Le Clarence

Don’t come here if you’re looking for a bargain… Everything was impeccable. Food was exquisite, well executed, tasty and beautiful. Some dishes came with fresh white truffle which smelled divine. Staff was friendly and professional. The room and ambiance was first class- a very classic French experience. The wine was outstanding. The sommelier did a great job. All do this comes at a hefty cost- not unusual at this level but something to be aware of. We declined the offer of extra truffle-which would have added €110 pp to the bill. Two glasses of champagne were the same price as our (excellent) bottle of Chablis (the wine pairing option was a bit steep at €180). As is often the case, lunch is more reasonable. We knew the chef from his pre-Michelin days, when he ran a small restaurant in our neighbourhood. He’s come a long way!

I don't understand how this restaurant has two Michelin stars. While the service was excellent, the presentation and taste were disappointing. Just take a look at the pictures—the epitome of this was the mousse au chocolat, which looked like something else... It feels more like a tourist spot where visitors want the experience of dining at a Michelin-starred restaurant in Paris, rather than truly exceptional cuisine.

We arrived a bit early for our reservation so they gave us a tour of their impressive wine cellar. Then we enjoyed a glass of Champagne in the lounge with amuse-bouche. We moved to the lovely dining room to start the eating odyssey of sea inspired dishes. The 5 course dining option is really more like 7+ options. The wine pairing was excellent. The service was amazing and the pacing of the meal was perfect…but plan for 3+ hours. I loved that the waiters and the Somme actually joked around with us and weren’t too stuffy. Each dish was well explained. Before dessert we enjoyed a tour of the kitchen and met Chef Pelé. We’ve done a bit Michelin Star dining in France over the years and Le Clarence lived up to its 2 stars.

Of all our meals in Reims and Paris this was our only disappointing one. The property, dining room, and overall setting are very nice but lack soul. Feels like its best days are deep in the past. It sets in very quickly that the property is a small piece of a billionaire's vast holdings and it comes through in the food, presentation, and employees. The five course tasting menu was very good (the food itself was worthy of praise) but the wine pairings fell short - were they cellar leftovers - an ok Alsatian Riesling made by a jura producer, overripe Aligote, jammy st. joseph, and villages Bourgogne rouge? Service was spotty, confused and either never around or hurrying dishes. Ownership has the money to buy a spot on the top 50 restaurants in the world list, and we left the meal assuming that's how they got on it. Rating would be lower if it were not for the quality of the food which was quite good. So many better options at this and much lower prices all over Paris.