Lovely French restaurant with a passionate owner: Restaurant C’est La Vie (27. August 2016)
Admittedly, I was a bit skeptical when my friend suggested to pay a French restaurant a visit while being in Germany. However, it was nothing I regretted but actually enjoyed quite a lot. We were welcomed absolutely warmly by Sven who greeted us and brought us to our table. Within minutes we had received some water (which was super necessary given it was extremely hot that evening) and the menu. The decision was taken quite immediately – the “5 courses tasting menu” (EUR 69.00) with the wine pairing (EUR 39.00).
The evening started with “veal ragout in a fried wan tan ravioli with a gin and cucumber foam and mushroom ragout”. It sounded absolutely lovely and it was a great combination of various textural elements but it was not the perfect entry as the gin was too intense and kind of took away all the other flavours.
Luckily, it was only a sub-optimal start but it took off from there. The “farmer’s egg (rocket salad pak choi, pine nuts, p’tit basque): really soft cooked bio farmer’s egg fried in spring roll dough, seared pak choi leaves, roasted pine nuts, planed p’tit basque, white wine foam” was at first quite difficult to eat given only a spoon was foreseen for the dish. But once you managed to kind of crack the crust of fried spring roll dough, the dish was very good. The egg yolk was at the bring of being very cooked but still a tiny bit liquid which added to the smoothness of the dish and in combination with the fried dough it was already great. The white wine foam with the pak choi leaves gave the whole dish yet another intensity.
When I read “foie gras (coffee, cherry, hazelnut, brioche)” I was really wondering and even when I checked the more detailed description of “foie gras ‘chocolate’ from Alsace, gelee and sauce from Ratafia de griottes, coffee crispy, roasted hazelnuts, warm brioche” I was not expecting what I got in the end. But I was positively surprised – the foie gras had a layer of coffee gelee on top of it which was a combination which I haven’t tried nor expected to be good, but it was a very interesting combination definitely worth trying. The dish was a perfect combination of flavours and textures going hand in hand. And while I, unfortunately, forgot to take notes on which wines were served with the dishes, they fit perfectly.
The “scallop (Bouillabaisse, Acquerello rice, Bisque, tarragon): seared scallop in bouillabaise, risotto made from Acequrello rice, lobster bisque, tarragon leaves” was a success. Ever since I had the scallop in Porto, I am super skeptical of scallops because I almost never get across a scallop which is as good as the one I had in the O PAPARICO. But this one was actually outstanding and went perfectly with the Acquerello risotto which was still slightly crunchy. The cherry tomato – or more specifically, the almost pealed off skin – and the tarragon leaves were a great addition to the dish!
The “Charolais beef (chanterelles, Granny Smith, parsley root, sweetheart cabbage): grilled Charolais beef filet, seared chanterelles, gel and air of Granny Smith apple, parsley root mousseline, chips made of sweetheart cabbage” was outstanding. The meat was cooked flawless – the middle was soft and still slightly red, the outside was crusty and had the perfect grill aroma! Amazing! And the combination with the sweetness of the Granny Smith apple just gave the dish a great edge.
So, when you hear “chocolate with olive oil” wouldn’t you wonder a bit if this is actually something tasty? Well, I definitely was curious and I must admit, that I was super positively surprised. The “Guanaja Ganache (Espresso, Ganache, Olive, Salt): Espresso, Valrhona Guanaja Ganache, crostini with olive oil and Fleur de Sel” sounded interesting. First, I was not expecting that an actual espresso was being served but rather that the espresso would be somehow “incorporated” into the dish. However, the Ganache had an intense chocolate taste which was smoothed by the olive oil but – on the other hand – made somewhat “edgy” by the Fleur de Sel. Just a marvelous ending to a great dinner.
Two things I would like to highlight – if you go in summer, make sure you are dressed light as – despite the open doors – it was incredibly hot. Secondly, I must admit that the passion and warmth with which we were served especially by Inga (who seemed to be the owner) was outstanding and made you feel very welcome. The passion with which which she described the picked wines, the receptiveness to our comments when it was about the wines was just outstanding. This really is how you want to be served – with warmth, passion, and dedication!
If it wasn’t for the “too much gin” in the amuse bouche, I’d say perfect dinner. The dishes show a high degree of creativity and a great understanding of how flavours and textures work. I was missing my “oral orgasm” (the sensation of being completely mind-blown by a bite) but there is definitely the potential for such moments!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant C’est la vie
Zentralstraße 7
04109 Leipzig (DE)
Tel.: +49 341 97 50 12 10
E-Mail: info@cest-la-vie.restaurant
Homepage: http://www.cest-la-vie.restaurant
About the Author: Sven
I started the blog in October 2009, while living in Milan which I definitely consider to be one of the food capitals of the world. I was in touch with food since my early childhood (as my father is a former chef). Whenever I can, I travel the world to discover new places, to meet people but mostly to try local dishes and to find hidden gems! If you know a place worth going, please drop a line to: info@thediningexperience.org.
Currently, I am a member of the following food-related associations: Chevalier @Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Zurich-Ville; Membre Gourmet Dégustateur @Ordre Mondial des Gourmets Dégustateurs [OMGD]; Gesellschafter @Goldener Fisch and Member @Slowfood Convivium Zurich City. 
