Paris Restaurant Reviews: 114 Faubourg at Le Bristol Hotel

When it comes to dining with the stars, I’ll settle for Michelin. Le Bristol Paris— which recently celebrated 90 years– is home to four of these stars, three of which can be experienced at Eric Frechon’s Epicure. This time, I opted for one bright Michelin star at the brasserie 114 Faubourg, now in its 5th year, their prestigious award acquired in 2013. With a brigade of 21 in the kitchen, Chef Jean-Charles Cauquil creates transcendent cuisine, and I was curious to discover exactly what that meant. Cauquil, who worked closely with Frechon before taking the helm, is renowned for his patience, his motto being ‘Patience makes dreams come true.’

As I patiently awaited my meal, I took in my surroundings. The dining room itself is elegant yet casual, with colorful dahlias covering the walls of the duplex space, separated by a wrought iron and marble staircase. The open kitchen invites you into the chef’s mind…

To start, I ordered a plate that immediately caught my attention. Artichoke soup with pan-seared fois gras and black truffle emulsion. Every spoonful of this dish was heavenly. Was this the beginning of my transcendence? As a main dish, I was torn between the succulent meat and fish selection. The Ibaiama free range pork rib sounded like a winner, but so did the turbot, sole and monkfish dishes. I opted for the flat baked monkfish tail with sautéed squid, peppermint peas and shellfish sauce; this combination intrigued me. I savored every bite of Cauquil’s culinary creation, perfectly paired with a glass of Riesling.

Having little room left for dessert, but tempted by the delicious dessert menu, my companion and I shared the vanilla Bourbon millefeuille with salted butter caramel. The perfect ending to a lunch fit for the stars.

114 Faubourg at Le Bristol Hotel, 114 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré 75008 Paris. Tel: +33 (0)1 53 43 44 44. Email: [email protected]. Opening hours:  Lunch: Monday to Friday (12 pm through 2:30 pm) €54 lunch menu served daily. Dinner: Monday to Sunday (7 pm through 10:30 pm).