Restaurants in Paris Plénitude - Cheval Blanc Hotel Paris dinner

On the second floor of Cheval Blanc Paris, an intimate setting: the gourmet restaurant of Chef Arnaud Donckele, awarded three MICHELIN stars, five toques and a 19/20 rating by Gault & Millau.

In the beginning, the sauce. At Plénitude, Arnaud Donckele has donned the apron of an intimate perfumer.

His nose pays homage to the four seasons of the sauce, the eternal second role called upon to play the first in this bubble where time has suspended its flight. Absolues”, as they have been christened by their creator, bloom like bouquets. A hundred timeless fragrances unveiled in an alphabet-like grimoire.

A precious collection of incredibly complex elixirs, with top, middle and base notes combining up to twelve ingredients, all of which no blind person could possibly guess.

Under the guidance of Alexandre Larvoir, the service ballet knows these poetically-titled blends like the back of their hands, which punctuate the menu and form the common thread running through the meal.

Draw on these magical potions to sublimate, enhance, awaken and incense

• “Preludes” (starters),
• “Sweet and Salty Waters” (fish)
• “Meadows and Country Lands” (meats)
• “Sweet and Mild Fragrances” (desserts)

Because here, it’s the dishes that are in tune with the sauces, and not the other way around. From savory to sweet, the liquid elevates the solid by serving as a detonator.

A succession of emotions and surprises revealing the best of the terroir of our French regions. So many snapshots of the evening on the plate, matching the morning’s natural arrivals.

The alchemy of a made-to-measure olfactory palette.