This was BY FAR our absolute favorite meal in Amboise and perhaps even our entire trip to France…read more They have a 3-course and 5-course prix-fixe menu option; we selected the 3-course and were very satisfied by our choice. The menu was a mystery. We only needed to indicate if we wanted meat or fish for the main course. Note that each of the courses (even the meat and fish courses) are totally different between the 3 and 5-course menus so the 5-course menu had different fish and meat dishes (as well as the other courses) than what we were to receive.
We began with tomato biscuits with cremeaux of zucchini, coriander, and lemon. They were delightful! Next, we received another amuse bouche, which was broccoli mousse with peach and celery (sounds a bit odd but it was delicious!).
Our official first course of the three came next. This was maybe my favorite course--white beans with red pepper gelee, chorizo sauce, sweet pepper sauce, fried chorizo, and pickled mustard seeds. I was really impressed by the variety of flavors and textures and everything just went so well together. I love beans and this was such a gorgeous way to elevate them.
This fish course for our menu was a Merlu fillet (a type of European hake) with different textures of tomato, served with basil sabayon. This was another home run. I loved the fish. It was cooked perfectly, and the tomato and basil flavors were subtle yet perfectly complemented the fish. Keep in mind our meal was in August 2025 so these ingredients were in season at the time.
For dessert we had two different desserts between the two of us: lemon tart and "the prince with fig tree." Both were really beautifully presented and delicious.
Service was also excellent. Every single member of staff who came to our table, from the server to all the food runners, asked us if we prefer English or French and then spoke to us in that language to explain the dishes. I really appreciated this and noticed they asked the same question to every single table. That to me really highlighted that they were intentional and placed importance on ensuring each customer had the best experience they could and fully understood what they were eating.
I would absolutely recommend Les Arpents to anyone visiting Amboise, and I hope I have the opportunity to visit again someday. It was a really highlight of this trip.