Le Lulli – Paris (75001) en

What can only be described as an undeniable “coup de coeur” ( even if at 42 euros the lunch), like I have so few of them during the year, and I owe it to Figaroscope . 10/10 for service ( so nice to see this in Paris), exceptional and smart cuisine, perfect surroundings, if they accepted the 716 sticker, I would stick it immediately, wherever.

Figaroscope wrote a file on the good hotel restaurants, while going through it two stood out, with a preference for Lulli because it mentioned: ” delicious welcome from the manager”. I didn’t know anything about this Grand Hôtel  of the Palais Royal so I made a reservation:  perfect phone etiquette. ” This is it, this is it” I tell myself. The day arrives, I discover the place. A quiet room, off the street, a lounge side for comfort but with no cheesy music to go along with it, no garish purple colors, light green, white, wood, comfortable armchairs, we feel at ease immediately; particularly because the room isn’t full. That being said, we really appreciated that the host offered to put our coats on the seats beside us ( our table was adjacent to another)

Wonderful, if I opened up my own restaurant I would want it to look like this. The entire staff fits right in, friendly but each individual has its own charm, polite but not obsequious, smiling but natural, nothing fake. It started when I walked in the hotel, I was a little lost trying to find the restaurant, I see a classy lady that seems to be the hotel manager: she walks by me when I was clearly looking for something. She could have asked me if I needed help, but I don’t take offense. I follow her, she goes check with a client if they are happy with their room. Afterwards I ask her where the restaurant is, “I’ll show you” she says with a smile. She brings me to the restaurant, asks me the name of the reservation, I was borderline embarrassed in front of so much friendliness.       And it was like this the entire time, the young women serving were nice, considerate, without crossing the lines of politeness. The manager was absolutely wonderful, he didn’t charge me for the glass of wine that I enjoyed but thought had too much tannins.

J’avais lu dans l’article du Figaro “menus au déjeuner à 35 et à 42”, je n’avais pas compris que pour 35 c’est entrée-plat et 42 entrée-plat-dessert. I had read in the Figaro “lunch menu for 35 and 42” I hadn’t understood that for 35 it was appetizer-main and 42 for appetizer-main-desert. So it was 42 for us, expensive for a lunch menu but it was completely acceptable for what we ate, and the exceptional comfort and service.

Foie gras and chestnut cream gougères

Bass quenelle and lobster bisque

Appetizer
Sweetbread grouse pie, little citrus salad,  bordelaise sauce.
I discovered the grouse and discovered in this article that Auguste‘s chef, another chic restaurant with a very precise manner of cooking  un autre resto chic dont j’aime la cuisine précise, also liked it. Appetizer that worked perfectly: we have the warmth of the pie and the thick of the meat that cuts with the mix of colorful and raw radish, truffle, and chestnut.

Pan-seared scallops, fall fruit and vegetables with a light touch of citrus
That was the other choice, don’t think that there is a second dish in the menu.

Cheese plate
Marvelous, melting cheeses,tasteful, a cheese plate worthy of that name.

In the end, 54 euros per person for two menus ( one without dessert), two tomato juices and two coffees, the right price for such a lunch. At night it seems that prices fly upwards. That being said, for those who want to have an important and tasty lunch from A to Z close to the Louvre in a charming and elegant place ( by design and staff), while also the luxury of being yourself and comfortable then I would recommend Lulli. No negative points here, everything went smoothly, without any hiccups. I don’t often have the chance to find a place that is so in sync with my tastes ( whatever the price may be).