One of my all time best meals in Paris (in fact, anywhere) was at Stella Maris a French restaurant run by a Japanese chef.It was therefore with much anticipation that I had booked Hiramatsu. Like Stella Maris it is run by a Japanese chef and serves classic french cuisine. It also holds a Michelin star.
I had anticipated that of the three restaurants that our golfing group were going to visit, Hiramatsu would be the best. The other two were Chez Georges (qv) and Chez L'Ami Jean (qv).
All four of us elected to go with the Tasting Menu (Delice Gastronomique) as the tasting menu at Stella Maris the previous year had been stunning.
As you'd expect from a Michelin-starred restaurant the meal was kicked off with an Amuse Bouche.
The menu comprises various courses designed to show off the talents of the chef. These included a crab and prawn dish, a foie gras dish, a fish dish, a lamb dish, a cheese plate and a dessert.
It was all faultless in execution but somehow lacked excitement. This is a typical Michelin one-star restaurant in that it serves classic food faultlessly but it lacks that edge that will get your taste buds excited.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was also very stiff and formal. The service was friendly but slow at times. One of my pet hates is when a restaurant takes the wine that I have bought away from the table. On more than one occasion I had to indicate for a top-up. Very poor.
The most distinctive part of the evening was the bill - €650 euros for 4 of us with two bottles of wine. By far the most expensive meal we had over three nights. And by far the least memorable meal also!
Nearly 14 months after eating at Stella Maris we still talk about it and some of the dishes we ate. A couple of days after eating at Hiramatsu we could hardly remember the dishes. It really left no memorable impression with us.
By unanimous decision we would all return to both Chez Georges and Chez L'Ami Jean many times but one visit to Hiramatsu is plenty for us.
It was all faultless in execution but somehow lacked excitement. This is a typical Michelin one-star restaurant in that it serves classic food faultlessly but it lacks that edge that will get your taste buds excited.
The atmosphere in the restaurant was also very stiff and formal. The service was friendly but slow at times. One of my pet hates is when a restaurant takes the wine that I have bought away from the table. On more than one occasion I had to indicate for a top-up. Very poor.
The most distinctive part of the evening was the bill - €650 euros for 4 of us with two bottles of wine. By far the most expensive meal we had over three nights. And by far the least memorable meal also!
Nearly 14 months after eating at Stella Maris we still talk about it and some of the dishes we ate. A couple of days after eating at Hiramatsu we could hardly remember the dishes. It really left no memorable impression with us.
By unanimous decision we would all return to both Chez Georges and Chez L'Ami Jean many times but one visit to Hiramatsu is plenty for us.
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