For a variety of reasons, the Paris restaurants that get the most media attention (including from me) are offering expensive, chef-driven tasting menus. But is that what the people really want?
Back in February, I polled you about the kind of restaurants we should be reviewing. The results were eye-opening.
A sizable portion of our readers (~40%) don’t like tasting menus and would never dream of dropping serious cash (200€) on a single meal. A slightly larger group enjoy tasting menus “occasionally” and would only spend that sort of money to celebrate a special event.
I take this to mean:
I should focus less on expensive, chef-driven tasting menus
Except when they’re amazing, and worthy of a special occasion
Amâlia is the latter. From here on out, I’m only going to highlight tasting menus that are great (not just good, not merely fine) - and Amâlia fits that bill.
This new restaurant in the 11th (in the old Robert space) is a collaboration between Italian chefs Eugenio Anfuso and Cecilia Spurio. Spurio handles the pastry and the dining room, and Anfuso leads the kitchen. This is their first moment to shine in the spotlight after playing supporting roles at Michelin starred restaurants like Pierre Gagnaire and Alléno (Spurio) and Astrance and L’Ambroisie (Anfunso).
They are killing it. When I visited with two PbM colleagues, the restaurant was still new (they opened in March) and relatively empty. We took the bigger of two tasting menu options (80€ and 120€) and were blown away.
Amuses-Bouches
The pre-dinner nibbles were substantial, and delicious. In addition to corn Grissini served with a sesame lovage dipping sauce, we were welcomed with these beauties:
At top left, we have a phenomenally thin and crispy tart shell holding Malako feta topped with charred juniper and a sexy blanket of marinated beet. On the right, a crispy nest supports a panna cotta “egg” composed of sweet Cévennes onion and smoked eel.
We then got to eat with our hands, taking these little triangles of torched Parmesan tart and dragging them through some very good balsamic vinegar.
This was also an amuse-bouche, but arguably shouldn’t have been. However delicious they were - and they were - I’m not sure that gnocchi and cream need to come so early (or at all) in a lengthy tasting menu.
Five Main Courses
Our opening main course was bright and delicious, with citrusy sea scallops layered with red meat radish and green apple, all drizzled with a Kristal caviar vinaigrette. What came next was even better:
This is lightly smoked veal tartare with peanuts and with sea urchin ice cream, all served in the latter’s spiny shell. I’m not generally a fan of iced granitas and creams on raw meat (it happens more often then you’d think), but this was pretty perfect. The smoke was light enough to hang in balance with the sweet veal and briny urchin. The citrus brought a necessary sharpness. The peanuts were there because it’s 2024.
Every year seems to have its pet ingredient. In 2024, Paris chefs are in love with the peanut. Last year it was geranium. Lovage made a splash in 2022.
One person in our party doesn’t eat red meat, and I noted this preference when booking online. They called in advance to assure me this would not be a problem, and prepared beautiful substitutions like this:
Instead of veal, my friend had some of the season’s first asparagus, cut and arranged like a flower, and topped with the same sea urchin ice cream. I’m always so impressed when adapted dishes are this beautiful.
Our next course, called sous-bois (forest floor), arrived in three parts: an earthy bouillon, a tightly wound roll of celery root with mushrooms in sherried hollandaise, and a crunchy toast topped with Lardo di Collonata. It was delicious, but we were already getting alarmingly full. I knew we had two main courses to go, plus pre-dessert, dessert and petit-fours. Le Grand Menu Amâlia may be a little too grand. Go for the small one unless you’ve been fasting for days.
We stretched our bellies to enjoy this dish of rouget à la Bourguignonne - an assertive fish that was pan roasted and served with brown buttered Brussels sprouts and a tangle of shredded beef cheek in a red wine sauce. Some lemony spinach added the necessary acidity to this strange and wonderful dish.
The final main course was barbecued veal and came with a choice: saddle or sweetbread. I took the latter, and it was deliciously lacquered with a spicy sweet & sour jus, served simply with a Kalamansi emulsion and a single date stuffed with harissa and almonds. The less organ-y option (veal saddle) was also delicious:
Desserts
This pre-dessert was fun - a lime sorbet topped with zest and a shower of tiny meringue kisses. I’m now out to find glasses like this so that I can make my inferior store-bought sorbet look pretty at home.
The main dessert was phenomenal: caramelized sunchoke with hazelnut ice cream, coffee praline, and dark chocolate (70%) mousse.
The petits-fours were memorable: pistachio and kumquat, chocolate, and mango with yogurt and Madras curry (clockwise from the top). Spurio is a serious talent.
Conclusion
After a series of so-so tasting menus that weren’t special enough to warrant a mention, Amâlia has restored my faith in the genre. If you’re already among the adventurous ~15% of our readers who love a tasting menu, this is definitely one to add to your list. Chef Anfuso takes a lot of risks with his cooking, and the results are incredibly rewarding.
If you’re looking to splurge for a special occasion, this could be a great option for you. Service was wonderful. They handled our dietary requests thoughtfully. It’s not egregiously expensive with dinner menus at 80 and 120. It feels special. Having said that, it’s a provocative menu on par with what you’ll find at Septime and Le Chateaubriand. Anfuso uses a lot of assertive flavors, and balances them brilliantly. But I understand that sea urchin ice cream isn’t for everyone. More for me!
We’ve included Amâlia among our 50 Favorite Restaurants in Paris. If you go, we’d love to hear about it in the comments.
AMÂLIA
32 rue de la Fontaine au Roi, 75011
Open Saturday & Sunday for both lunch & dinner
Open Wednesday - Friday for dinner only
Closed Monday & Tuesday
Reservations online or at +33 7 68 72 45 06
After reading the column, we booked for dinner on May 3. We got the 80 euro and 120 euro with 5 wines pairing. The meal was overall incredible and fantastic. The items were totally different from what Meg had, but was still incredibly delicious. The wines paired reasonably well with the food. However, by fair, the highlight was the food. The service was friendly, efficient, and quick. Plan on going again next year when we make our yearly visit to Paris. The best meal during our vacation.
I love a tasting menu to the point where I am usually choosing it once a week maybe? Sometimes twice a month. it is my go to option particularly because it takes the element of choice away on a night out. I just want people to bring food to me and then drink wine.