Les Ombres Restaurant -- Restaurant Review

27 Quai Branly, 75007
Line 80 Bus (Bosquet/Rapp)
Check website for operating hours and reservations
https://www.lesombres-restaurant.com/fr/

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+)

3 - Stars....................................................€€€........................................................ 1 - Bell

       

I've always wanted to go to this restaurant because of the reputed fabulous views of not only the Eiffel tower, but of Paris. The restaurant is actually located where the Branly museum is located. A museum that focuses on ethnic art.

What a beautiful way to walk to the restaurant entrance. "Les Ombres" means "The Shadows". As you enter you pass a little mini-forest of shrubs and trees. Then a large door greets you with a not so friendly concierge, but that's OK. The restaurant is located on the 5th floor.

We really lucked out because it was the first day in a long, long time we actually had good weather. Not too hot and not cold at all.

So, tonight the restaurant was only open on the outside terrace, which was great for us. I have to say it truly is spectacular and even romantic on the terrace. I do recommend that if you don't like the sun, then wear a hat or use lots of sunscreen. The sun will move. So, if you were in the shade one minute, conceivably as the sun moves, you will be directly in the sun. So, to avoid the sun altogether, make a later reservations when the sun goes down. The Eiffel tower was so close, it felt you could touch it.

So, A+ on the views and ambience.

Now onto the food.

They have 2-prix-fixe menus. One for 71€ which included 3-courses from a recommended menu, and one for 98€ which included a glass of champagne and wine pairing. Three of us opted a-la-carte, and one opted for the 71€ prix-fixe menu

Note: I'm only reviewing the dishes I had. The menu is in both French & English

ENTRÉE

Lobster salad and melting eggplant, dressing with Banyuls and olive oil. This was a cold entrée. I have to say what a delicious first course. The lobster meat was perfectly cooked and sweet. They did not skimp on the lobster. Eggplant was a nice accompaniment and the touch of olive oil gave it some freshness. And, the sweet dollops of passion fruit gave a nice sweet/sour component. Overall, an excellent entrée.

PLATS

Preserved pork belly with honey and soya vegetables in a wok.  Now this was a total disappointment. I like to think of myself as a pork belly connoisseur.  I love pork belly, I've had it pretty much around the world where it is served. But this must've been the fattest pork I've ever had. The ratio of fat to actual meat was about 4-to-1. And, as you can see from the photo (top portion fat), it was a pretty thick cut of pork, albeit mostly fat. But in fairness I have to say that the meat portion was very tasty. It was the fat ratio that was off-putting. I did not like the vegetables at all. They were way overcooked. And, the strangest part of this dish is they used popcorn, YES, popcorn to garnish the dish. I tasted it and some weren't even popped.  This dish was definitely a miss. My advice to them is trim the fat, get rid of the popcorn. And, flash fry the veggies.

DESSERT

Saint-Marcelin from Mme Cantin, and condiments. As usual, I had the cheese. It was a nice creamy cow's milk cheese. Nothing to complain about this cheese or any cheese in France for that matter. You just can't go wrong with cheese in France.

WINES

BOURGONE ALIGOTE. In my pure enjoyment of the view, I forgot to take a photo of the bottle. But these are the tasting notes of the wine

"Bourgogne aligoté is a delicious white wine that is young, stylish and is a little different. It is pale gold in color and offers a well-balanced taste, and ranges from a fruity bouquet with notes of apple and lemon to a more floral palette. In the mouth, this vibrant wine tickles the taste buds." ~ Bourgogne wines.

It was a great pairing with our dinner.

SUMMARY

I loved, loved, loved, the location, the killer views, the ambiance, and the service. Now onto the food. It started well, the entrée of lobster salad was delicious, but the plat that I had, I just can not forgive them for their amateurish mistake. Trim some of the fat before or after confit'ing it. Don't overcook the vegetables. And, what's up with the popcorn. I'm not watching a movie.

Normally I ask myself the question, would I go back? Unfortunately, it's not a clear answer, and I'd go back for different reasons. If it were e.g., a cold cloudy day for example, with no view and basically you're going for the food, I say, NO. If it's a beautiful warm day with clear skies, the food becomes secondary and the view becomes upfront and center, then I would say, YES. Our friends thought the food was just OK/good. Jack had his entrée of foie gras with rhubarb and it was a hit with him. His plat of mackerel was a miss. Methinks they have a problem with their plat dishes. 

For 1 bottle of water, 2-coupe de champagne, 1-kir, 1-pastis, 2-bottles of white wine, 1 glass of red wine, 1-prix-fixe; three a-la-carte with 3-entrées, 3-plats, 2-desserts our bill came to 426€ for 4-people or 106.50€ per person.

Note: you have to provide credit card for an approval that they will charge your account 320€ if you cancel under 24-hour notice.