Hungry for Paris? Dine in the sky with glamorous star-studded views of the Eiffel Tower from L’Oiseau Blanc restaurant at The Peninsula Hotel Paris.
The most luxurious and quintessential of Parisian experiences is dining with an unpenetrated bird’s eye view of the Eiffel Tower. No place can this iconic moment be lived than at The Peninsula Hotel in Paris at their contemporary French restaurant, L’Oiseau Blanc. L’Oiseau Blanc literally translates to white bird, the name of the first aircraft to attempt to cross the Atlantic in 1927 non-stop. I was thrilled when I was invited to dine at this French restaurant where everything served is rare, of high quality, or exclusively offered when in season.
Our taxi pulled up to the entrance of The Peninsula Hotel. The doormen opened our doors and we stepped into the rich lobby enveloped in white marble floors and walls. The tall ceilings and art installations made for a grand entrance. We headed towards the elevators at the end of the building. This was true Parisian luxury. We were on cloud nine from the minute we stepped foot into the hotel, and we hadn’t even made it to the restaurant yet.
It’s a wonderful surprise to emerge on the 8th floor of The Peninsula Hotel and feel like you’re boarding a luxurious aircraft. Nicolas, the manager, greeted us and walked us to the dining area. The entire restaurant is inspired by L’Oiseau Blanc with photographs, news articles, memorabilia, and even replicas of the engine, propeller, and more, adorning the dining area. A detailed replica of the aircraft took months to put together and hangs outside the entrance of the restaurant. It is evident that a lot of time and passion was put into the design of L’Oiseau Blanc. The pilot, Charles Nungesser, and navigator, François Coli, would have been the first to cross the Atlantic from Paris to New York City. Unfortunately, their plane disappeared in flight and till today is one of the biggest unresolved aviation mysteries of all time.
We were a bit early so decided to explore the terrace. The terrace had a lovely view of Paris rooftops and the Eiffel tower in the distance. The sky was lavishly romantic and picturesque in pinks and mauves as the sun set. Grabbing cocktails here before dinner is a must and I highly encourage it. The panoramic view extends beyond the Eiffel Tower to give you 360 degree views. Patrick and I could were caught between Sacre-Coeur lit up at night all the way on the left and the Eiffel Tower to our right. What scared us even more was the fact that we could literally see what we had walked that day – from one point to the other! 14 miles of pure beauty.
One of the main reasons you are still able to see the Eiffel Tower today: Height restrictions have not allowed buildings to be built taller than the Eiffel Tower so you can enjoy it’s beauty from every angle of Paris.
Our waiter, Augustin, called us back inside and told us our table was ready. All the guests were very well-dressed. If you wanted to go all out chic in Paris, this was the place to do it. Men in suits and women in beautiful long gowns. We were seated by a window right next to a corner directly facing the Eiffel Tower. The entire dining area is wrapped in head to ceiling windows with prime views of Paris. This was Parisian dining taken to new heights.
When the waiter came over and asked us for our wine order, I wanted to tell him…I’ll take Paris, please and thank you! There is a large choice of quality wines coming from the best wine producers in France. Wines by the glass start as low as 20 euro, but when you have these views and this décor, you don’t cheap out on the wine—you order a bottle. Prices for bottles start as low as 75 Euro and go as high as the thousands…! You are dining with connoisseurs. Pat and I ordered a Bourdeaux, the Côte de Brouilly, Les Sept Vignes, Château Thivin. The bottle was 140 euro, but worth the price.
For dinner, we went with the 3-course menu with a fixed price of 115 Euro, not bad at all! We weren’t sure what to get so asked the chef to choose our specials. Little did we know that Chef Christophe Raoux, winner of the 2015 prestigious award Meilleur Ouvrier de France for leading chefs, would be serving us food that was literally a work of art, both in it’s presentation and in it’s unique pairings. And our 3-hour culinary took off. Fresh bread was served to us in a silver bowl full of grains and our wine was placed in a cool circular holder next to the aviation lights shining a spotlight on the room.
1. Amuse-Bouche
The evening began as it always does with an Amuse-Bouche, or a single, bite-sized hors d’œuvres chosen by Chef Christophe Raoux himself. They change every day so you will never have the same one on any given day. They are on the house and offered as a way to open the palate to the flavors to come. One of our amuse-bouche was a crunchy cone like texture filled with what I believe was some sort of truffle foie gras, but it’s hard to say. They were flavors unknown to my palate. The second was served in what looked like a huge sea shell, and tasted like a mix of pesto or basil with a light cheese porridge. In either case, flavors unknown to me! My palate had taken off.
2. Starters: French Morels & French Obsiblue King Prawn
French morels: Wild rocket salad/sweet onions cream
For those who don’t know morels are a type of bumpy mushroom. What was presented in front of me was a mushroom dumpling, inspired maybe from The Peninsula Hotel’s Asian origins, foaming with deliciousness and what tasted like fish roe. The mushrooms inside are cooked and feel bumpy and rugged in texture, mimicking perfectly the bumps adorning the border of the plate. You can tell that the texture of the plate was chosen intentionally to mimic the texture of the mushroom. It heightens the flavor and taste event more! I divvied up every last piece I could take and washed it down with a gulp of wine.
