David Toutain - Friday, 28 October

Chef David Toutain seems to love wood! There are big slices of burl oak on the wall, birch branches in little alcoves, a box of each-unique wood-handled steak knives presented with meat courses, and branches-and-straw "easels" for presenting several of the courses.

they know how to tempt you with intoxicating truffles

Toutain worked with some great chefs (at L'Arpège, Agapé Substance, etc.) before opening his eponymous restaurant in December 2013; he earned his first Michelin star in 2015. This guy can cook, coaxing glorious tastes and essences out of both common and rare ingredients! He offers a somewhat-unusual "no options" prix fixe menu, although your waiter does ask if you have any allergies. And sometimes there's an optional supplement, as we learned when our waiter displayed a big bowl of large white truffles, which could be bountifully shaved over the fourth course! We said "oui oui!"

sticks of salsify (a root vegetable in the dandelion family) to dip into a mound of parsnip cream that's sitting on a rock

tiny muffins containing shrimp purée and diced scallops to dip in peanut/coriander cream 

puff pastry that was rolled and baked in cylindrical molds to make an incredibly flaky dinner roll; fabulous butter

one-bite crispy fried parsnip with parsnip cream, Jerusalem artichokes cooked in brown butter, and hazelnuts

EUPHORIA! - daikon, risotto with roasted celeriac, crispy rice, and a huge portion of shaved white truffle

cod, romanesco broccoli, curry sauce, kale pesto

smoked eel, warm black sesame cream containing hidden diced apple

seared duck breast, smoky cepe mushrooms, onion, veal jus

my fabulous steak knife for the duck - the handle smelled like juniper!

cauliflower-vanilla seed cream, coconut ice cream, white chocolate

warm fig puree in a crispy tube, mascarpone ice cream

parsnip churros

crispy chocolate spheres on a stick

I've started going to Michelin-starred restaurants at lunchtime since you can get the same level of cuisine as in the evening - perhaps fewer courses, but still plenty - and it's a bit less expensive! They don't rush you at all (we were there for about 3 hours), and you still pay dearly, but think of it as a half-day's entertainment in a beautiful relaxing environment with some of the best eatin' you'll ever experience, and it makes the dent in your bank account a bit easier! 

Here's David Toutain's website: http://davidtoutain.com/