBOT fish!!!!!
presented before being prepared for us

the waiting staff then prepared all the delicate parts of the fish

including the fins!!!!

served with french potatoes and leeks

the chicken also came at the same time :))))))
seriously the World's Best Chicken!!!!
I came back to this restaurant this year for this dish!!!!!
steamed baked in the oven with hay

"Madame, would u like Chicken, Hay or ME?"
well of coz he didn't say it :P kekekekekeke


prollie he was screaming inside to get the photography to be done quickly
as the Le Creuset pot is darn heavy with this chicken innit
not to mention it's soooooo HOT!!!!!! that it's burning his hands :P

Chicken then prepared with different yummy parts including the wings!!!!
served with candid onions, leeks, black radish, quiche and tomatoes


the best chicken in the world has a crunchy fragrant skin
its meat was so juicy it's like having chinese salt-baked chicken
but a thousand times better :P

another dish of mixed beets and some roots vege which I've never had before
roasted till it's tender with some crunch
served with semolina

the highlight of the evening was this baby!!!!
Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux by Henri Jayer, vintage 1995
a very highly highly HIGHLY sought after winemaker


the Man said "A Great Wine is crafted in the vineyard, not in the cellar"
hence he believed in small parcel of lands (1.01 hectares)
and very minimalist approach to achieve the purity and elegance of a pinot noir


he makes only 3,500 bottles a year
and his last vintage before he passed away, 2001 sells for USD 3,800
so the only chance we can drink this wine is here in France!!!!
coz we don't think we can get this anywhere else at a lower price

it was so precious we got the label laminated!!!!
for remembrance :D

later towards the evening, I found another book by Alain Passard
a comicbook of him!!!!!
this guy actually can draw anything!!!!!
but the book is in french :(((((((

Gruyere cheese which was aged for 3 years
I only had a very very tiny piece to accommodate the medley of desserts later :D

 for desserts we had a sweet wine

 a 1982 port which was so good, I had so much that this Monkey walked home tipsy
:D heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
plus we had a bottle of white earlier - which we forgot to snap a pic

the petit four is so grand :D
with macaroons, mini apple tarts, cakes, nougat, pralines, chocolates....

 the REAL desserts!!!!
apple tart with nuts
the brown round thing were shaved apples shaped into roses

 the famous Millefeuille
which I'll kill for one slice!!!!

 Finally a Nut Souffle with chocolates
*burped!!!!*

Truly an enjoyable experience at Alain Passard
definitely not a place for meat eater
there isn't read meat on its menu, only white meat
and more yummy vegetables from his garden


it is amazing how Alain Passard can achieve 3 Michelin Stars with vegetables as his main theme
his beautiful garden is 230km away fr Paris
everything was grown organically and he forbad the use of machine
apparently the only "machine" they have at the garden is a horse
kekekekekekekeke which was used to plough the soil


we'll definitely return here again
:)))))))))


L'Arpege by Alain Passard *3 Michelin Stars*
84, Rue de Varenne,
75007 Paris.
Tel: +33 01 4705 0906
www.alain-passard.com