Lasserre

Lasserre has been described by one ardent reviewer as a “waiting room for heaven”. Certainly the dining room is a visual delight with its gilt elegance, dark wood and superb dividing panels filled with white orchids. If the evening is fine the restaurant will even retract the ceiling so you can dine under the stars.

The Lasserre experience begins even before arriving in the dining room. On arrival you are ushered into a plush red lift, complete with lift attendant dressed in a fetching uniform featuring much gold braid. As we had chosen to dine at the unfashionably early hour of 8pm we were surrounded by waiters as soon as we exited the lift and seated at a beautifully set table for two overlooking the main dining room. We were at first one of only two tables, but as the evening progressed the dining room filled with paunchy, middle aged French men and a succession of exquisitely beautiful, well dressed, young and bejewelled women who looked much more like mistresses than wives. It is always such fun to ponder the lives of fellow diners!

The food was exquisite, and one dish in particular reduced me to a closed eye, semi-comatose state of bliss. Lasserre’s chef Jean-Louis Nomicos has a way with veal. I don’t know how it was cooked – except that it was so moist and tender yet crisp that some form of braising must have taken place, but each mouthful, accompanied with a sublime, intense sauce was heaven indeed.

Presentation was superb and the service was impeccable apart from one slight fault over which a waiter was probably later court-martialled and shot. My partner found himself with an empty glass and, seeing no hovering waiter in sight, he leaned toward the bottle himself. The braided lift attendant saw him do this – went sheet white, and lunged towards the bottle in an attempt to stop my partner from touching it. This near apoplexy attracted the attention of a nearby waiter who swooped down on us with an avalanche of apologies and replenished our glasses. My partner’s hand never made it more than 10cm towards the wine bottle but nevertheless we had the feeling that the honour of the restaurant had been severely tarnished. However for food this good in such a sublime setting we would go back – and even willingly pour our own wine if need be!