Ohayô Tôkyô! CDG-NRT-CDG, Air France, L'Espace Première (with pictures)
May 5, 2007, 1:55 pm
#1
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Ohayô Tôkyô! CDG-NRT-CDG, Air France, L'Espace Première (with pictures)
Considering my popular 2006 CDG-SIN-CDG L'Espace Première / L'espace Affaires trip report, I have decided to do it again with this time an Air France CDG-NRT-CDG trip in l'Espace Première (intercontinental first class). I did a few pictures that I will post throughout the story.
Part 1: AF276 (CDG-NRT)
AF's 777-300 ERs already had the new seats last year when I flew to SIN but it's the 777-200s that have faced the most drastic changes with the introduction of 4 NTC (New Travel Concept) first class seats instead of the 12-seat old configuration. Moreover, Air France has just launched new 'exclusive' services for their l'Espace Première passengers departing from CDG. These are precisely the services I wanted to try out on a day flight to Japan.
Air France has a pretty decent offer of flights to Japan from CDG: Tokyo Narita (20 weekly flights + 3 weekly flights operated by JAL), Osaka Kansai (1 daily flight) and Nagoya (1 daily flight operated by JAL). I selected AF276.
Air France AF276
From: Paris Charles De Gaulle FR (CDG) Terminal 2F
Departure Time: 1:15 pm
To: Tokyo Narita JP (NRT) Terminal 1
Arrival Time: 7:55 am
Duration: 11h40m
Meal: Lunch - Breakfast
Aircraft Type: Boeing 772
Seat: 1L
B772 seat map
Part 1: AF276 (CDG-NRT)
New dedicated l'Espace Première check-in services at CDG
New l'Espace Première lounge at CDG
New boarding procedure for l'Espace Première passengers at CDG. Limo transfer to the aircraft
Boarding. B772 l'Espace Première cabin
Lunchtime
Turndown service and night
Breakfast and arrival
Part 2: AF277 (NRT-CDG)Originally I was curious enough to inquire about where Air France was standing with their premium product, which has evolved notably for one year. Air France is completing the long refurbishment process of their business class and intercontinental first class products (the 'New Travel Concept') throughout the 777 fleet. This process has been thoroughly discussed here.New l'Espace Première lounge at CDG
New boarding procedure for l'Espace Première passengers at CDG. Limo transfer to the aircraft
Boarding. B772 l'Espace Première cabin
Lunchtime
Turndown service and night
Breakfast and arrival
AF's 777-300 ERs already had the new seats last year when I flew to SIN but it's the 777-200s that have faced the most drastic changes with the introduction of 4 NTC (New Travel Concept) first class seats instead of the 12-seat old configuration. Moreover, Air France has just launched new 'exclusive' services for their l'Espace Première passengers departing from CDG. These are precisely the services I wanted to try out on a day flight to Japan.
Air France has a pretty decent offer of flights to Japan from CDG: Tokyo Narita (20 weekly flights + 3 weekly flights operated by JAL), Osaka Kansai (1 daily flight) and Nagoya (1 daily flight operated by JAL). I selected AF276.
Air France AF276
From: Paris Charles De Gaulle FR (CDG) Terminal 2F
Departure Time: 1:15 pm
To: Tokyo Narita JP (NRT) Terminal 1
Arrival Time: 7:55 am
Duration: 11h40m
Meal: Lunch - Breakfast
Aircraft Type: Boeing 772
Seat: 1L
B772 seat map
Last edited by Falco Peregrinus; Jun 15, 2007 at 11:49 am Reason: Linked post #27
May 6, 2007, 12:44 am
#2
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Join Date: Jun 2004
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New dedicated l'Espace Première check-in services at CDG
One of the main changes at CDG is the dedicated check-in lounge for l'Espace Première passengers. It is located at Terminal 2E and open to all l'Espace Première passengers departing from CDG, whichever terminal they will actually depart from. Setting up such a centralized reception implies a proactive information process to all actual and potential first class passengers. Having already traveled in l'Espace Première, I had received a small information package about this change.
Document: Information letter about new l'Espace Première ground services (pdf, in French)
However first class check-in is still available at the other terminals as I noticed in 2F before heading for 2E. I suppose that passengers ticketed in l'Espace Première showing up early for check-in at 2F or 2C would be redirected to 2E so that they could benefit from the services I will describe later.
