While centuries-old Parisian brasseries are popular with tourists for their decor, old-fashioned atmosphere and classic French à la carte menu, these legendary addresses often suffer from rushed, unsmiling and, in some cases, downright unpleasant service.
Fortunately, there are those places that turn a blind eye to preconceptions, and this is the case at the Berkeley nouvelle bouture, recently taken over by a young team led by Paul Bouillin-Tardy and Baptiste Masson, with their heads on their shoulders and smiles on their faces. It's been over 100 years since this institution opened onAvenue Matignon, a stone's throw from the Champs-Elysées gardens.
Benefiting from this prime location, since 1920 the address has established itself as a chic haunt for Parisian high society, politicians, wealthy tourists and artists coming off stage at nearby theaters. A meeting place for the Tout-Paris of the last century, this confidential address has seen the likes of Dali, Bardot, Mitterrand and Visconti, and now intends to rise from its ashes.
The décor has been redesigned, but remains faithful to the great tradition of Parisian brasseries, blending hushed elegance with French refinement. Comfortable carmine velvet armchairs, a grand piano for a jazzy dinner, white tablecloths and silverware on one side and antique plates on the other... Everything here exudesold Paris.
On its large terrace, one of the sunniest in the Golden Triangle, facing the verdant Square Marigny, chef Lucas Rangel Da Cunha 's menu is waiting to be discovered. In keeping with the address's past, the chef offers a bourgeois cuisine that appeals as much to passing tourists who come to discover the pleasures of French gastronomy at any time of day (escargots, excellent foie gras mi-cuit maison, 34€; crabmeat with Pondicherry red pepper, 29€) as to the neighborhood's white-collar workers.
Sauces and juices also have their say, underlining the power of herb-crusted rack of lamb (44€) or seared veal liver (36€), served rosé inside, roasted outside and deglazed with sherry vinegar. As is often the case at this kind of address, side dishes are available separately (12€ for mashed potatoes and fresh green beans, well buttered).
With two, three or four guests, save room for dessert, and in particular pavlova (currently red fruit, soon to be exotic fruit, as seasonality dictates). XXL in size (38€), it arrives on the table in its silver dish, generous, variegated and airy, and delights with its alternating layers of meringue, glaze and cream!
This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.
Location
Le Berkeley
7, Avenue Matignon
75008 Paris 8
Official website
www.leberkeley.com
