L'Archeste

This fantastic restaurant is located a little out of the way, but was well worth the trip and was one of the two best meals we had in Paris. The Japanese-French combination made the experience unique. It is a blind tasting menu, which I noticed was a popular approach in many restaurants in Paris. I was a little apprehensive, but it was all good and made for a fun adventure not knowing what was coming next. We opted for the tasting menu, where the prestige menu had the same number of courses, but used fancier ingredients. For what we got I found the pricing to be fair and good. The food is what you would expect out of a Michelin star restaurant, with complex flavors, multiple layers, and a fantastic melding of French sauces and Japanese flavors. The restaurant itself is small and provides an intimate setting. This place does not come across as trendy or loud. There was a mix of locals and Americans the evening we went. Service was friendly and warm with one primary server in the midweek evening we were there, and with the chefs brining our some of the courses. In a city full of fine restaurants this was definitely worth the trip!

Small restaurant (4 tables when I went, although two were with large groups), with very discreet staff. Tasting menu with wine pairing was delicious and varied, very copious. Staff was very passionate about wine

The main menu wasn’t particularly special, but the rest of the menu items were absolutely amazing!

The food is amazing. But I got pretty carried away and won't be able to comment every dish. Food - Sophisticated. The complexity of the flavor and the way food cook with it's timing was extraordinary. Service - It's not perfect because with Michelin stars restaurant, you have a certain expectation but personally great service is what they provided. Excellent is not necessary to skew the point. Note: Lobster - it's rare. Personally, I prefer 80%-90% to get that texture I like. Upgrade chef menu - Afterward, I felt the monk fish was good enough especially with the lobster sauce and ordering the lobster was not necessary since the monk fish was excellent. Though you can add a toppings of truffles which is available for the basic chef menu.

The food was original, and deserving of their Michelin star. Great atmosphere, and in a nice quiet, part of town. The staff were really friendly too! Thank you!

We were looking forward to dine at L’Archeste but were quite disappointed with the service as well as the food. For the service, when we entered the restaurant, there was no one to greet us. The French lady was just standing behind the counter observing what her male colleague was doing. The make colleague seemed to be the Maitre’d of the restaurant. We were not impressed with his service as well. While explaining the food, his eyes were looking elsewhere in the restaurant. In his position, he should exude his passion for the dishes and share a story. Rather, he seemed to be more anxious to leave quickly after explaining the dish and its ingredients. He gave us the impression that his English was not good and he was afraid that we may ask him questions which he may not be able to convey in English. When the soup arrived, we had asked if they serve bread. The French lady server replied,” Yes, we service bread. If you would like some, we can serve you.” Maybe we have not been to enough prestige French restaurant….should the server not ask the guests if we would like some bread if there is bread available…and not the other way around? In my opinion, the main dish of veal is too complex…consisting of too many flavours. The sweetness of the Jerusalem artichoke (if I am correct as this was what I understood from the Maitre’d’s explanation) covered the main ingredient’s - which is the veal - subtle aroma. Desserts came in 3 acts - the mixed fruits gelato which was to cleanse the palate, followed by the pear covered with chestnut cream and, lastly, a small size of cheesecake made from French Comte cheese. The desserts were served 25 minutes after they had cleared the main dish and set the table. Noting that this was dinner, we were already sleepy and yearning to go home when desserts came at 10:50pm. Also, the dishes were a tad heavy for dinner. If we ever consider to return, we would rather do lunch, well noting the speed of service here. That is, if we ever would return

#61 in my Michelin Stars Marathon in Paris Where the cheese meets the cake! This is a small étoilé in the 16th with a Japanese chef. It’s a crowded segment, with plenty of brilliant chefs. The execution is superb, elegant with no excess. He is clearly on the French side but he is not shy in giving hints of his origin with his perfect craft and with some of its creation. Actually there’s a progression in the meal between the beginning, the main dish and the dessert. I’ll concentrate on just one example to make my point clearer. The cheese cake. The cheesecake has a Japanese side being at first very light and delicate (let’s say lighter and more delicate than a classic version). Indeed, Japanese desserts are lighter and less sweet than the French (and obviously way less than others). But here the chef as an hommage to the French cuisine made it with “Comté “. Brilliantly insane! The lightness and delicate touch is balanced by the intensity and “longueur en bouche” of the Comté. And that’s the chef! Please note that it’s his creation as there’s no chef pâtissier (it’s a small étoilé). We meet him very briefly, but you can see in his eyes that he’s witty, and that he’s very respectful of the French cuisine. The crowd was family, friends, couple and a few business people. The atmosphere is relaxed and zen. Yet, you’re in the 16th. It’s a very solid one star My experience was that I spent an excellent time and it took me a couple of days to better analyze it. So at the end of the day, I thought of it days after… which is a very strong point Update 2022: back a year and two weeks after. It did not disappoint me to say the least. First, I had completely different dishes, which is always nice. Secondly, the last time I had one dish that blew me away, and this time I also had one. It was a lettuce. No kidding. The crowd was roughly the same, the rest of the the experience also. So the lesson is that it’s a very safe bet! It s more than a very solid star, it’s extremely solid. Looking forward to see next year

Thank you very much! It was really great experience. That case when the reality is better than expectations! Delicate taste of all dishes with respect of French cuisine plus nice Japanese notes. I’m in love with the starter, the best that I had lately. Was thinking about this dish the whole day after. The services are welcoming and friendly, careful about small details. Feels like it is a family comforting atmosphere. All together it is a great combination! Bravo!