The l'Espace Première check-in area is clearly marked from outside with 2 red l'Espace Première totem poles located door 2.03. There is a bellboy waiting for passengers with a hotel-style luggage cart.
Picture: L'Espace Première check-in lounge at CDG 2E
As soon as I entered the check in lounge I was immediately greeted by a charming Air France check-in agent. We were only 2 passengers checking in at that moment and the process was seamless: confirmation of my preassigned seat, checking of my luggage, labeling with priority luggage tag and new red luggage tag for first class luggage, wrapping of checked luggage in a plastic foil. She then called the first class lounge: "Mr. Falco Peregrinus has arrived, I am guiding him through security and we will be in the lounge within 10 minutes". Everything went very quickly then. I handed over my BP and my passport to my accompanying agent and we proceeded to the lounge via a magical itinerary involving backdoors, swiping cards and secret codes.
Surprise: No more immigration check by the Police de l'Air et des Frontières. They normally occur before the security check but from my conversation with my accompanying agent I understood Air France has negotiated with the French air and borders police that immigration check could be carried out after security and not before. I will go back over this topic a bit later.
Having your own security line (with a red carpet!) on a busy Saturday morning at 2E is really a nice touch. Remember CDG2E accommodates all AF, DL and NW flights bound for the USA and the 10 am – 1 pm slot must be the busiest slot of the day for the security staff who have to inspect about 1,000 passengers per hour (AF6, DL119, AF50, AF366, AF24, AF28, DL43, DL21, AF72, AF84, NW4, AF18, AF90…). A few steps further and I was pushing the red glass door of the l'Espace Première lounge.
Document: Information letter about new l'Espace Première ground services (pdf, in French)
However first class check-in is still available at the other terminals as I noticed in 2F before heading for 2E. I suppose that passengers ticketed in l'Espace Première showing up early for check-in at 2F or 2C would be redirected to 2E so that they could benefit from the services I will describe later.
The l'Espace Première check-in area is clearly marked from outside with 2 red l'Espace Première totem poles located door 2.03. There is a bellboy waiting for passengers with a hotel-style luggage cart.
Picture: L'Espace Première check-in lounge at CDG 2E
As soon as I entered the check in lounge I was immediately greeted by a charming Air France check-in agent. We were only 2 passengers checking in at that moment and the process was seamless: confirmation of my preassigned seat, checking of my luggage, labeling with priority luggage tag and new red luggage tag for first class luggage, wrapping of checked luggage in a plastic foil. She then called the first class lounge: "Mr. Falco Peregrinus has arrived, I am guiding him through security and we will be in the lounge within 10 minutes". Everything went very quickly then. I handed over my BP and my passport to my accompanying agent and we proceeded to the lounge via a magical itinerary involving backdoors, swiping cards and secret codes.
Surprise: No more immigration check by the Police de l'Air et des Frontières. They normally occur before the security check but from my conversation with my accompanying agent I understood Air France has negotiated with the French air and borders police that immigration check could be carried out after security and not before. I will go back over this topic a bit later.
Having your own security line (with a red carpet!) on a busy Saturday morning at 2E is really a nice touch. Remember CDG2E accommodates all AF, DL and NW flights bound for the USA and the 10 am – 1 pm slot must be the busiest slot of the day for the security staff who have to inspect about 1,000 passengers per hour (AF6, DL119, AF50, AF366, AF24, AF28, DL43, DL21, AF72, AF84, NW4, AF18, AF90…). A few steps further and I was pushing the red glass door of the l'Espace Première lounge.
May 6, 2007, 8:43 am
#4
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New l'Espace Première lounge at CDG 2E
The lounge supervisor greeted me in a way that was both very professional and warm and started to explain to me how the time would elapse until boarding. Drinks and snacks were offered and I had to hand over my boarding pass and passport again while the French police would carry out the immigration check outside the lounge.
