We were in Paris to see the de lat Tour exhibition (of which more later) and Benoit was our treat for the weekend. I’d been there for my 50th but on that occasion Karen was very generously footing the bill and so I didn’t have to review. This time it was me on the hook and now I realise just how generous her present was!

Benoit is an Alain Ducasse restaurant, which even to a philistine like myself means something, of only vaguely. As you’d expect from a star chef’s joint the service was Rolls Royce from beginning to end. Our main server had swagger – a rare quality in a server though one that Johnny Halliday at Flore would recognise.

After our coats were stowed we were seated in a nice little room shared with a bunch of business types and a family celebrating Christmas. It had been a longish day already but not so long that we couldn’t manage a couple of coupes in curious glasses with hollow stems. Then to the menu.

Oof. Classics abound, of which the über classic was the day’s special – Lièvre à la Royale. A dish with a legendary heritage (thank you Wikipedia) going back at least to the 18th C and which swaggerpuss explained to me consisted of all the hare cooked in a sauce made of its own blood and entrails mixed up with chocolate. It was delicious. But I’m getting ahead of myself; prior to that we each had cover de salmon fumé – generous chunks of salmon, deliciously soft with a light dill cream.

Our mains were brought on a trolley and dished up complete into the plates they were intended for by our server, meaning that across the way Denize had Death by Cassoulet staring up at her, rather than being able to decant it piecemeal, chunk by juicy chunk.

The offer of 50cl carafes meant that I didn’t have to humiliate myself trying to negotiate the wine list and a Sancerre slipped down nicely with the salmon. For Hartley a rich Burgundy did the trick and then, why not?, a Calvados to round things off after a trio of delicious ices.

Benoit isn’t cheap but again, it is good value if you want a classic French dining experience in a historic interior. Worth saving up for.

9/10

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