Located in an historical building from the XVII century, in the heart of Quartir Latin, between the Pantheon and the charming market of Rue Mouffetard, La Truffière, open by Christian Sainsard is a milestone in this area, where you’re expecting small bistros, bars and fast food spaces, in an area mainly attended by tourists and college students arises a restaurant specialized in the most enigmatic truffles and with one of the best wine lists in Paris, with over 4500 references.
Entering, we were received by a young team, meticulously upright and kind that accompanied us to the table for a lunch that would prove to be unique. The space is well organized and faithful to the history of the building, with two rooms, a more modern one upstairs and a cozier one in the basement. The kitchen of La Truffière, handed to the chef Jean Christophe Rizet boasts a Michelin star since 2012, with a combination of the French classicism with modern techniques and Asian flavors.
We started the meal with a fresh amuse Bouche, a celery mousse with citrus notes and a fantastic texture. To go with amazing bread, freshly cut.
Crisp prawns, yogurt emulsion, herb concentrate
Delicate and well-structured meal starter with great combination of textures, since the tapioca sagu to the crispy of the prawn and the delicate and tasty yogurt emulsion. The contrast with the mustard powder was also interesting. Very, very good.
Accompanying a nice wine of Mikael Bouges, a small organic producer from the Loire, here well represented by its Proméhée Sec.
Scallops, truffles
A visually appealing dish and a classic preparation of Rizet. Here, everything revolves around the contrast of flavors between earth and sea. Delicate scallop, perfectly cooked in a dish full of flavor.
Harmonizing, a marvelous 2011 Chablis Premier Cru “La Forest”, of Vincent Dauvissat, that besides working very well with the dish, also left a memory. Great wine.
Foie tureen, rhubarb, red fruit and shallots
I can resist a good foie gras tureen, in this case the fat was very well counterbalanced by the rhubarb jelly and the red fruit. Light truffle flavor and a soft texture in another well accomplished dish.
Along with the foie, nothing like a good Sauternes, a 1996 Chateau of Myrat, while not being brilliant, served its purpose.
Sea bass, herbs and pumpkin Gnocchi, shimeji mushrooms and Corsican clementines
A simple dish, this time without truffles, very well cooked fish and good gnocchi. Nice contrast with the acidity of the clementine. Though being good and well prepared it was the least interesting dish of the meal.
A Clos des Quarts was served, a 2009 Pouilly Fuissé, a Burgundy chardonnay, good structure and complex.
In a small pause a creamy and delicate yuzu sorbet (Japanese citrus) was served to clean the palate.
The Sub-chef preparing the Yuzu Sorbet
Oxtail, mashed potatoes, black truffle
To finish the main courses, it was impossible to end safely. A delicate and succulent oxtail stew accompanied by truffle mashed potatoes (with truffles and not the hateful oils), meat sauce and thin truffle chips. A dish combining several deadly Sins. A classic combination, but sublime in terms of flavor.
To a great level and potency dish, the wine couldn’t be left behind and the suggestion went to a 1970 Château Talbot, a wine from the St. Julien region, already with little fruit but the tannins well present and with a structure and complexity that went very well with the dish.
Cheese selection
The cheese selection in wide and sinful as we end by tasting several styles and flavors, served at the correct temperature.
Mango and passion fruit cream, milk emulsion, chocolate meringue
A pre-dessert that could easily be the main sweet, good flavor contrast and texture in the several elements with the milk emulsion bonding them.
Coconut meringue, lemon sabayon, grapefruit emulsion and basil sorbet
I wasn’t convinced by the lemon meringue, however the freshness and lightness of the other elements revealed to be a nice ending to the meal, without excess sugar and well-integrated acidity.
With the sweets was served a glass of 2011 Domaine D’en Segur Sauvignon d’Or, a light and sweet white with tropical fruit notes, while not being particularly interesting, worked well its purpose.
Highlight to a delicious truffle macaroon served in the petit fours.
La Truffière is famous and awarded for its wine cellar, as I said with over 4500 references, and we took the chance to do a small visit through its wines world, that go from the most important and rare Châteaux Bordeaux to wines from all around the planet, with Portugal standing out mostly with the Niepoort and Vallado wines, besides other great Port wine houses.
Plus being a restaurant the space works also as wine cellar, where people can go just to visit, taste some wines and buy some of the references.
The service respects all the rules of the haut French restaurants, with all the details being taken in account. We can easily leave with the sensation of having the king in our belly.
Final Remarks
From the small, but well organized kitchen of Christophe Rizet come signature dishes, rich in flavor, with enhanced technique and rare combinations. The truffle is, of course, the specialty of the house, worked in the best way possible during its season and with perfect integration in the dishes, going beyond the simple crisps over the plate. It is a cozy and romantic restaurant that easily makes us forget about the outside world. The wine list, or the wine “Bible” due to its preciousness, has offers to all tastes and wallets. Being in Paris, everything has a price and an à la carte meal or a tasting menu of this Michelin restaurant come with a price that is not within reach to every pocket, but the lunch formula for 38€ (starter + main course + dessert), without truffles of course, is certainly one of the best options among the Michelin restaurants in town.
La Truffière
4 rue Blainville – Paris
+33(0)1 4633 2982.