The lounge is pleasing to the eye but almost… tiny. Officially, it will seat about 30 people, 20 would certainly be more reasonable. I have read somewhere that on average no more than 100 l'Espace Première passengers depart or transit from CDG from 8 am to 11 pm each day. So the lounge capacity seems in line with the P traffic. Anyway those finding it quite claustrophobic may proceed downstairs to the large l'Espace Affaires / SkyTeam Elite Plus lounge, probably AF's nicest business class lounge (quite busy at 11 am). At no time we were more than 10 in the Première lounge anyhow. As the 2 lounges communicate with one another, a security agent seating at the exit of the Première mezzanine lounge is in charge of repulsing fare-dodgers (did I hear O fares?) from downstairs…
A decent cold buffet, certainly not comparable to what we had at the TLS Do but still better than La Mère Poulard biscuits from the 2C and 2F lounges. I opted for the following selection:
Champagne Duval Leroy, Cuvée des Roys, millésime 1995 ^
White Burgundy: Saint Véran 2003 Joseph Drouhin
Red Burgundy: Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos du Paradis, 2003, Michel Picard ^ ^
Red Bordeaux: Saint Estèphe Prieur de Meney, domaine Cordier
White Alsace: Riesling Furstentum, domaine Paul Blanck ^ ^ ^ ^
Picture: selection from the cold buffet and glass of Cuvée des Roys
They also serve some Max Havelaar fairtrade coffee and teas from Le Palais des Thés. A classic selection of newspapers and magazines in English, Spanish, German and French but nothing in Chinese, Korean or Japanese although Air France does operate first class to these destinations.
The overall atmosphere in the lounge is somewhat different from the one in the large Affaires lounges, the main reason being that the Première lounge looks a bit like a busy command center where they supervise the position of passengers and limos in the airport, landside and airside. A large screen displays departure times, a bit useless here since it lists only 2E flights and since each passenger is personally followed by one of the lounge attendants. By the way, at 12:30 I was informed that my flight was delayed by 20 min and I would have to stay in the lounge until 1 pm. A good reason for tasting:
A policeman dressed in plain clothes entered the lounge and came up to speak to me. I feared a breath test and was ready to argue I was not AF276's captain nor would I drive the limo...
"Are you Mr. Falco Peregrinus?" he said. "Here is your passport and your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight."
It was 1 pm exactly (35 min. before the new time of departure) when one of the lounge attendant came up to me and informed me it was time to walk to the airside car park from where we would drive to the aircraft.
The lounge is pleasing to the eye but almost… tiny. Officially, it will seat about 30 people, 20 would certainly be more reasonable. I have read somewhere that on average no more than 100 l'Espace Première passengers depart or transit from CDG from 8 am to 11 pm each day. So the lounge capacity seems in line with the P traffic. Anyway those finding it quite claustrophobic may proceed downstairs to the large l'Espace Affaires / SkyTeam Elite Plus lounge, probably AF's nicest business class lounge (quite busy at 11 am). At no time we were more than 10 in the Première lounge anyhow. As the 2 lounges communicate with one another, a security agent seating at the exit of the Première mezzanine lounge is in charge of repulsing fare-dodgers (did I hear O fares?) from downstairs…
A decent cold buffet, certainly not comparable to what we had at the TLS Do but still better than La Mère Poulard biscuits from the 2C and 2F lounges. I opted for the following selection:
- Mousse de Saint Jacques en tartare et son corail
- Marbré de chèvre à la tomate confite
- Tartare de saumon à la crème de fenouil et à la moutarde ancienne
Champagne Duval Leroy, Cuvée des Roys, millésime 1995 ^
White Burgundy: Saint Véran 2003 Joseph Drouhin
Red Burgundy: Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos du Paradis, 2003, Michel Picard ^ ^
Red Bordeaux: Saint Estèphe Prieur de Meney, domaine Cordier
White Alsace: Riesling Furstentum, domaine Paul Blanck ^ ^ ^ ^
Picture: selection from the cold buffet and glass of Cuvée des Roys
They also serve some Max Havelaar fairtrade coffee and teas from Le Palais des Thés. A classic selection of newspapers and magazines in English, Spanish, German and French but nothing in Chinese, Korean or Japanese although Air France does operate first class to these destinations.
The overall atmosphere in the lounge is somewhat different from the one in the large Affaires lounges, the main reason being that the Première lounge looks a bit like a busy command center where they supervise the position of passengers and limos in the airport, landside and airside. A large screen displays departure times, a bit useless here since it lists only 2E flights and since each passenger is personally followed by one of the lounge attendants. By the way, at 12:30 I was informed that my flight was delayed by 20 min and I would have to stay in the lounge until 1 pm. A good reason for tasting:
- Crumble de citron en gelée de cassis
- Macaron chocolat amandes
A policeman dressed in plain clothes entered the lounge and came up to speak to me. I feared a breath test and was ready to argue I was not AF276's captain nor would I drive the limo...
