A nice 1 Michelin star experience but nothing overly amazing: Restaurant Lucas Carton (20. June 2020)

Finding a Michelin-starred restaurant which is open on the first weekend after the lift of the lockdown turned out to be incredibly difficult! I mean, it took me about 30 homepages to find something which would be open! In any case, after some research and searching, I found the ‘Lucas Carton’ which is a 1 Michelin star restaurant and I was able to book it online.

What you realize immediately when you walk in is the spacious tables – especially since they are so different compared to any other restaurant I’ve visited that weekend. Once you’re seated, all you get to pick from is ‘the menu’ and the only thing you get to pick is ‘if you want to know what you get in advance’ or not. Once that choice is made, you can ask for a wine pairing too (EUR 40.00) which is gonna cost you, in combination EUR 192.00 (Voyage Sensationnel (EUR 142.00) en 5 escales avec vins).

The dinner starts with an amuse bouche which is a bit special, a “madeleine salé” which was actually delicious as it had thyme and very Provence like flavors – loved it.

The first course of the menu turned out to be super interesting in terms of the combination of flavours and especially consistencies, so definitely a great start into the evening.

The second course was delightful – again, an interesting combination of different temperatures, textures, and flavors …

… enriched with a liquid to make it truly tasty.

Adding almond puree to the fish really made the third course an absolutely outstanding and exquisite dish. The happiness levels in my mouth were overwhelming. The fish was simple yet lovely in terms of flavour but the combination with the almond puree just knocked me off my feet. Absolutely mouth-watering.

The “chicken with cherry sauce” was looking a bit like a disappointment at first as I was hoping somehow for beef or veal but it turned out to be great as the meat was juicy and the combination of the flavour of the perfectly crispy skin with the salt flakes and the cherries was actually incredibly good.

There was a little “pre-dessert” which was based on apricots with a sorbet which was refreshing and overall very lovely to finish the evening.

The original dessert was supposed to be something chocolate-based but given I am not such a big fan of this, I asked for the “plateau de fromages affinés” which was okay but frankly a bit disappointing as the selection was rather limited and not really outstanding.

Last but not least, the “madeleines” were the actual ending to the dinner – this time the sweet version.

All in all, it was great to be out again and have a Michelin-starred experience after such a long time of not having any starred restaurants. However, while the food was good, it wasn’t outstanding really but just good. And for that, it wasn’t entirely cheap either. At least the wine selection was generous and the service was friendly and jovial at the same time which is not always easy to accomplish. So, while I have had more flavour explosions in my mouth with other dishes, the overall experience was a positive one. And the interior of the Lucas Carton is actually quite nice – the tables are spacious and you have your privacy which is not really a given in a French restaurant in my experience.

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Contact Details:

Restaurant Lucas Carton

9 Place de la Madeleine

75008 Paris (F)

Tel.: +33 1 42 65 22 90

Fax: +33 1 42 65 06 23

E-Mail: restaurant@lucascarton.fr

Homepage: http://www.lucascarton.com

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.