Food--quite good.
Service--rather odd…read more
My husband had made a reservation at Le Fumoir well in advance of our visit to Paris. He chose it because of the reviews and also the fact that the seating area layout seemed to provide more space between tables than is sometimes the case. When we entered, a server directed us to the host station by the bar. My husband had printed out his email with the address & the reservation, and he had made some notes on it about things to consider on the menu. We were seated at a nice window table A woman did come right away to ask about sparkling or still water. Wines are by the glass--no bottles were listed that we saw. The server just stood over us for several minutes while we were looking at the menu, which was a little uncomfortable. So my husband explained we would need a few minutes. She seemed offended. Then the male host came over and insisted on seeing the paper my husband had with the email. He took it out of my husband's hand and started trying to read my husband's notes. I asked if there was a problem with the reservation--had they found it? The man said something about wanting to know if it was prepaid (do they do gift certificates in Paris? We had no idea what he meant). I said no, it was not, so he left again.
The menu is prix fixe. A different server came to take our order. She was more upbeat and jovial. The amuse bouche was a pickled herring. I ordered the pumpkin veloute soup, which was yummy. Then I had the vegetarian plate, which was fine but not memorable: squash, mushrooms, and an egg on top. My husband ordered the sausage plate. At the end, I requested the check (l'addition"). The server asked twice if we wanted to add a tip to put on the card. I have not had that happen before in Paris, where the tipping conventions are different, and a 15% service charge is included in the prices by law. I asked if it was not included ("compris") and she said no, it was not. I did leave a cash tip. But all in all, some of those awkward moments with the staff detracted from the experience.