Maurice
Google
TLDR: Surely this is not what the French call cuisine.
We flew half the world to experience Paris, and this was our first proper French dinner. Given the price, the Disney name, and the reputation of the chef, expectations were high. Unfortunately, the experience fell dramatically short, and I sincerely hope this is not representative of French cuisine.
Before we even sat down, the experience was already unnecessarily difficult. Booking from overseas by phone was frustrating. On the day, locating the Disneyland Hotel was not straightforward, and finding the restaurant felt like solving a puzzle. Guests must locate a hidden phone and request a lift to the correct floor, after which the entrance remains deliberately concealed. A “secret forest” indeed, one that almost feels as though it was not meant to be found.
Once inside, credit is due where it is deserved. The décor is elegant and impressive, with a beautiful view overlooking the Disney castle and the large Christmas tree, as we visited in December. The staff were friendly, polite, and made a genuine effort to communicate in English. Unfortunately, atmosphere and service can only carry a restaurant so far.
The restaurant attempts to present the menu as a storytelling experience. Guests are handed a Snow White storybook, with the suggestion that the meal will unfold as a narrative. In reality, the book is simply the Snow White story, with two menus awkwardly inserted halfway through the text. The dishes themselves (in the Discovery menu) are loosely inspired by unrelated Disney films, many of which have nothing to do with the forest or Snow White. There is no coherent theme, no narrative, and no emotional journey.
This is particularly disappointing given the chef’s own words on the website: “I imagine my enchanted forest as an invitation to travel, where every dish tells a story, evokes a memory or stirs an emotion.” Sadly, none of the dishes told a story or evoked a memory. The only emotions stirred were confusion and disappointment.
Now to the food, which was the biggest let down of the night.
The meal began with bread and assorted sauces inspired by the film Up. The bread was entirely ordinary and of poor quality, and the sauces clashed with both the bread and each other. Better bread can be found in a supermarket. This was followed by a second bread course, a dinner roll with house butter. The roll was hard and flavourless, reminiscent of airline bread, and the butter was unimpressive. Serving another bread course after the first already felt unnecessary.
The starter, Under the Sea, inspired by The Little Mermaid, was visually appealing but severely lacking in flavour. The scallops and mussels were small and not particularly fresh. The inclusion of sponge cake in a seafood dish was baffling and added nothing to the dish.
For the main course, I ordered the beef fillet medium rare. It was neither succulent nor flavourful, and the sauce failed to elevate the meat. The mushrooms and spinach underneath were actually the best part of the plate. Without them, the dish would have been bland.
The dessert, a chocolate soufflé, looked good in photos but tasted terrible. We could not finish it. This is the first time after a fine dining experience that we felt an urgent need for water or a drink simply to cleanse our palate.
I am not a professional food critic, nor do I claim deep knowledge of French cuisine. I am simply a regular diner sharing an honest experience. We did not travel halfway across the world to bad mouth a restaurant. We simply expected far more for the price paid, and from a venue carrying both the Disney name and the reputation of a celebrated chef.
To sum up, this truly was a once in a lifetime experience, an experience I only ever want to have once.
