It had been a fun day so far and after taking a short break at the apartment; the Missus wanted to head on out again. So, off we went to the Marais, and resumed our "lèche-vitrine". We eventually came across a wonderful green space; Paris is full of these little parks. This one had a lovely garden, benches (of course), and wonderful waterfalls. I came to find out that this was Square du Temple.
It was a lovely little oasis.
On the way back to the apartment, the Missus said She was feeling a bit "peckish" and I mentioned checking out another Boulangerie right around the corner from the apartment, Maison Collet.
And we got ourselves a croissant aux beurre to share. This was a bit overdone, hard, dry, and lacking in the amount of butter I enjoy.
Well, it was good to try. Another one for the books.
Boulangerie Collet
100 Rue Montorgueil
75002 Paris, France
We managed to get in a short nap, then got ready for dinner. We had reservations at a restaurant in the 7th Arrondissement, Pertinence, which held a Michelin star. As has been our habit in recent years, this one was helmed by a Japanese Chef, Ryunosuke Naito from Japan and Kwen Liew from Malaysia. The little restaurant serves only 14 covers a night!
The sun was still shining rather brightly as we finished our walk to the restaurant. It was the end of May (2019) and the sun doesn't set until past 930pm during this time of the year.
It's a clean, spartan dining room and the only folks working were the two chefs!
There is what looks like some kind of sleek manhole cover in the middle of the dining area, which turned out to be a hatch to the cave below. During our meal, the Chef had to run down to grab a bottle, the fellow eating at the other table went "ooooh" and looked at me humming the tune of Mission Impossible. I answered with "Monsieur James Bond"! And he cracked up....who said the French don't have a sense of humor?
Speaking of wine; we took the 6 course tasting menu (105/€). The Missus got the wine pairing, which cost a supplement of 70/€ and was enough for the both of us to share.....as for me; I got the caviar supplement at 30/€ which was worth every last bit of money.
After the wonderful and warm bread bites, the amuse was brought out; a Green Pea Foam, light as a feather, with a slight sweetness and tart from the kiwi jelly.
And then the first dish......the Langostein which came with a Konbu Sauce and a Miso Sauce. Check out that caviar; which really complemented the plump, sweet-briney langostein.
I preferred the konbu sauce with this as it heightened the nice seafood flavor. Also loved that nothing was over-seasoned.
The Missus loved this bottle of wine the best.
Man, look at the size of that Foie Gras.......
And yet, it was the thin slices of pickled daikon that really impressed me. It also was a nice foil to the rich-livery foie gras. Not a big fan of the Amaretto sauce though.
When the Red Mullet came out; I really didn't know what to think as it looked like a solid piece of fish; but it was amazing and my favorite dish of the meal.
The skin was light, yet very crisp, it was a treat indeed. The flesh was perfectly moist and mild in flavor....cue in the caviar. The grilled lettuce had a nice sweetness to it; but it was the celery micro greens that were really amazing, packing quite a punch of flavor!
Next up, the pork neck, which was done medium rare - yes medium rare.....I trust places like Pertinence. And this was very tender, considering it was pork neck, and had a touch of anise lingering on the tongue.
Man, I was pretty full after this......I usually leave dessert totally up to the Missus; but this time it was Roquefort with Umeboshi Caramel Camambert. How could I resist???
This was a fine and enjoyable meal. Service was excellent and relaxed, the dishes well paced, quite impressive with the restaurant staffed with only the two chefs. It was well worth the price!
Pertinence
29 Rue de l'Exposition
75007 Paris, France
Since we like to eat rather early; our timing was perfect as we left the restaurant and headed up to Rue Saint-Dominique and then up Avenue de la Bourdonnais crossing the Seine on Pont d'Iéna to see the sight the Missus never tires of.
And then we headed back to the apartment......
And then off to sleep. Where I'm sure the Missus was dreaming of the "City of Lights".
Thanks for stopping by!
Lovely lights! That's sad they messed up the croissant.
Posted by: Soo | Tuesday, 30 March 2021 at 01:16 PM
Puzzling how it's tough to find a good croissant in Paris.
Posted by: Junichi | Tuesday, 30 March 2021 at 02:56 PM
Wow, what a treat! Art for dinner.
Posted by: LaurieH | Tuesday, 30 March 2021 at 03:46 PM
beautiful city!
Posted by: kat | Tuesday, 30 March 2021 at 04:08 PM
Paris is indeed the "City of Lights" Soo.
I think it might be that we're looking for excellent croissants Junichi. After all; this is Paris.
Well said Laurie! "Art for dinner"!
Very beautiful Kat!
Posted by: Kirk | Wednesday, 31 March 2021 at 06:46 AM
Ah, one day my husband and I will travel there....
Thinking of all the bakeries and the food....
Posted by: caninecologne | Sunday, 16 May 2021 at 05:29 PM
We love Paris CC! Hope you get to visit!
Posted by: Kirk | Monday, 17 May 2021 at 06:35 AM