Restaurant Le Tout Paris at Hotel Cheval Blanc (Paris, FRANCE) ★★★☆☆

For months leading up to our trip to Paris, I have been keeping a close eye on the impact of the Summer Olympics on the fine dining scene of the city. Apparently, there were many government campaigns urging restaurants in Paris to stay open throughout the event (rather than taking their summer holidays) and the majority of them did cooperate. But the end result? A huge number of restaurants all started taking their summer holidays on 11th August, the closing date of the Olympics. This really caused a migraine headache for the schedule maker (Me). As we didn't arrive until 16th August, it would be right in the middle of their holidays. A quick check revealed that out of the 10 three Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, only 3 (Le Cinq, Epicure and Arpège) remained open during our stay.

Well, beggars couldn’t be choosers. After conducting an extensive research, I finally nailed down a few fine-dining options with Restaurant Le Tout Paris at Hotel Cheval Blanc leading the way on our first day.

Le Tout Paris shares the same address as the prestigious Plénitude (one of the three Michelin starred that was enjoying a two-week summer holidays during our stay) at the five-star Cheval Blanc Paris hotel boasting stunning views of the Seine.

The restaurant truly captivates guests with its elegant ambiance and exquisite casual fine-dining dishes.

Right before we kicked off our culinary journey, I took a few steps onto the terrace to admire the view of River Seine from up high.

There was also the panoramic view of the city including the Eiffel Tower from distance away.

Our meal started off with a small nibble of red prawn tartare hidden underneath a cloud of lime foam and caviar. There was a strong burst of acidity coming from the lime to elevate the sweetness of the prawn. Not bad but perhaps my teeth (and my body in general) were still suffering from the lack of sleep so I found the tart a little hard to chew on.

A second nibble arrived shortly in the form of potato croquettes highlighted by the spicy kick from the herbs.

This guy obviously wasn't impressed as he preferred getting busy with his new toy than his croquette.

Oyster N°3, cucumber, lemongrass (€8 each) – Very nice briny flavors, matched up well with the clean flavors from the cucumber.

Langoustine, chanterelles, pike quenelle (€49) – Beautifully cooked langoustines were served with what our server described as a “woody broth” with rosemary but I thought it tasted more like a typical shellfish bisque. 

The bisque was pretty light in flavors so they were obviously allowing the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine.

Blue lobster, Bearnaise sauce, bergamot (€68) – Almost at the same time, a tabletop charcoal grill showed up table side with our blue lobster getting ready to be served. 

The charcoal grilled blue lobster was really succulent but I thought it could be more beautifully charred, delivering even more delightful smoky flavors.

Pan-fried forest vegetables with rosemary (€9) – I am getting ourselves a side dish with assorted mushrooms, zucchini, crunchy baby turnips and onions. A really adorable and colorful dish with a strong mix of clean flavors and lovely crunch.

Pigeon, tarragon, chervil sauce (€48) – More successful was the pigeon which has been smoked with rosemary.

It was a no-brainer order pigeons in Paris as we could always count on the kitchen to deliver them perfectly rosé (the skin could be more crispy though).

We didn’t have room for dessert so just a couple of mignardises before the bill. 

A final sweet treat (or sour?) of panna cotta served in a very intense passion fruit dressing put an end to our first serious dining experience of this trip (plenty more to come).

Other than some minor blemishes, I thought we had ourselves a fairly well-executed first official meal in Paris. The view lived up to its reputation, and the service was flawless, just as we had expected it to be. The only thing that truly bothered me throughout this meal was, well the weather. With the summer in Paris turned out unexpectedly cooler than anticipated, the wind really dashed our plans of dining outside on the terrace. And the fact that I wasn't feeling great after my first 13-hour flight in five years really put a dent to this dining experience.

Food Rating: 7.3/10

Price: €€€€€

Address: 5/F, Cheval Blanc Paris, 8 Quai du Louvre, 75001 Paris, France

Tel: +33 (0)1 7935-5022

Closest Metro Station: Pont Neuf

Website: www.chevalblanc.com/en/maison/paris/restaurants-and-bars/le-tout-paris/

Opening Hours: 7:00am - 1:00am daily