posted on April 19, 2011 18:34
Gastronomes around the world were taken aback when L' Astrance won three stars in the Michelin guide, because it did not meet the usual three-star requirements at all. Later when it reached top 20 in the prestigious Restaurant magazine.
L'Astrance seats only 25 guests, there's no silverware, decor is minimal, the size of the kitchen is that of a Manhattan condo and there's not even a menu! and yet the tasting menu will set you back £500 GBP. To top it all there is a minimum two-month waiting period for reservations, and some special days are fully booked for the next couple of years. And for their website - well, what can i say to this - astrance.fr
Paris is a city that loves tradition, Barbot aims to reinvent French cooking. Armed with nothing more than premium produce and simple techniques, his closet-size kitchen produces innovative cuisine that awakens the senses. Barbot uses minimalism as a vehicle for highlighting the best of what fresh, simple ingredients have to offer. Meat and seafood often take a backseat to produce, serving as merely compliments to something as simple as a carrot. Tomatoes are the main attraction in his first recipe, dressed with only a sprinkle of sugar, and paired with white chocolate and wild sorrel. The mushroom tart reveals a carpaccio of mushrooms layered with thin slices of delicate foie gras and hints of hazelnut and lemon.
The concept is rather simple, you come to this gourmet restaurant in order to be surprised, astonished, bewildered. This place is most certainly very unique, as L'Astrance offers a very special and unforgettable culinary experience. The colours, the flavours, I won't tell you anything! This intimate restaurant in Paris needs to be discovered, felt. you cannot just imagine things, you must go!
Pascal Barbot's restaurant Astrance opened in 2000, and has been making waves with his unusually small, intimate dining room hidden on a quiet street in Paris. After years of cultivating his skills in some of Europe's top kitchens, this 34-year-old chef is celebrating two Michelin stars and culinary admiration from both sides of the Atlantic.
Pascal Barbot opened L'Astrance after making his name at Alain Passard's L'Arpège. That was back in 2000, and since then he has built up a serious reputation and is now regarded as one of the most innovative and distinct chefs in France. There's no menu as such – just tell him what you can't or won't eat and he'll prepare a bespoke succession of wildly creative dishes.
CONTACT DETAILS
Address: 4 Rue Beethoven, Paris 75016, France
Telephone: +33 (0)1 40 50 84 40
REVIEWS
Guardian.co.uk - L'Astrance, Paris
Cucina.gr - The "Non Menu" Restaurant
Food Snob - L'Astrance