A Fine Dining Experience: Maison de la Truffe, Paris

If you have the urge to have a fine dining experience, may I suggest that you go to La Maison de la Truffe (The House of Truffle). For truffle lovers or adventurous palates, there is a choice to dine in or go home with their specialty items to make your own gourmet meals.

In 1932, the brokers for the truffle gatherers of Carpentra decided to bring their products directly to the Parisian market. They came up with the bright idea of opening Maison de la Truffe in Place de la Madeleine. That was an instant success. Their know-how and expertise got the attention of the gourmets in introducing this "black diamond."

Forty-six years after, in 1978, Guy Mornier - a chef by profession, took over as the new owner of Maison de la Truffe and redesigned it with his own concept. He put up a tasting area and transformed it into a luxury, gourmet, specialty shop, with truffles as the center of attraction: white truffle from Alba, Italy,  also known as "Piedmont truffle" available from October to December; black truffle from the Perigord area, "black diamond" - from December to March; winter truffle - "Musky truffle" - from December to March;  summer truffle - "St. John's truffle" - from May to August; and Burgundy truffles - "Grey truffle" from September to January. The truffles come from France, Spain, Italy, Croatia; and now it is being farmed in Australia.

It continues to be a family-owned business, up to the present time. A second location on 14 rue Marbeuf 75008 Paris opened a couple of years ago.  Other locations have been added to this restaurant chain in Taipei and Hamburg, and very soon in Geneva and Zurich.

Truffles are considered as the "diamond of the kitchen," as described by French gastronome, Birillat-Savarin, in the 18th century. As you will find out, they cost more than real diamonds! Once you eat them, they are gone, but the memory of a gastronomique experience lingers on.

It is more of the aroma, rather than the flavor, that makes it a much-sought-after ingredient in haute cuisine. From the sense of smell to the sense of taste, you are in for a treat.

What's for lunch? Here's what I have had at different times of the year.

SUMMER SEASON

L'Huile de Olive Extra Virgine ala Truffe Noire et d'arome

(Extra Virgin Olive Oil with Black Truffles, with the truffle aroma)

This is the first taste of something with truffle that you get, the moment you are seated. The truffle aroma sets the mood. But soon, I, found out that the aromatic ingredient is a synthetic reproduction of the taste and smell of white truffles.

 Gazpacho 

A cold soup - tomato based plus other raw ingredients (green pepper, onion, garlic) that have been food-processed. The cucumber ingredient, typical in this recipe, was served as a scoop of sorbet. How refreshing!

Salade de Roquette et Coupeaux de Parmesan 

(Arugula Salad with shavings of parmesan and black truffle)

Omelette a la Truffe de Saison et Salade Verte
(Omelette with seasonal truffles and a green salad)
The truffle flavor is enhanced when the truffle-flavored EVOO is drizzled on the omelette.

Trio de Sorbets
(Flavors: strawberry, pear, peach)

This was palate cleansing.

 WINTER SEASON

Creme de Parmesan Truffé
(Creamy parmesan with truffle flavor, served with little slices of toast, or with French baguette slices) 
What a fine way to tease the palate.

 Oeuf  Poché Truffé en Gellee
( Soft-Boiled Egg with truffle presented in aspic, and a side portion of arugula salad)
It's another unique way of serving a soft-bolied egg.

 Pizza a la Truffe Noire Melanosporum, Mozarella et Roquette

(Pizza with Black Truffle Melanosporum, Mozarella & Arugula) 

Carpaccio de Boeuf Roquette et Parmesan
(Beef Carpaccio, topped with arugula, parmesan cheese, and shavings of black truffle)
The truffle mushroom is a nice addition to the carpaccio.

 Crème Brûlée Parfumée à la  Vanille
(Vanilla flavored Creme Brulee)
This was good, as expected. Although when the server realized this was not what I had ordered, it was replaced with...

 Crème Brûlée Parfumée à la  Truffe
(Creme Brulee with Truffle Flavor)
The truffle flavor was very distinct. I had to adjust my taste buds from savory to sweet. This was, rather, a surprise! 


