English Girl in Paris (parte une)

I'm taking the chance of a bit of spare time to write up some of the restaurants we've been to recently. OK, so this is a bit old, being Valentine's last year, but never mind. My husband took me to Paris last February for 2 nights of pampering, greed and proposals at the Crillon.

We went to the Tour d'Argent for dinner on our first night. It is a very old school dining experience with the waiting staff all in tails, dishes served at the table and a leather bound wine list so heavy the British Olympic weightlifting squad could use it for bench-pressing. It must be paradise to oversee cellars bursting with 20 different vintages of Petrus; to be fair, in this palace of decadence the sommelier does not recommend ridiculously overpriced wines, or maybe he just realised we were poor ! I recommend having a drink in the gastronomic museum before heading up to the restaurant with its panoramic view of Notre Dame - the canapes served with your beautifully prepared G & T are superb and an excellent herald for the high point.

Having agreed to become the future Mrs Tritton Junior I selected Lobster Bisque Cafe Anglais; the dearly beloved selected Foie Gras des Trois Empereurs. I had heard through the blogosphere that only a fool goes to the Tour and orders something other than duck. If you're going to get wet you might as well go swimming and we decided to have the house special, the duck cooked in it's own gizzard and blood. Tempting. Each duck is bred especially for the restaurant and you are given your own little certificate with your unfortunate dinner's personal number - indeed they even bring over the raw duck, dressed with a kebab skewer of vegetables, and present it to you with a flourish "Madame et Monsieur, votre canard". I don't recommend this dish for the faint hearted meat eater who prefers to forget the origin of their dinner. We wanted a bottle of Alsace gewurtztraminer with our meal and were recommended a nice bottle from the sommelier - you might as well let him choose for you, 'cos no matter how much you know what you want, he'll proffer his (far better educated) opinion.

Nothing much is plate served at the Tour. Dave's foie gras was served to him at the table, with all the components in silver dishes on a tray. If you have a famous ability to eat I recommend the foie gras. If you don't I recommend that you order something lighter, insist that your dining companion chooses the foie, then pick at it. The dish is essentially bloc de foie gras, quenelled from the terrine at the table, served with a small spoon each of sauternes and port jellies. My bisque was served, again at the table, with a langoustine tail and a tiny coffee-spoon-sized quenelle of truffle dumpling. It was extremely rich, and at one point I wondered how I would manage the rest of the meal. Have no fear - because here you get a decent rest (and you need it) between courses.

Take a look at the photo above; you can see the waiting staff preparing dishes at their cooking station in the restaurant - the area with the red lighting. It is not overt like in some of the naffer "themed" restaurants in England, just a discreet part of the experience. They have a duck press as a centrepiece, which I believe is used to make the blood run out of the duck to make their sauces. The duck is served in two courses - first the breast sliced in the rich sauce, secondly the leg and ribcage (odd sounding but delicious, although you do have to fight for the meat) which is served almost "confit", this time from the kitchen. As with most French meals, don't expect any accompanying vegetables. Having said that, we did get some delicious souffle potatoes with the breast and a small child's handful of lettuce with the leg.

Having greedily gobbled down your duck, the essential question is - have you got enough room to tackle the cheeseboard ? It is a rare occasion that we cannot cram in an extra soupcon of something if it's worth it, but we decided to head straight for dessert.

Words cannot express how much I love souffle. I always have it, wherever I possibly can. Grand Marnier, raspberry, asparagus. Whatever. If it's souffle, I'm there. So there was no other choice than the Princess Elisabeth Souffle (served with a glass of Hungarian Tokaji), a chocolate and vanilla confection sent from the patisserie heavens. It came with resplendent with a tray of petits fours. I really can't remember the end of the meal, all I can remember is woefully leaving and walking (don't walk, you'll regret it) back to the hotel. It seemed like a good idea at the time.....

Restaurant Tour D'Argent, Quai de Tournelle, Paris