Pavillon Ledoyen (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★★☆

Pavillon Ledoyen is an old institution that has been serving haute cuisine Parisian style for decades. As a customer, we couldn't ask for a better location. Located just off the busy streets in the Eastern part of the Champs Elysées, the two-storey pavilion was comfortably seated in a beautiful garden setting.

As the painting on the wall has indicated, it all started back in 1792. Well August 1791 to be exact. (how I was accidentally caught in the photo below was beyond me).



Like the rest of the restaurant, the dining room still preserves its neo-classical style that could be dated back to the early 1800s. 

The terraced garden could be seen from the second-floor dining room. 

The amuse bouche was a wonderful collection of nibbles starting with a spoonful of campari in a ginger and orange flavored bubble which was supposed to be eaten in one bite and we did. The wonderfully refreshing taste had us craving for more.

Next up was a plate of smaller nibbles including an interesting foie gras mousse with meringue, followed by a simple crispy biscuit topped with spinach and a fried caper.



It continued with this squid ink / shrimp and radish chip.



And just when we thought we were finished with the amuse bouche, one final nibble showed up in the form of some fresh radish in a creamy sauce.

It was no doubt a very entertaining collection of nibbles designed to get our palates ready.



We had quite a bit of green and white asparagus on this trip. This one, like many others we had was simply prepared - poached and served with a creamy sauce. That's how most people would like it done.



The next starter was a little bit more sophisticated - poached lobster served in chilled lobster consommé jelly.



Main course was a difficult choice between chicken breast and dover sole fish. I was never a fish lover to begin with so really had no choice but to go with the chicken breast.

The breaded chicken breast was actually not bad although not something to write home about but matching it with steamed daikon and a toast with chicken parfait was a peculiar choice. The finishing with a sticky chicken stock jelly also left something to be desired. 



The cheese trolley was next. I was way too full at that point and decided just to have a little bit of goat cheese before calling it quitted.



Dessert turned out to be the highlight of the meal starting with this nicely presented pre-dessert - Pineapple with pina colada mousse, pistachio macaron, passion fruit cream tart and liquid cherry, take your pick.



A sushi on top of a slice of pan seared foie gras? It certainly looked that way but it was in fact a slice of creme brulee topped with wild strawberries and basil ice cream that finished with a thick layer of strawberry sauce atop. (It was the first time I had basil ice cream and it was surprisingly refreshing).

The presentation was outstanding and so was the taste.



Our other dessert was a caramel cream topped with crunchy toffee, lemon ice cream and salt which was just average.

It was great to check Pavillon Ledoyen off our list as it was argueably one of the oldest and most prestigious restaurants in Paris. But apart from that rich history, something seemed to be missing. 

We had lunch at Le Bristol (Epicure) the day before and the creativity and flair that was put on display there was definitely missing here. 

Food Rating: 7.5/10

Price: €€€€

Address: 1 Avenue Dutuit, 75008 Paris, France
Closest Metro Station: Champs-Elysees Clemenceau
Tel: +33 (0)1 5305-1000
Website: commercial.groupeepicure.com

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