La
Table du Lancaster
By Francis Bown
In
a late 19th Century mansion near the Champs Élysées I was transported to
Heaven, there to feast upon the nectar of the gods. I exaggerate, of
course – but only slightly. Gastronomic ecstasy sometimes prompts me to
dabble in hyperbole. Had you been with me, your taste-buds would have
prompted you to similar flights of enthusiasm, I am sure. The dish which
so impressed me sounds pretty good, too: venison canon with hazelnuts
and ranfio cino (a sweet white wine). It was served in the restaurant of
the Hotel Lancaster, now known as La Table du Lancaster.
It was raining heavily
as my taxi approached the discreet entrance. I did my best to imitate
the gazelle for the brief distance from car to building, but I was still
a little soggy by the time I reached the threshold. I wondered whether I
should seek out the hotel’s interior courtyard and restore my composure
in its Zen garden retreat. But the moment passed, and I was soon
entering the intimate warmth of the ground floor dining room. Well-lit
by discreet spotlights and a crystal chandelier, this was a small
chamber – afforded considerable elegance by grey pilasters and colours
of dark brown and old gold. It took me a few moments to realise that
there was not a second room: these interior decorators can do clever
things with mirrors.
I settled myself before
the off-white tablecloth, examined the good Spiegelau glasses, noticed
that the friendly waitresses were careful to re-fold the napkin of a
fellow diner who had left the table for a moment and thought that this
was a good setting for food which attracts one Michelin star. My back
began to complain, but the 2nd Maitre d’ quickly brought me a cushion,
and comfort was restored. I learnt that Gianluca Faustini had come from
Milan. He looked after me with considerable courtesy and kindness
throughout the evening.
The
menu at La Table du Lancaster is overseen by Michel Troisgros, the
famous chef of Roanne. “Fresh produce and tangy notes have been my
inspiration for this menu,” he tells us. The dishes are divided into
categories, such as ‘Sour’, ‘Piquant’ and ‘Bright’, and main courses are
differentiated from starters by a small symbol next to their
descriptions on the card. I suppose that such a system appeals to young
people. Being of the old duffer School, I found it a bit confusing.
Still, I did manage to order jolly good meal. (A seven course tasting
menu is offered at 120 euros. My four courses from the carte were 157
euros.)
My opening course was
‘Zesty’ – a fair enough description, as it contained the zest of a Yuzu
orange. This melba of scallops was Japanese in its exquisite
presentation and entirely to my liking in its robust flavours. Here was
the essence of scallops. Standards dipped slightly with my second
course. These steamed autumn vegetables with parsley sauce were prettily
presented and offered an interesting variety of tastes, but they were
cold – chilled, even. Had they been warm, they would have constituted a
much better and a much more enjoyable dish.
Then came the
brilliant, the extraordinary venison. I have eaten venison many times,
but never has it been better than this. The combination, with hazelnuts
and a sauce of sweet wine, was intelligent and effective. But it was the
stunning quality of the meat – so tender and so full of flavour – which
made me gasp. I decided that the person in the kitchen who had prepared
and cooked this meat deserved the Légion d’Honneur. After such
magnificence, I feared the pudding might disappoint. It did not. I had
been unable to resist the lure of so tantalising a conceit on the menu –
carrot soufflé. With carrot sorbet spooned into its fluffy centre at the
table, this was a fine ending to a fine dinner.
The wine list, brought
to me by a sommelier in a proper sommelier’s uniform, contained many
French offerings of high quality – including the first vintage of Pétrus
produced after Christian Moueix had taken charge of the chateau, 1971
(1,800 euros), which I had the pleasure of drinking in California at a
tasting conducted by the great man himself a few years ago. Other
bottles to catch my eye were 1995 Bollinger champage (310 euros), 1985
Margaux (1,250 euros) and 1990 La Mission Haut Brion (980 euros).
I decided to go to
Burgundy for my white and to the Rhône for my red, and found some
excellent drinking. The 2005 Chassagne Montrachet from J.M.Boillot (82
euros) was nutty and gravely – blind, I would have said a top quality
Chablis. The 2004 Cornas (Les Terres brûlées, J.L.Colombo – 72 euros)
was full of spice and damsons, with charming hints of caramel.
When I left the
Lancaster the rain had stopped, but the damp pavement still glistened
under the street lamps. I walked on the earth, but the venison at La
Table du Lancaster had given me a glimpse of Heaven. For that it has my
eternal thanks.
LA TABLE DU LANCASTER
Hospes Lancaster, 7 rue du Berri, 75008 Paris, France.
Telephone +39 (0)1 40 76 40 18
Fax +39 (0)1 40 76 40 00
Email: hospes.lancaster@hospes.es
www.hospes.es
Closed: August
© 2008 Francis Bown. Used by
permission. All rights reserved. For reviews of hotels and
restaurants across the world, visit
www.BownsBest.com
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