Mike M.
Yelp
Pages was truly one of the best meals we've had in Paris. While looking at the Michelin starred restaurants in Paris, I was surprised to see quite a few non-French cuisine places on the list. I had no clue there were so many Japanese chefs offering traditional omakase menus or Japanese/French fusion tasting menus. While there aren't too many reviews on Yelp, Restaurant Pages caught my eye with its creative dishes and theatrical tasting menu that somewhat reminded me of The Alinea Group that we have in Chicago. I was surprised to see how easy it was to book a reservation, with availability even with just one day notice. That's unheard of for a Michelin starred restaurant in Chicago, but I guess with so much competition in Paris not every place will be a tough reservation to pull.
Ambiance / Location: Pages is located in a quiet area not too far from the Arc de Triomphe. It's easy to miss because there's only a subtle sign on the outside, and it's located next to its more casual sister restaurant Le 116. We dined at Frenchie the night before and Pages is the polar opposite. While Frenchie was more romantic and casual, Pages was bright and aligned more with the traditional concept of fine dining. When you walk in you immediately notice the bright natural light, the crisp white table cloths, the white brick walls, and best of all the open kitchen. Chef Teshi himself greeted us from the kitchen as we walked in and took our seats. Throughout the meal you can observe the calm efficiency of the sous chefs and the jolly demeanor of Chef Teshi, which is the opposite of the French brigade kitchen scenes you see in the movies.
Dining Experience: I read everywhere that it's best to try the Michelin restaurants for lunch because they are often much cheaper and still provide an amazing meal. We went to Pages for lunch, and they offered either a 4-course or a 6-course tasting menu. We opted for the 6-course menu, which was 105eu per person and last around 2 hours for lunch. The clientele seemed to be a lot of business people having lunch, with my wife and I being the only obvious tourists.
It wasn't just about the food at Pages. They truly had the complete package of impeccable service, inventive cuisine, and even creative plating. Each course was truly a theatrical adventure, as Chef was able to derive flavors from unexpected places and present it in a fun and visually pleasing form. I loved the fusion of French techniques and Japanese ingredients. For me, the tasting menu provided a good mix of familiar flavors as well as a push to try things I've never tasted before. I genuinely loved each and every course, with my favorite being the two types of beef and that amazing potato waffle. Also, that almond cake course was one of the best desserts I've ever had.
Amuse Bouche
Lemon curd with grilled octopus
Pumpkin soup with roasted pumpkin seeds
Biscuit with parmesan cheese filling and pickled onion
Course #1
Lobster tartare, celery cream, tarragon sauce, sliced radish
Course #2
Grilled eel, risotto, shaved parmesan cheese
Course #3
Grilled cod, clams, fish broth with bacon, charred broccoli and cabbage, green onion
Course #4
Seared lamb, lamb jus, turnip, onion, collard greens
Course #5
Simmental beef from Switzerland, filet of beef from Normandy, potato waffle filled with herb cream
Pre-Dessert
Black currant compote with rosemary yogurt cream
Course #6
Almond cake topped with Japanese basil ice cream, fruit preserve, almond cream and wrapped in almond paper; sliced figs
Mini Pastries
Almond financier, chocolate biscuit with chocolate cream
Overall, I'm so happy we were able to squeeze in a lunch at Pages. While it's not one of the most talked about restaurants among all the other one-star alternatives in Paris, it was exactly what I hoped for. The food, presentation, and service were all fantastic.