"Are you Mr. Falco Peregrinus?" he said. "Here is your passport and your boarding pass. Enjoy your flight."It was 1 pm exactly (35 min. before the new time of departure) when one of the lounge attendant came up to me and informed me it was time to walk to the airside car park from where we would drive to the aircraft.
May 7, 2007, 2:43 pm
#6
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Join Date: Jun 2004
Location: JNB
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New boarding procedure for l'Espace Première passengers at CDG. Limo transfer.
Again things went off very smoothly. A 5-min walk through a series of backdoors, corridors and lifts and we ended up on a small outdoor car park outside 2E. My chauffeur opened the doors of a new, small BMW limo with a Munich registration number and helped me to load my hand luggage into the rear trunk. Don't ask me which BMW version it was, I'm better at identifying aircrafts than limos. All I can say is that it was a small limo. A kind of B767 limo, not a B773 one.
I wish the car hadn't stayed parked under the sun all morning long… it was awfully hot inside, probably not far from 40°C! Only a 5-minute drive to 2F anyway, much shorter than the traditional noria of CDG transfer buses: 2E, 2C, 2A, 2B, 2F. There we drove straight from 2E to 2F.
It's an exciting feeling to approach so close to a B777's landing gear, knowing everybody is already on board waiting for you so that the aircraft can finally push back…
It's not like climbing stairs outside with dozens of other passengers. Actually I didn't know how they would make me board. I thought we would have to use the small stairs tied up to the end of the mobile segment of the jetway: it must be considered too dangerous so we climbed a spiral staircase inside the concrete pillar supporting the jetway structure. Not really passenger friendly if you ask me but well, it's the result that matters. A few steps further and I boarded AF276 at 1:10 pm with warm thanks to my accompanying agent.
I wish the car hadn't stayed parked under the sun all morning long… it was awfully hot inside, probably not far from 40°C! Only a 5-minute drive to 2F anyway, much shorter than the traditional noria of CDG transfer buses: 2E, 2C, 2A, 2B, 2F. There we drove straight from 2E to 2F.
It's an exciting feeling to approach so close to a B777's landing gear, knowing everybody is already on board waiting for you so that the aircraft can finally push back…
It's not like climbing stairs outside with dozens of other passengers. Actually I didn't know how they would make me board. I thought we would have to use the small stairs tied up to the end of the mobile segment of the jetway: it must be considered too dangerous so we climbed a spiral staircase inside the concrete pillar supporting the jetway structure. Not really passenger friendly if you ask me but well, it's the result that matters. A few steps further and I boarded AF276 at 1:10 pm with warm thanks to my accompanying agent.
May 7, 2007, 3:01 pm
#7
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Boarding. B772 l'Espace Première cabin.
The Chef de Cabine l'Espace Première (l'Espace Première lady Chief Purser) welcomed me in a very professional way. As expected (and checked in advance on www.checkmytrip.com) seat 1A was already occupied by a Japanese traveler and I made my way towards 1L. I had read in AF's literature that I should be "introduced to the crew" and I had already imagined a sort of review of the troops with a dozen of crew members passing by my seat one after another. Thank goodness nothing too formal, just the Chief Purser of the flight and the captain who introduced himself and explained the route we would be following that day (almost 11 hours of flying, more northern than usual due to severe turbulences over Siberia.) He even mentioned we would have a very short night of 1 or 2 hours only! I was not seated on the right side though and I would miss the strange path of the sun setting down under the horizon and rising again just afterwards. Unless I would accept to be reseated in l'Espace Affaires (business class), of course…
1:20 pm, time to relax and enjoy a preflight flute of Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, 1998, exclusively produced of Chardonnay grapes. The rear jetway was removed at 1:20 pm, the front door closed at 1:27 pm and we pushed back at 1:32 pm.
Picture: AF B772 l'Espace Première (First Class) cabin, seating only 4
The pictures shows seat 1E and 1F, taken from 1L while 1A is taking a nap in the background.
1:20 pm, time to relax and enjoy a preflight flute of Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru, 1998, exclusively produced of Chardonnay grapes. The rear jetway was removed at 1:20 pm, the front door closed at 1:27 pm and we pushed back at 1:32 pm.
