Dinner at Plenitude

Dinner at Plenitude

at Plenitude on 26 March 2026
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This is considered France’s best restaurant and I wasn’t impressed 🇫🇷⭐️⭐️⭐️

In Paris, at 3-Michelin-starred @plenitude.paris in the @chevalblancparis hotel, Chef @arnauddonckele takes you on a journey from his native Normandy to the Mediterranean and back in a symphony of sauces.

Born in Normandy, he earned three stars at La Vague d’Or in 2013 before being poached by Bernard Arnault of @lvmh to open this institution.

The concept is genius: a menu built on sauces, the soul of French cooking. A sardine sauce with fish was undoubtedly one of the greatest I’ve ever tasted - intense, bright green, godly. The Garden plate presented like a Monet. Rabbit prepared three ways with sauce and vinaigrette, a technical masterclass, though served cold without clear purpose (to me).

But then the cracks appeared. A turbot served closer to cold than lukewarm, the first dish I’ve sent back at a 3-star for temperature alone. An herbal infusion made with pre-made tea bags. A kitchen tour showing pictures of Donckele everywhere except the kitchen itself.

It felt like visiting a Picasso museum to find only replicas. Plénitude is an impressive choreography with flawless service, but it follows the LVMH playbook: scaling more while decreasing quality. Michelin calls this the pinnacle of fine dining. On this night, it was not it.
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📍 Plénitude, Paris - France 🇫🇷
💶 Tasting menu: €495
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#ChasingStars #thefoodfetishist #plenitude #paris #3michelinstars