Incredibly fancy place, but highly overpriced: Restaurant Ran (8. March 2023)
The Ran was recommended to me by a colleague the previous day, and I was quite positively surprised by the place. At least when I walked in, I thought that this was quite a nice location. Old-fashioned, yet appealing. You’re seated relatively quickly and are brought to your table right away. In any case, even once you’ve looked at the menu and put it down on the table, they are still not really paying attention. They are all dressed in fancy red jumpsuits like a plumber, but besides being hip, there is not much service quality.
Only after asking three times if we could finally place our orders, they – somewhat reluctantly – took up the order. Then everything went very fast. Within a few minutes, you’re being served your drink. I went for the “Mule Nikkei (Pisco 1615 infusé à la verveine et citronelle, liqueur de bergamote Italicus, ginger beer)” (EUR 19.00), which was okay, but definitely nothing exciting.
The “beef tataki, black truffle and daikon, nori sauce” (EUR 28.00) was a disappointment. Firstly, the portion is tiny. Second of all, the quality of the dish is okay, but in terms of flavour experience it’s really not something to remember. And on top of that, it’s super expensive for what you get. So, this – to me – is the perfect example of ‘fancy cuisine’, but nothing behind it.
Luckily, I had ordered a couple of elements as a main. The “salmon, green chilli pepper dressing” (EUR 30.00) as the key element, which was nice, but also a bit small for the price. And then some “pan-fried Broccolini, sesame sauce” (EUR 15.00), which was, admittedly, great, but EUR 15.00 for a bit of Broccolini makes it just somewhat unacceptable. Ultimately, the “garlic rice” (EUR 7.00) was good to feel like you’ve eaten enough. However, EUR 7.00 for that just felt off too.
So, all in all, I must say, I absolutely like the place in terms of interior design – there is tradition to it, it’s appealing. No question!
However, the service is friendly, but so far away from ‘great service’, it’s a true pity.
Last but not least, the prices for the dishes are way too high for the quality of food you get. I mean, sure, there is food, and it’s good. But it’s not in that price range (not even close)!
To sum it up, I loved the Ran from an atmosphere point of view. When it goes beyond that, I definitely didn’t. So, not sure, it’s a place I would recommend you to visit – part of me would, part of me definitely not. In terms of fanciness, sure. In terms of food quality and especially price performance, definitely not!
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Contact Details:
Restaurant Ran
8 Rue d’Anjou
75008 Paris (F)
Tel.: +33 1 40 17 04 77
Homepage: http://www.ran-paris.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. 
