Travel
We started with the complimentary appetizer all guest receive and Bollinger Rosé Champagne. It was the perfect start for a very romantic evening.
My main course was ‘Gaeng Phed Ped Yang’ (Roasted duck with red curry, pineapple, grapes, basil and rice), a dish original from Thailand. This dish was marked with three peppers on the menu, but I just felt like testing my limits. It was spicy indeed, but creamy and full flavored, and not as spicy as the supposedly mild dishes they serve in Thailand. I love spicy food, but I hate when the spice takes over and I can’t distinguish any other flavors on my plate. But this surely was not the case at La Bauhinia, where the grapes and pineapple were islands of texture that soothed the spicy flavor. They actually poured the spicy sauce over the roasted duck right there in front of me, leaving some extra on the table in case I wanted more (which honestly wasn't the case). And I loved just how attentive the waiters were, as they repeatedly came and asked if I was enjoying the meal and if it wasn't too spicy for me.
My husband had the ‘Slowly cooked veal breast with green peas, roasted peach and sliced fresh almonds’, which again had a beautiful presentation, with little flowers and all. The meat was so tender, that in his own words, ‘it melted in his mouth’. I had a bite of it too, and loved it, but this time, knowing he wouldn't go for half of my curry duck, we decided we won’t share. Nevertheless, I was surprised to hear him asking for a second spoon of spicy curry sauce halfway through the dinner. And then another... Well, if he who doesn't normally do spicy wanted more of my curry, then it must have been good.
At the waiter’s suggestions, we accompanied the main dish with St Joseph (2011) from Domaine P J Villa. Not only the red wine was great, but also went perfectly with both our dishes. The wine menu is pretty impressive and long, and maybe a bit intimidating if you are not a French wine connoisseur, and we truly appreciated the staff’s knowledge and helpful disposition.
Service
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Travel
La Bauhinia Restaurant. East Meets West in Paris
Tokyo may have more Michelin stared restaurants than Paris, but for me, the title of the ‘Food Capital of the World’ stays with the French. The good life was invented here; the romance and luxury are still in bloom. And though traditional at heart, Paris is embracing recipes, ingredients and ideas from even the remotest corners of the world.
We love Asian cuisine, and we love French wine. And it’s not by chance that the first restaurant we wanted to go to in Paris was La Bauhinia...
Location
La Bauhinia is one of the three restaurants inside Hotel Shangri-La Paris. It stands a short walk from the Arc de Triomphe and an even shorter distance from the Eiffel Tower. And this makes it perfect for some midnight in Paris sightseeing after dinner, alongside a charmingly lit Seine.
Atmosphere
The discrete combination of red, green and white, makes for a beautifully designed ambiance that automatically sets the mood for romance.
La Bauhinia is the epitome of elegance.
Asian furniture and vases decorated with bauhinias, Hong Kong’s national flower, mix delicately with the piano, the candles and the champagne bottles. The two-floored restaurant has a huge Baccarat chandelier dripping from the glass canopy that lets natural light get in during the day, though after dark, the atmosphere turns intimate, with dim lights and soothing music.
La Bauhinia is the epitome of elegance.
Asian furniture and vases decorated with bauhinias, Hong Kong’s national flower, mix delicately with the piano, the candles and the champagne bottles. The two-floored restaurant has a huge Baccarat chandelier dripping from the glass canopy that lets natural light get in during the day, though after dark, the atmosphere turns intimate, with dim lights and soothing music.
Cuisine
Both French and Asian dishes are served at La Bauhinia Restaurant.
And since everything on the menu sounded delicious, we divided our ‘work’. My husband mainly got to decide on the French side of the menu and I went for the Asian one. I like spicy food, and I like Asian flavors, and ever since our perfect experience at Thai Cuisine Restaurant in Stavanger last summer, I've been longing for more Asian dishes adapted to the European palate.
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| Appetizer and Bollinger Rosé Champagne |
The menu was prepared by Chef Philippe Labbé, rewarded with 2-Michelin stars.
For starters my husband had the ‘Old species tomatoe carpaccio’ served with crispy crust stuffed with goat cheese and pesto. It not only had an extremely delicious presentation, but the goat cheese inside the crispy crust tasted heavenly. First I asked for a bite, and before he knew it, I asked for half of it. Of course, in exchange I offered to share with him my ‘Soohoon Manga, Sos Kacang’ (Rice noodle salad with peanut sauce, fresh corn, cucumber, mango ad red cabbage), a dish from Malaysia, with only a hint of spice.
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| Old species tomatoes carpaccio |
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| Soohoon Manga, Sos Kacang |
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| Gaeng Phed Pes Yang |
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| Slowly cooked veal breast with green beans, roasted peach ad sliced fresh almonds |
In spite of the generous portions, we somehow found room for dessert too. The ‘Millefeuille’ was perfect, but the ‘Banana fritters with coconut cream and passion fruit’, a Malaysian delicacy, was our favorite. Maybe not so much for the bananas, but for the novelty of dunking them in the incredibly delicious cream.
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| Millefeuille with vanilla cream, caramelized pecan nuts and vanilla ice cream |
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| Banana fritters with coconut cream and passion fruit |
By now we felt stuffed and ready to go discover Paris at night. But to our surprise, one more plate of irresistible complimentary desserts made their way to our table. And who could have said ‘no’ to them?
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| Petits-Fours |
Right from the very first moment until the very last, the service was spotless. Though various waiters got to serve us throughout the evening, every single one of them was friendly, knowledgeable, helpful and showed a genuine interest in our well being.
They even took their time to talk with the guests and answer questions, even personal ones. The staff was very international, thing to be expected from a chain that originated in Asia, and this only made the experience even more interesting.
Conclusion
The whole evening was a beautiful East meets West series of encounters. And though I went mainly for the Asian dishes and my husband for the French ones, we most of the time shared and alternated flavors in a synchronized dance. La Bauhinia is a luxurious restaurant, with impeccable service and amazing cuisine and it is ideal for couples looking to have a romantic dinner with a smart casual atmosphere.
We were guests of La Bauhinia Restaurant, however, all opinions expressed here are entirely our own and based on our personal experience.
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