LE POULPRY -- Restaurant Review

 

For contact, directions and to make reservations, click on this link https://www.restaurant-lepoulpry.com/

Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor 

€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)

1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-80); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-90); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (90+)

5 - Star.......................................€€€....................................... 2 - Bell

I don't remember how I found this restaurant or who recommended it. But I'm so glad we went. Restaurant is located in the "Hotel de Poulpry," a small elegant classic french hotel. We were meeting our good friend Liz, who used to live in Paris and is in town for a few days, and one of my BFF's Keri joined us to welcome Liz back into Paris.

As you you enter the restaurant you realize this is going to be elegant just by the staircase. As we climbed the red carpeted stairs it opened up to a reception area. I could see the main dining area and a few diners. It was understated elegant, not a super large restaurant, but you'll notice right away the tables were nicely spaced. 

(Note: We closed the restaurant down, and it was already almost 4 pm. Took photos before we left; hence, looks empty)

Unbeknownst to me, they gave us a private room. And, later I found out that they had 2-other private rooms. One for a dozen people and another for 20-people. So if you want to have a private exclusive party, you know where to go now.

At first thought, oh they want to segregate the loud Americans from the French clientele. And, later I found out we were over 4 customers. Originally, we were suppose to be 5, but one had to cancel due to a conflict. And, we think they didn't want to crowd the dining area unnecessarily. I noticed the tables were set 4-4-4 etc. So, we lucked out.

This is by no means inexpensive, but I had earlier found out that they have prix-fixe lunch menu for €48. That is very reasonable in Paris for this caliber of a restaurant.

No Amuse bouche was served, but you had some really good choices on the prix-fixe menu.

ENTRÉES

SALMON. I thought it was going to be lox (smoked salmon), but it turned out it was actually fresh sliced salmon. Neither smoked nor salty. The dish was presented beautifully and simple. The flavors were all spot-on. The salmon melted in your mouth, and it encased some very, very thin julienne apples with some other root vegetable that I wasn't quite sure what it was, but definitely a radish of some sort.

EXCELLENT!  Great start.

CEPES (MUSHROOM) SOUP.  It's a french mushroom known as porcini to us. In English it's stone mushrooms.

Normally I don't like foams on dishes, it's a personal dislike, and has nothing to do with taste. I tasted this soup and it was delicious. Underneath the creamy soup were large whole cèpes. And, the foam did not distract because it was light and airy. I think it was a meringue. 

EXCELLENT!

PLATS PRINCIPAL (MAIN)

CHICKEN. There were 3-morsels of chicken. It was on a bed of foamed cream accompanied with a grilled cèpe mushroom. Served with a parmesan chip. The chicken was so tender and everything accompanied it well. Another hit for me.

It does not look like a lot, but I actually couldn't and didn't finish it. Not because of taste, but I wanted to save room for dessert. 

 EXCELLENT!

BAR DE PECHE (SEA BASS).  JJ ordered this main, but of course I tasted it.

You can't tell in the photo, but upper part of plate was one crispy fish skin sitting atop some mashed potatoes. When saw it, I immediately wanted to steal it from JJ. The skin was so crispy and flavorful. It had the texture of a potato chip and the taste of a mild fish. The cream sauce was mild and not overwhelming. And, the fish itself was so tender and perfectly cooked.

EXCELLENT!

DESSERTS

CHOCOLATE GATEAU. Lately, I've been eating sugar, not much, but I will eat it now and then. I ordered this because it was one of the offers.  OMG, it was pure heaven. The chocolate with the walnuts and figs just hit all the right taste buds. This is a first for me, I actually finished it, and that says a lot. 

EXCELLENT!

MERINGUE TARTLETTE. The meringue was brulée. Jack ordered this. I'm not a big fan of meringues. But Jack said it was absolutely delicious, a little sweet he said, but the raspberries cut back on the sweetness. 

EXCELLENT! 

SUMMARY

As you can probably see, there's a definite theme in a word I've been using, "EXCELLENT." Everything was well seasoned, and I never added any salt or pepper. As for the entrée and the mains, all the ingredients could be tasted individually, but together it became a well composed dish. The service was EXCELLENT, there I go, I used the word again. Unobtrusive, but very attentive. 

This is one of the few restaurants I have rated overall excellent. Would I recommend it? ABSOLUTELY! I'd like to try it for dinner, but I'll have to save some pennies before I do. 

Our bill for the prix-fixe menu with an entrée, plats, and dessert and coffee/tea with 2-bottles of sparkling water and 2-glasses of their house sauvignon blanc all totaled = €227. Per persson it was €56.75 "PAS MAL" (not bad). 

One of my best restaurants for 2022