LUXURY-FOOD SECTION
Here is a whole line of their specialty products. Every item here is truffle flavored.

Pasta, olive oil, breadsticks, foie gras, mayonnaise, risotto...and more. 

 Above are some items conveniently gift-packaged. On the lower shelf are cheeses with truffles.

Or, you can always buy the fresh truffles and make your own truffled-flavored ingredients/food items in your own kitchen. 

The price for black truffles is on an upward trend in the wholesale market.  The prices vary, depending on the truffle variety. You can check the retail prices on the display window.


As you can see, this place is all about truffles. What are truffles?  Simply put, they are an underground version of a mushroom found in the root systems of beech, poplar, oak, birch, hornbeam, hazel, and pine trees, planted in properly drained, clay-type, rich in calcium and magnesium, alkaline soil. They are "mychorizzal" - meaning that there is a mutual symbiotic relationship between the fungi and the plant root, for it is through the fungi that the nutrients from the soil are abosorbed by the root system of the plant. The animals that dig up and eat truffles are responsible for the spread of the spores. Truffle farms, for a more steady truffle supply, have now been organized as far down as Canberra, Australia, in partnership with La Maison de la Truffe. You might get a better idea by watching this video.


If you have not tried truffles, be adventurous and look for something that is truffle-flavored. You, too, may be pleasantly surprised!

La Maison de la Truffe

14 rue Marbeuf 75005 Paris

Tel. 01 53 57 41 00

19 Place de la Madeleine

Tel. 01 42 65 53 22

Sunday Brunch at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée, Paris

L'Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris is a 5 star luxury hotel situated on Avenue Montaigne. The hotel is owned by the Sultan of Brunei and it is luxuriously well-appointed. In the restaurants, the menus and gastronomique creations are under the direction of michelin-star-rated chef, Alain Ducasse.


Having Sunday brunch at the Hôtel Plaza Athénée Paris could turn out to be something of an experience, at any time of the year.



Here we are at the Alain Ducasse restaurant. Although I had been here for a birthday dinner and a get-together with friends before, this was my first time to have brunch. What is there to expect?



The first thing you notice is how classy and elegant the place is...with hand-polished silverware for the table settings, with servers in their tux outfits...



a fantabulous chandelier, exceptionally designed by Patrick Jouin, that I could not help but take pictures of, from different angles, as I plan to make my own, as inspired by this design.


As soon as this platter of specialty breads and sweet breads arrived - the viennoiseries of Christophe Michalak, a champion, world-class patisiere - , out the window went my stand about how bad it is to eat something white and something sweet. To lessen the damage, my family and I shared each one, so that we could taste more than one or two, with some French fruit marmalades and jams and the best salted butter! And, of course there was that offer for a glass of Champagne or wine...I opted for a glass of fresh orange juice.



If only our main courses would have arrived sooner so we could stop eating these vicious carbs...so hard to stop once you start.



I ordered the Eggs Benedict with smoked salmon, topped with soft-boiled eggs and truffle mushrooms, and served with bechamel sauce...



while my daughter and my husband went for the brunch special: Soft boiled eggs with truffles/dark truffle sauce, on a bed of mashed artichokes...innovative, I thought.



You can tell that the ambiance and the other amenities like this chair designed with a pull-out bag table will be part of the bill, right? But, it's alright once in a while. This is how I learn to prepare something new, as I deconstruct what I eat and go home to make my version. It ends up pretty close, most of the time, but turning out more healthy, like limiting the number on that platter of viennoiseries; using whole-wheat bread for the Eggs Benedict; trying out versions of a mashed bed of something for the eggs, such as using mashed sweet potatoes/squash, or mashed lentils, to be served with a reduced sweetened-balsamic/garlic sauce; and with healthy freshly-made juices.


I have found new ways to serve soft-boiled eggs, thanks to Alain Ducasse.


Inspired to make something like these by just looking and imagining the flavors? Head to the kitchen and discover how creative you can be.