Picture: AF B772 l'Espace Première (First Class) cabin, seating only 4
The pictures shows seat 1E and 1F, taken from 1L while 1A is taking a nap in the background.
May 8, 2007, 5:07 am
#10
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Paris
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Posts: 380
A trip report in Falco' s style : Detailed, humoristic, classy and build like famous TV shows : can't wait for the next episode !
Nice work Falco, this reflects so far exactly what I felt (same route, same class, same schedule...a few days earlier).
After several up and down over the last years I'm in love with AF now...again...
Nice work Falco, this reflects so far exactly what I felt (same route, same class, same schedule...a few days earlier).
After several up and down over the last years I'm in love with AF now...again...
May 8, 2007, 11:04 am
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Lunchtime
We took off at 1:45 pm from RWY 27L/Y13. Because of the vibrations during take off, the tables of seats 1E and 1F started coming out of their storage compartments and eventually stood to attention before the whole cabin, the FAs in their jumpseats and the first rows of the l'Espace Affaires cabin. These are large and heavy wooden tables and you can't help noticing them when they are in the upright position. There were also two noisy and stressful "slams" when the wooden covers of the tables' storage compartments completely opened and released the tables. It must happen all the time; I noticed that on the 773 too although the tables didn't fully escape from their compartments. Not a security issue of course, but a bit embarrassing for the crew who must have dealt with that dozens of times…
Curtains were closed and menus handed over.
Menu by Guy Martin, Chef at the Grand Véfour, Paris, 3 stars in the Michelin Red Guide
Déjeuner à la carte
Lunch à la carte
~~~~~~~~~
Mise en bouche
Appetizer
Raviole de radis blanc, roquette et ricotta, gâteau de carotte au gingembre et à la cannelle
White radish ravioli with argula and ricotta cheese, carrot cake flavored with ginger and cinnamon
Gaufrettes Fauchon au sel de Guérande
Fauchon mini waffles with Guérande salt
Otsumami (おつまみ)
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de hors d'œuvre
Choice of hors d'oeuvre
Foie gras de canard aux zestes de citron vert
Duck foie gras with lime zest
Coquilles Saint-Jacques légèrement panées au ras-el-hanout, concombre aux tomates séchées
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices accompanied by cucumber with oven-dried tomatoes
Fenouils crus, d'autres cuits en salade
Salad of cooked and raw fennel
~~~~~~~~~
Salade fraîcheur
Fresh seasonal salad
Vinaigrette au vinaigre balsamique "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" French dressing with balsamic vinegar
Huile d'olive au citron "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" lemon olive oil
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf servi avec un jus au thé Earl Grey conjugué aux notes acides sucrées des radis blancs caramélisés et accompagné de haricots plats
A filet of beef with Earl Grey jus, paired with the sweet and sour notes of the caramelized white radish, offering an interesting contrast in flavors and accompanied by snow peas
Délicat filet de bar au coulis de petits pois aux truffes en harmonie avec les saveurs anisées des artichauts au fenugrec
A delicate fillet of sea bass with a coulis of peas and truffles, harmonizing with the anise flavors of the artichokes with fenugrec
Déclinaison autour de l'aubergine mise en valeur de cinq façons
Eggplant reinvented in five different ways
Plat du jour : Filet de poulet fermier au jus d'ananas et à la moutarde, épinards et tomate grappe
Plat du jour: Fillet of free range chicken with mustard pineapple sauce, spinach and vine tomatoes
~~~~~~~~~
La sélection du maître fromager (présentée et découpée sur le chariot)
Our special selection of cheese
Camembert, Roquefort, Pérail, Langres, Beaufort
~~~~~~~~~
La corbeille du boulanger
Fresh bakery selection
~~~~~~~~~
Le chariot des desserts
Dessert cart
Petits fours frais
Miniature pastries
Mousseline aux amandes, spéculos et orange à la coriandre
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Ananas caramélisé au miel
Honey caramelized pineapple
Dacquoise noisette
Hazelnut dacquoise
Mousseline à la poire, au café et à la cardamome
Pear and coffee cardamom mousseline
