Situated in the Cheval Blanc Paris, a hotel which overlooks the Pont Neuf (currently overtaken by a mammoth art installation courtesy of French artist JR), Plénitude is a restaurant at the very top of its game. Stunning, artful plating is wedded to the most delicious sauces, courtesy of head chef Arnaud Donckele (achieving three Michelin stars at Plénitude in 2022, less than a year after opening, and at Le Vague d'Or in 2013), who puts sauces at the centre of pretty much every dish on the Symphony (tasting) menu. Intensity ramps up over the course of the meal, though is never sacrificed for delicacy (take the sardine dish with the mandarin and lime chilled emulsion, as an example) or restraint (the dual sabayon with the lobster could be punchier but no, not yet). From the light-filled dining room, to the effusive, inviting service, Plénitude is a masterclass from start to finish.
Not since Jordnær and Geranium have I felt the need to write so little about a restaurant. There are no notes, and – as with such rarefied company as the formerly mentioned – pictures are worth a thousand words. I think, at this level, whether this restaurant over that restaurant comes down to personal preference. For anyone that finds Jordnær too intense, Plénitude may well be the answer. For those that find Geranium beautiful but perhaps a little too clinical (and want to swap out the Nordic taste profile for French), similarly. And for all others that want incredible French cuisine at the pinnacle of fine dining, it is here, in abundance.
Symphony Menu:
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Appetizers
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Grilled sardine / leek / marigold (pictured sixth)
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The Garden (pictured first)
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Blue lobster / artichoke / rosemary
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Turbot / Fennel / Caviar
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Red Mullet / Tortellini / Sea Urchin
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Pork / Turnip / Mandarin
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Palate cleanser
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Eternal Delight: Puff Pastry / Strawberries / Frangipane (my dining companion had a substitution: Rose d'Agrumes: Fresh and candied grapefruit / alep petals / aloe vera)
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Île flottante
by MaaDFoXX
3 Comments
Beautiful..
If you’re going to take photos of food, please do it like OP. Whatever they did these look better than 99% of the photos that show up here.
The lighting at Plenitude seems to help, but regardless, these are some good pics. Most of the photos here look like they’re not worth the effort of taking a phone out, and do nothing in helping the restaurants in getting their name associated with the horrible pics.
Thanks for posting – those photos look stunning! I would love to try this, the next time I’m in Paris.
I don’t mean any offence by this, but I read your write-up in the voice of Patrick Bateman. It could have come straight from the pages of American Psycho (not an insult, just that the style is very similar to that in the book)!