The evening was made even more romantic, by the spontaneous flickering lights of the Eiffel Tower in the distance that lit up the night sky every hour. It looked like a movie set and my heart warmed up a little more with every sip of wine and every time that tower flickered.
It’s not just the panorama that demands the praise, but the service, Oiseau Blanc’s 1920s-inspired décor, and food is something unique to behold. – Patrick
French Obsiblue king prawn: Petrossian bottarga
The Obsiblue king prawn has gone from an unknown species off the coast of New Caledonia to being featured in almost every Michelin-starred delicacy. Some say it’s almost as sought after as caviar. So what happens when you mix two of the most sought after delicacies in the world, Obsiblue king prawn and Petrossian caviar? Pure bliss. It’s an elegant, fresh, and refined dish.
The starter has a very strong, garlic, fish taste. It’s a dish for those who really like the taste of seafood. The more of the special suace you pour on it, the stronger the fish taste. The Obsiblue king prawn is juicy yet crunchy and is similar to lobster and langoustines in texture. It’s been used in many Asian dishes, again going back to The Peninsula Hotel’s ties to it’s Asian origins.
What is Petrossian Caviar?
Petrossian Caviar is one of the highest quality brands sustainable of caviar. What makes it special is that unlike other producers who pull the fish as soon as it matures, Petrossian caviar allows the sturgeons to age giving it a fuller more robust flavor. It also undergoes a specific salting process giving it a strong hint of salt or malossal.
3. Main Course: Line-caught turbot from Brittany & Salers Beef
Line-caught turbot from Brittany: white asparagus from the Vaucluse
Our waiter, Augustus, would fill our glasses at the same height every time never leaving us empty handed and the bread basket kept flowing allowing us to clean our plates and renew our palates at the start of every new dish. The main course was meat and fish.
Ever wondered what the world’s best tasting white fish is? Say hello to Turbot (pronounced turbo). Suggestion: don’t look up what a Turbot looks like because the fish itself is a bit strange in shape! Turbot is a rare fish. Turbots only begin to breed when they are 3-5 years old and their larvae rarely live since they remain small for a long time and are easy catch for prey. The rarity of having one combined with the delicacy of the meat make it a highly valued, farm-raised, and lean fish. The fish was crispy on the outside but lean and delicate on the inside. An herb sauce was served on top to add to it’s extra flavor, perhaps parsley or pesto.
The turbot is glorious served with highly regarded white asparagus from the Vaucluse region. In France, white asparagus rules over green, unlike in America. It is expensive and in season for a short time. It is a spring delicacy that appears on many platters around France for a limited-time, sometimes even in desserts.
Salers beef: Artichoke in poivrade style and Cantabrie anchovies
Salers beef is a French breed of cows and one of the oldest European breeds. Salers can be traced back 16,500 years ago to cave drawing found near the town of Salers in France. The beef is firmer than American beef yet tender and succulent and has a stronger taste. The meat is crunchy, yet melts in our mouthes as our knives glide through the meat. The dish comes with the purple artichokes of the Provence region also known as poivrade. It is the smallest of all artichokes. The artichoke leaves were served on the side with a dip that tasted like hummus.
We were instructed to use the artichoke leaves as spoons and suck the dip from them. The leaves were covered in some sort of delicious slightly sweet flavor. It was delightful. Never had I had something like this before. The meat wouldn’t be complete without being accompanied by Cantabrian Anchovies from Spain, the most appreciated and renowned anchovies in the world for their meatiness and intense flavor.
4. Dessert: The Cloud & Peanut
The Cloud : apple, bergamot, speculoos biscuit
You can’t leave L’Oiseau Blanc without concluding your experience of dining in the sky with class. The Cloud is Chef Christophe Raoux’s latest invention, and it’s very Instagrammable to say the least. A bite of it and you’ll feel like your head and stomach are in the clouds. As the dome is lifted, dry ice forms a dreamy cloud-like effect above the white chocolate shaped cloud. It’s presentation comes in a glass dome, which reminded me of how my Hickory S’mores Latte was presented to me in New York City.
Inside is a speculoos biscuit, a thin, very crunchy, caramelized biscuit popular in Germany, the Netherlands, and other European countries during Christmas time. The cloud is mixed with bergamot, a citrus fruit that tastes less sour than lemon, but more bitter than grapefruit. It’s a blend of the senses.
Peanut: rice pudding, salted caramel, and vanilla ice cream
To conclude this golden dinner of art, I was served “peanut.” In all honesty, it tasted like a heavenly Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup. The soft yet crunchy exterior waffle-like layer enclosed rice pudding (one of my favorite most understated desserts!) and vanilla ice cream with a salted caramel finish. I also tasted a hint of orange in the rice pudding giving it a tangy finish.
We concluded the night with a hats off to the Chef. Every meal was well thought out, not only in pairings but in presentation as well. The design was made with intention. I mean, even the bathrooms looked like you were walking into a first class airplane restroom with signs that said vacant and occupied. If you want to feel like your flying First Class without ever actually taking off the ground, then head to L’Oiseau Blanc.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for L’Oiseau Blanc, a restaurant of The Peninsula Hotel Paris. All opinions remain my own and I was in no way influenced by the company.
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