Sorbet et petits fours secs, assortiment de fruits frais
Sherbet served with cookies, assortment of fresh fruit
~~~~~~~~~
Carte des vins par Olivier Poussier
Wine list by Olivier Poussier
Champagne
Billecart-Salmon brut blanc de blancs grand cru 1998
Bordeaux blanc liquoreux
White Bordeaux liqueur
Barsac Château Climens 1994 1er cru Lurton
Bourgogne blanc
White Burgundy
Chablis 1er cru Les Vaillons 2004 William Fèvre
Bourgogne rouge
Red Burgundy
Maranges 1er cru Les Clos Roussots Château de Mercey 2004 Antonin Rodet
Bordeaux rouge
Red Bordeaux
Margaux Château Lascombes 2002, 2ème grand cru classé
~~~~~~~~~
Apéritifs
Blended Scotch Whisky – 12 ans (12 years old)
Pure Malt Whisky – 15 ans (15 years old)
Bourbon – 8 ans (8 years old)
Apéritif anisé, Licorice-flavored apéritif, Gin, Vodka, Vermouth
Port
Porto Late Bottled Vintage 1998
Digestifs
Brandy & Liqueurs
Eau-de-vie de fruit (Fruit Brandy)
Bas-Armagnac 1993
Cognac XO
Calvados hors d'âge
Liqueur de Whisky (Whisky Liqueur)
Boissons diverses et eaux minérales
Soft drinks, beer, mineral water (Evian, Badoit, Perrier)
~~~~~~~~~
Pictures:
Appetizer, Fauchon waffles, otsumami
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices, Chablis 1er Cru
L'Espace Première chief purser preparing the scallops in the galley
Fillet of beef, Earl Grey jus, caramelized white radish, snow peas, Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé
Camembert, Langres, Roquefort, Margaux (again )
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton
Linguistic comment: I realized with amusement that the somewhat pretentious turn of phrase "Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf" had been translated in a much less sophisticated English by "A fillet of beef". Guy Martin surely knows that the French word relief not only means something remarkable but in a gastronomical context inevitably recalls its cousin reliefs, which means left-overs in English.
Un beau relief, en effet, Monsieur Martin !
On a more serious note, I chose the scallops in this original preparation ideally deserving its role of hors d'oeuvre. Could not match the perfect freshness of Tsukuji market's scallops but still very nice. Foie gras is a classic of its kind but I had mixed feelings of the one served in Première between JFK and CDG last year. I took less risks with the main course: a tender fillet of beef, slightly (inevitably?) overcooked, whose Earl Grey jus was not strong enough to match the rich taste of the meat. I gobbled up the caramelized radishes in next to no time, absolutely delicious…
A great pleasure too to see the cheese cut on a wicker basket, with perfectly matured Camembert and Langres.
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
Curtains were closed and menus handed over.
Menu by Guy Martin, Chef at the Grand Véfour, Paris, 3 stars in the Michelin Red Guide
Déjeuner à la carte
Lunch à la carte
~~~~~~~~~
Mise en bouche
Appetizer
Raviole de radis blanc, roquette et ricotta, gâteau de carotte au gingembre et à la cannelle
White radish ravioli with argula and ricotta cheese, carrot cake flavored with ginger and cinnamon
Gaufrettes Fauchon au sel de Guérande
Fauchon mini waffles with Guérande salt
Otsumami (おつまみ)
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de hors d'œuvre
Choice of hors d'oeuvre
Foie gras de canard aux zestes de citron vert
Duck foie gras with lime zest
Coquilles Saint-Jacques légèrement panées au ras-el-hanout, concombre aux tomates séchées
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices accompanied by cucumber with oven-dried tomatoes
Fenouils crus, d'autres cuits en salade
Salad of cooked and raw fennel
~~~~~~~~~
Salade fraîcheur
Fresh seasonal salad
Vinaigrette au vinaigre balsamique "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" French dressing with balsamic vinegar
Huile d'olive au citron "à l'Olivier"
"à l'Olivier" lemon olive oil
~~~~~~~~~
Choix de plats chauds
Choice of main courses
Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf servi avec un jus au thé Earl Grey conjugué aux notes acides sucrées des radis blancs caramélisés et accompagné de haricots plats
A filet of beef with Earl Grey jus, paired with the sweet and sour notes of the caramelized white radish, offering an interesting contrast in flavors and accompanied by snow peas
Délicat filet de bar au coulis de petits pois aux truffes en harmonie avec les saveurs anisées des artichauts au fenugrec
