Le Violon d'Ingres (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★★☆

Today’s main event for us is a visit to the Eiffel Tower. I don’t know about the others but personally, I am pumped every time I come across this symbolic landmark of Paris. For our own convenience, I thought it was important that we found a lunch venue near the tower so we could soak up the vibe in the 7th arrondissement neighborhood which is best known for its historical sites, charming neighborhoods, and vibrant cultural scene.

That brought us to Le Violon d'Ingres, an upscale neo-brasserie helmed by highly regarded chef Alain Solivérès, formerly of the prestigious fine-dining institution Le Taillevent, and Jimmy Tsaramanana.

I knew a big part of Le Violon d'Ingres' kitchen (including pastry chef Ryota Ozawa) is Asian but didn't realize that its client base is predominantly Asian as well.

Lunch got rolling in a hurry with some cheese gougères and seasoned almonds (I thought with matcha).

Heirloom tomatoes, pine nuts, burrata, olive oil – Some of us kicked off the meal with an assortment of heirloom tomatoes which have been seasoned with sherry vinegar. This came with very refreshing, clean flavors working well with the roasted pine nuts, pistou and burrata cheese.

Fine cream of peas, sheep’s curd – I ordered this for little nugget simply for the fact that it's the perfect dish for the summer. The chilled green peas soup was nicely garnished with crispy croutons and a cloud of sheep's curd in the middle. Just couldn't ask for a more refreshing start to the meal (except for the heirloom tomatoes perhaps).

Escalope of duck foie gras, seasonal fruits – As much as I loved to start things off with a refreshing dish, I just couldn't pass on the chance of having a superbly seared duck foie gras. Look at the size of these two thick-cut foie gras and their caramelized crust. The execution was simply faultless and the collection of seasonal fruits including the roasted fig, peach, apricot and pear were the perfect match made in heaven. Yeah, my self-imposed ban on the consumption of duck foie gras was temporarily lifted for a few hours. 😆😆

Free range pigeon in a puff pastry Wellington style, salmis sauce – Our first main dish was pigeon breast from Landis stuffed inside a puff pastry Wellington style.

The pigeon breast cooked to amazingly rosé was elegantly enveloped inside the puff pastry and finished off with a creamy salmis sauce. For a brief moment or two, I did regret not ordering this myself.

Duck breast, polenta, olives, rosemary – I had the roasted duck breast from Chalosse. Duck from the Chalosse region is touted for its exceptional flavor and tenderness, and it was in full display this afternoon. The duck breast was nicely accompanied by a slice of polenta cake topped with olives and rosemary. Yet another plus dish from the talented kitchen.

Snow eggs, crème anglaise with Bourbon vanilla, pink pralines – This consisted of layers of fluffy and airy egg white which was beautifully crowned with pink pralines, nuts and edible flowers. A nice pour of custard cream made with Bourbon vanilla, eggs and milk put the finishing touch on the delicious dessert.

Traditional Mille Feuille, light vanilla whipped cream – One of the best millefeuille I have ever had in my life (I have a few of these on this trip). The pastry was so so light, almost feather-like but it's got enough butter for the nice, buttery texture to match up against the vanilla whipped cream and chocolate sauce (did I taste caramel there?). I love a simple dessert that was done right. 

We were so full but I won't miss the mignardises for the world, especially the mini lemon tarts which came with a sharp burst of acidity.

That was a really relaxing lunch without the pressure of a fine-dining setting. Service was certainly up to par for a Michelin starred restaurant and I liked the classy modern interior which wasn't meant to be flashy or pretentious. If I ever live in Paris, this is a place I would love to come back time and time again.

We didn't forget why we were here in the heart of the 7th arrondissement. Unfortunately, sections of the park were off-limits due to Summer Olympics construction, which meant we couldn't capture any picturesque shots of the iconic tower.

This photo taken in 2013 remains the best shot we have of the tower (with us). I doubt we'll ever surpass it.

Food Rating: 7.7/10

Price: €€€

Address: 135 Rue Saint-Dominique, 75007 Paris, France

Closest Metro Station: École Militaire / Pont de l'Alma

Tel: +33 (0)1 4555-1505

Website: https://leviolondingres.paris/

Opening Hours: 12:00pm - 2:00pm, 6:30pm - 10:00pm daily