Lunch up the Eiffel Tower with Alain Ducasse
Posted on 03 September 2009 with no comments from readers
The French equivalent of British celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay is Alain Ducasse whose chain of restaurants also includes the Jules Verne, 123 metres up the Eiffel Tower in Paris – exactly the height of the Burj Al Arab in Dubai.
Of course this restaurant has always been for tourists, and that remains true today. But the $95 lunch menu is still fine cuisine at something of a bargain price. It is well worth the money.
Private lift
You begin with your own private lift up a leg of the Eiffel Tower to the second stage. Diners emerge into a darkened interior with patterns that reflect the steelwork outside the window.
We secured a window seat by the remarkably simple technique of requesting one in advance by email. This clearly annoyed the American matriarch from New York and her teenage daughter complete with braces sitting next to us.
The weather also did us no favours with high winds and driving rain, and a view that gradually vanished into cloud. However, the food made it worthwhile.
Alain Ducasse matches wines with the three course lunch. The fois gras starter proved mouthwatering with a white wine from Alsace. The magret de canard proved sensational with vegetables arranged in a true work of art and washed down with an appropriate wine from Bordeaux.
Great desert
Our delicious roasted apricot desert came with a collection of marshmallows and truffle chocolates, and a glass of Jurancon from the south-west of France. Indeed, there were amuse-bouches and smaller snacks scattered through the meal, and even a take-away pack of Madeleine cookies.
Service is immaculate in that efficient French style that does not include a chat with the waiter or waitress. Even in these recessionary times – supposedly already over in France it is said – it is essential to book ahead for the Jules Verne, and then to ask for the best seats.
You are really getting both a trip up the Eiffel Tower and a fine dining experience in a neat package. It was a shame the view disappointed us but then that will be an excuse to go again sometime.
