Le Chateaubriand, Paris

Thanks to their system, they do two services a night (first with reservation, the second walk-in only) and we managed to get a spot. The trick is to show up around 9 PM when they open their waiting list, add your name and they will come to pick you up as soon as a table frees up.

After a few glasses of delicious white wine at the Dauphin – their tapas bar and the “waiting room” – and a fun conversation, half in English, half in Japanese, with two friendly travellers waiting in line with us, we heard our names. We made it! And the wait was totally worth it. Once seated, the delicious creations of the chef Inaki Aizpitarte arrived like colourful lifebuoys in the river of excellent wines we were having. We went for the sublime Brutal by Jean-Louis Pinto (Languedoc Rousillon), which was not an easy pick given their exciting wine list. Don’t think the list had with the usual suspects you’ll find in high-end restaurants – quite the contrary! Lots of small producers you most likely never heard of, and this – just like the food – is what made up the fact that we started dinner around 11 pm. We had so much fun, we completely lost track of time and just indulged into the food with our Brutal in hands!

The restaurant only offers a surprise tasting menu with excellent dishes (~10 in total) along with their delicious home-made bread. The food is clearly bistronomic: nothing flashy/fancy, just smart and delicious dishes made with local and fresh produce. A honest and excellent dinner! And best part is the friendly and fun atmosphere! You will love the vibe of the team, which was the cherry on top of the delicious fun!