A delicate fillet of sea bass with a coulis of peas and truffles, harmonizing with the anise flavors of the artichokes with fenugrec
Déclinaison autour de l'aubergine mise en valeur de cinq façons
Eggplant reinvented in five different ways
Plat du jour : Filet de poulet fermier au jus d'ananas et à la moutarde, épinards et tomate grappe
Plat du jour: Fillet of free range chicken with mustard pineapple sauce, spinach and vine tomatoes
~~~~~~~~~
La sélection du maître fromager (présentée et découpée sur le chariot)
Our special selection of cheese
Camembert, Roquefort, Pérail, Langres, Beaufort
~~~~~~~~~
La corbeille du boulanger
Fresh bakery selection
~~~~~~~~~
Le chariot des desserts
Dessert cart
Petits fours frais
Miniature pastries
Mousseline aux amandes, spéculos et orange à la coriandre
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Ananas caramélisé au miel
Honey caramelized pineapple
Dacquoise noisette
Hazelnut dacquoise
Mousseline à la poire, au café et à la cardamome
Pear and coffee cardamom mousseline
Sorbet et petits fours secs, assortiment de fruits frais
Sherbet served with cookies, assortment of fresh fruit
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Carte des vins par Olivier Poussier
Wine list by Olivier Poussier
Champagne
Billecart-Salmon brut blanc de blancs grand cru 1998
Bordeaux blanc liquoreux
White Bordeaux liqueur
Barsac Château Climens 1994 1er cru Lurton
Bourgogne blanc
White Burgundy
Chablis 1er cru Les Vaillons 2004 William Fèvre
Bourgogne rouge
Red Burgundy
Maranges 1er cru Les Clos Roussots Château de Mercey 2004 Antonin Rodet
Bordeaux rouge
Red Bordeaux
Margaux Château Lascombes 2002, 2ème grand cru classé
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Apéritifs
Blended Scotch Whisky – 12 ans (12 years old)
Pure Malt Whisky – 15 ans (15 years old)
Bourbon – 8 ans (8 years old)
Apéritif anisé, Licorice-flavored apéritif, Gin, Vodka, Vermouth
Port
Porto Late Bottled Vintage 1998
Digestifs
Brandy & Liqueurs
Eau-de-vie de fruit (Fruit Brandy)
Bas-Armagnac 1993
Cognac XO
Calvados hors d'âge
Liqueur de Whisky (Whisky Liqueur)
Boissons diverses et eaux minérales
Soft drinks, beer, mineral water (Evian, Badoit, Perrier)
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Pictures:
Appetizer, Fauchon waffles, otsumami
Lightly breaded scallops with ras-el-hanout spices, Chablis 1er Cru
L'Espace Première chief purser preparing the scallops in the galley
Fillet of beef, Earl Grey jus, caramelized white radish, snow peas, Margaux 2ème Grand Cru Classé
Camembert, Langres, Roquefort, Margaux (again
)Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton
Linguistic comment: I realized with amusement that the somewhat pretentious turn of phrase "Un beau relief pour ce filet de bœuf" had been translated in a much less sophisticated English by "A fillet of beef". Guy Martin surely knows that the French word relief not only means something remarkable but in a gastronomical context inevitably recalls its cousin reliefs, which means left-overs in English.
Un beau relief, en effet, Monsieur Martin !On a more serious note, I chose the scallops in this original preparation ideally deserving its role of hors d'oeuvre. Could not match the perfect freshness of Tsukuji market's scallops but still very nice. Foie gras is a classic of its kind but I had mixed feelings of the one served in Première between JFK and CDG last year. I took less risks with the main course: a tender fillet of beef, slightly (inevitably?) overcooked, whose Earl Grey jus was not strong enough to match the rich taste of the meat. I gobbled up the caramelized radishes in next to no time, absolutely delicious…
A great pleasure too to see the cheese cut on a wicker basket, with perfectly matured Camembert and Langres.
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
May 8, 2007, 3:12 pm
#14
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Paris
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Mousseline aux amandes, spéculos et orange à la coriandre
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
Almond mousse, spice cookie and orange with coriander
Mousse au chocolat sur un biscuit au thé vert
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie
Chocolate mousse on a green tea cookie, almond, spice cookie and orange mousse, Barsac 1er Cru Lurton
The final touch was without any hesitation the almond, spice cookie and orange with coriander mousse which beat the chocolate mousse hands down.
