L’Ambroisie - Paris (France)

There is a saying in soccer that says “a classic is a classic and vice versa”. If that were ever to apply to restaurants, it would probably be referring to @ambroisieparis. Situated in the Place des Vosges, the restaurant has held three Michelin stars for a staggering 37 years.

Ambrosia means food of the gods in Greek mythology, and the name chosen for the restaurant could not reflect any better what it stands for: the food in itself. Without any unnecessary gimmicky or distractions. Everything here revolves around what is ultimately served on the plate, from the setting and service to the absurdly high quality ingredients selected.

Differently from most of its peers, L’Ambroisie does not offer a tasting menu. Instead, they offer a concise selection of a la carte options for guests to choose from. Each of them is generously served, in a way where one can have several bites of the same dish, something that I found quite refreshing when comparing it to most restaurants of this magnitude.

Every course made me believe that whatever was coming up next would not be able to keep up, only to be humbled by the smell of the next one as soon as it arrived. My favorite was probably the sea bass with artichokes and caviar, but it would be impossible not to mention the complexity of the curry sauce served with their signature langoustine.

For dessert, their world famous chocolate tart with bourbon vanilla ice cream might have been one of my favorite sweet courses in recent memory. Light and airy but with a crunchy base, it is moist and elegant, in a perfect balance of both flavors and temperatures.

(Versão em Português nos comentários) Less