To escape from the hustle and bustle, Parisians have a new place to take shelter - Les Comptoirs du Médòc. It is a restaurant behind the two famous department stores – le Printemps and les Galeries Lafayette. More and more travelers have found this great restaurant by chance after shopping around at these department stores. They all leave impressed by this gourmet restaurant for its exquisite French cuisines and fine wines.
A gourmet restaurant (un restaurant gastronomique) serves different dishes everyday and the dishes are not written on the menu. Gourmets go there and look for surprises for their suppers. They seek for the chef's talents and the secrets of French cuisine. This is what Les Comptoirs du Médoc can provide you and it absolutely deserves your visit. Chef Nicolas Tissier is here to perform his culinary magic.
This restaurant creates an environment similar to a boat. During the evening, the curtains go down. The screens project the bank scenes of river Gironde situated in Bordeaux, accompanying with the chirps of birds and cicadas. A pleasant journey sets off and the beautiful scenes swift as the times goes by. On this imaginary boat, four statues of Caryatids (figures from the Greek and Roman mythology) are set inside. These female statues are the genuine replicates of those which are around the Opera Garnier. They are Goddess serving wines around the God of Wine, Bacchus. Their existence reminds us that this is a place providing good wines.
Les comptoirs du Médoc provides wines from the regions, like Médoc, Haut Médoc, Moulis, Listrac, Margaux, Pauillac, Saint Julien and Saint-Estèphe. Today, we drank the red wine from the Chateau Larruau, Margaux (2011). Margaux is situated on highlands where embrace the view of the Gironde estuary and it is also the biggest among the six vineyards in Médoc. Our wine is an embodiment of classic Bordeaux. We can taste its depth and full body. It is not bitter but smooth in the mouth. The good quality deserves this price. The prices of a bottle of wine here range from €20 to €100. To enjoy their high-quality red wine, we also recommend (1) Pauillac - Chateau Lynch Bayes and (2) Saint-Julien - Chateau Ducru Baucaillou.
À table! Let's have a glimpse of their secret recipes.
Brioche with Parmesan cheese and light chili (Brioche au parmesan piment doux)
Gravelax Salmon with clementine condiment (le saumon façon gravelax, condiment clémentine)
The texture of salmon is composed of fat and lean meat. The Clementine condiment serves its role well to cover the fish smell.
Frégola Sarda - risotto, lobster and lobster foam (Les Frégolas Sarda comme un risotto, langoustine et écume de langouste)
When this dish full of foam comes to your table, it is eye-catching. The langouste doesn't have too much seasoning so you can enjoy its natural taste. Therefore, the quantity and taste of the risotto are just within the right control.
Nuts of St. Jacques of Port en Bessin, spinach, garlic and ginger emulsion (les noix de saint jacques du Port en Bessin, épinard, émulsion ail et gingembre)
The nuts of Saint Jaques are also matched with foam. The taste of spinach is strong. It is a special combination.
Fermented milk ice cream with hazelnut and puffed rice (La glace au lait fermenté boule noisette au riz soufflé)
It could be very surprising to any visitor to eat ice cream during you meal. But in fact, this is a culture of Normandy to facilitate the digestion and enjoy the following delicious dishes.
Pigeon and Confit duck, porcini mushrooms, nuts, olive and ras el hanout (le pigeon, la cuisse confite, cèpes, coque, olive et ras el hanout)
The combination of pigeon and duck is fresh to us but pigeon can be unusual to some people. You can advise the restaurant if you'd like to avoid special meat in advance. But if you are open to try new flavors, the ras el hanout is a seasoning from northern Africa and it enhances the taste of the two meats.
Puff with vanilla ice cream (Le choux à la glace à la vanille)
Homemade yogurt with tonka bean, pineapple and pineapple ice cream (Le yaourt maison fève de tonka, ananas et sorbet ananas)
Last desserts are served in several aspects of sweet and salty, which suffice our hunger.
The servers are very knowledgeable in wines and food. Their services are impeccable. It is also a cherished chance to taste the fine Bordeaux wine in Paris for its famous quality grapes and winery techniques. Although the pigeon is an unexpected surprise upon seeing its leg bone, we still thoroughly enjoy these special dishes, red wine and the calm environment. Les comptoirs du Médoc is surely on our recommendation list.
If you also want to take on this pleasant food journey with good wine, remember to reserve your exclusive right on their website or via telephone. They speak English and you can tell them your preference for food providing that you don't eat pigeon or beef. Also remember to download the coupons that we provide to save 20% on your meal.
Website: http://www.lescomptoirsdumedoc.com
Open hours: 12:00-14:00, 19:30-22:30 from Monday to Friday
Telephone: +33 145 266 188
Address: 93, rue de la Victoire, 75009 PARIS
Transportation: "Chaussée d'Antin - La Fayette" station on Metro Line 7 or "Havre - Caumartin" station on Metro Line 9