KenScale: 8.75/10
Visits: June 2025…read more[Note: After some deliberations, I have decided to upgrade all restaurants receiving 8.5 or 8.75 KenScale to five Yelp stars from four.]
Last month, my wife Jun and I had a short but eventful trip to France, shuttling between Paris and the Champagne region. It was our first time in Paris since 2022, and I was very excited to try a few new restaurants in the city that had long been on my list. Our first day in Paris, though, wasn't going quite according to plan due to heavy traffic in the summer season. It took us almost an hour and half to get to our hotel in Le Marais from the CDG airport, and almost an hour each way to get to the David Hockney special exhibition at Fondation Louis Vuitton from the hotel. By the time we got back to the hotel, we were very exhausted. The traffic jam wouldn't relent in the evening, and we arrived 45 minutes late to our first restaurant. Fortunately, the host at Le Clarence was very gracious about our tardiness, and more importantly, the dinner at the restaurant more than made up for our travail with an outstanding meal.
Located inside a hotel owned by the Prince of Luxembourg (who also owns the prestigious Chateau Haut-Brion of Bordeaux), Le Clarence, helmed by chef Christophe Pelé, delivers luxurious French dining but without fresh, modern perspectives. The tasting menu on our visit (we tried the five-course option at €280 per person) was focused on seafood but the high level of execution and precise cooking was evident throughout our dinner. The raw langoustine that came in the beginning was a wonderful delicacy, accompanied by watermelon sauce and hibiscus powder, while the mackerel (with an unexpected pairing of blueberry) quickly won over Jun even though the fish is not one of her favorite. After a challenging day, the pleasantly aromatic broth of telline clam with dill, Sichuan peppercorn and dried raspberry felt like a much-needed relief. Even though the tasting menu nominally consisted of five courses, we were pampered with all kinds of side dishes accompanying each course, and some of these side dishes really stood out on their own as well, like a refreshing snack of fennel and green apple juice with cuttlefish, as well as tomato with pistachio cream that I enjoyed very much. Another favorite dish of mine was a lovely surf and turf combination of turbot and veal sweetbread beneath spinach; the textural synergy between the fish and sweetbread was quite outstanding. The dish was followed by other playful side dishes of clam (with cauliflower and sumac inside the shell), zucchini flower with sardine on top and poached oyster in refreshing tomato gazpacho. Jun thought the o toro dish with XO sauce could've slightly moderated on seasoning, but I savored every bite of the expertly cooked tuna. For the meat dish, Le Clarence brought out pigeon; in another fun surf and turf theme, the pigeon meat came with clams and white beans in the main course that was also accompanied by wonderful side dishes of pigeon leg and black fig ham as well a bowl of green bean, feta cheese and pigeon filet. The texture of the pigeon in all of these dishes were spot-on, and I didn't feel like I missed much with not eating other sumptuous meat such as beef or pork. The desserts were also executed with the same level of attention to detail and precision. The strawberry and strawberry sorbet was a perfect summer dessert (it happened to be strawberry season in France and this was not the first time we encountered a strawberry dessert during our trip), and the fior di latte ice cream with cherries was also delightful without being overly sweet. Just like the savory dishes, we were spoiled with other small dessert snacks, like the apricot tartlet and macaron flavored with almond, vanilla and nougatine.
I booked a reservation way in advance even before finalizing our trip itinerary, so it was hard to tell how challenging booking a table here was. I would still try to book in advance given that the dining room is not that big and there is only one dinner shift at 7:30 p.m. The opulent dining room that makes you feel like dining inside a palace is another big plus to the dining experience at the restaurant, as is the professional service from the handsomely dressed staff who make sure that the diners are well taken care of. The wine list, not surprisingly, is top tier at Le Clarence, including a huge vertical of Haut-Brion. I was very tempted to try a wine pairing but ended up choosing a fabulous bottle of Coteaux Champenois red bottle (yes, Champagne is not just about sparkling wine) that complemented our meal very well. Le Clarence is an outstanding restaurant that should be on the wish list of any food lover while visiting Paris, even more so if you want to experience a haute cuisine dinner that does not feel dated or stuffy. I would certainly be happy to come back next time Jun and I are in Paris.
