Verjus, Paris |
We're back to Paris for today's post! Dinner at Verjus.
Verjus
52 Rue de Richelieu
Paris 75001
Ph: +33 1 42 97 54 40
Website
Verjus is a cosy and upmarket restaurant and wine bar in the Palais Royale area, in the first arrondissement. Clarice suggested it for a bit of a blow-out dinner for my visit to Paris. She'd visited a couple of months prior for a special occasion, and described it as "it was one of the most amazing gastronomic experiences of [her] life". I was definitely in!
They offer a sensational seasonal five course tasting menu, and I've since learned that chef Hanz Gueco is actually Australian. (Woohoo, represent!) His Insta account is great, would recommend.
We had a 10pm (!) reservation, so we arrived at around half past nine and got a drink in the downstairs wine bar. I loved the atmosphere, and think it'd be a great spot to stop in for a casual drink, even if you didn't want to do the full tasting menu.
Verjus Wine Bar |
We, of course, did want to do the full tasting menu. And we did the matching wines as well. Girls' night out! At the time of our visit, the tasting menu was €78 per person, and the wine pairings were €55 per person, which I think was pretty good value considering the quality, quantity, and variety of the food offering, as well as the location, atmosphere and service. (And actually, we asked if we could share the wines and they were super cool about it).
Let's take a look!
Egg yolk, apricot purée, chives
Chickpeas, wild herbs
Melon, mozzarella, hibiscus
Carrot, rhubarb
Cucumber, borage
Christiana Meggiolaro, Veneto Durello Frizzante, Sotoca, NM
Amuses bouche |
The amuse bouches were really delightful - fun, and pretty, and inventive without being OTT. The watermelon sticks with mozzarella dip and tart hibiscus powder were lovely and fresh, and I thought the green cucumber and borage sandwiches and the little egg shells were super cute! My favourites, however, were the little crisp chickpea pancakes (like a socca), filled with fresh herbs, and the deceptively smoky and "meaty" carrot and rhubarb skewers.
House sourdough and butter
House Sourdough and Butter |
I know you shouldn't fill up on bread, but here it was so worth it. I loved the soft soft butter and the tangy, chewy, crusty sourdough.
Peach, Pepper, Almond
Les Milles Vignes, Pays de l'Aude, Muscat Sec, 2015
Peach, Pepper, Almond Les Milles Vignes, Pays de l'Aude, Muscat Sec, 2015 |
The second course was a light and refreshing stonefruit gazpacho, with pepper and almond. It was unusual for me to have a fruit-forward savoury course, but I really liked it!
Tomato, Lobster, Summer Truffle
Fattoria San Lorenzo, Marche, Le Oche, 2015
Tomato, Lobster, Summer Truffle Fattoria San Lorenzo, Marche, Le Oche, 2015 |
The tomato and lobster risotto was my favourite of all the savoury courses. It had a base of red camargue rice, loads of herbs, and summer truffle. It was perfectly balanced and so delicious!
Pork Basque Kintoa, Eggplant, Zucchini
Mas Foulaquier, Pic-Saint-Loup, Tonillières, 2017
Pork Basque Kintoa |
The main course felt very summery - perfectly cooked pork with a rich jus, a ratatouille tarte tatin (!), a courgette salad, and grilled capsicums. I loved the inclusion of vegetables in the multi-course menu! The star of the show, for me, was the ratatouille tarte tatin with its gorgeous flaky buttery pastry.
Ratatouille tart tatin |
Zucchini salad |
Grilled capsicums |
And now we come to dessert...
Peach Melba
Sant'Evasio, Brachetto D'Acqui, 2018
Peach Melba Sant'Evasio, Brachetto D'Acqui, 2018 |
So pretty! The simply titled "peach melba" was a gorgeously presented crisp meringue dome, encasing ice-cream, peaches, fresh raspberries, and a vibrant fresh raspberry sauce.
Fig leaf panna cotta, Fig sorbet |
It also came with a little fig leaf panna cotta with an intensely coloured fig sorbet. It was really light and refreshing, and a wonderful way to round off the meal.
Fig leaf panna cotta, Fig sorbet |
Corn, Caramel
Corn & caramel macarons |
The petits fours were these beautifully presented corn and caramel macarons. The shells were made with cornmeal and had a lovely toothsome texture to them, complementing the sweet caramel filling, which itself had little pops (hah) of popcorn inside. Divine!
Dried muscat grapes enrobed in Valrhons 70% Guanaja cocoa chocolate |
We were also gifted an extra petit four from the chef - some dried muscat grapes enrobed in Valrhona Guanaja 70% cocoa chocolate. (I think he must have noticed me from my extensive pre-trip insta-stalking and enthusiastic commenting, hehe). They were beautifully rich and sweet; I totally want to recreate this idea at home to have with coffee or muscat after a meal.
And that was the dinner! I loved the intimate atmosphere, the food was wonderful, and the staff were really lovely. They all seemed to speak multiple languages as well (we heard French, English, and Spanish), so I think it would be a low-stress option for non-French-speaking visitors to Paris as well. It would also definitely be ok to go here on your own if you're a solo traveller - next to us was an absolute champion of an American lady who'd just flown into Paris from the States and was doing the full five courses and wines all to herself.
I would highly recommend visiting Verjus if you're in Paris, and I would definitely want to visit again on a future trip.
4 comments
Looks delicious!
ReplyDeleteIt was so good!
DeleteOoh I want to do a rataouille tarte tatin now! What a great idea. And a 10pm reservation? I don't think I could stop myself from eating a pre-dinner :P
ReplyDeleteHaha I was exhausted by the end of the meal, but so worth it!
Delete