An evening of utter decadence (Cafe De Paris)

Member Name: Leolover

Product:	Cafe De Paris
Date:	20/10/03 (1253 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: superb food, you'll feel really special, fantastic jazz band

Disadvantages: will bankrupt you!

Café de Paris is not cheap. It is, in fact, very, VERY expensive. Not the kind of place to pop to on a whim when you find yourself with nothing to do on a Saturday night. It is, however, very, very nice, and a wonderful place to treat yourself and the special people in your life to, preferably when you?ve just won the lottery or are celebrating a successful bank heist.

*** First Impressions

WOW! An immaculately dressed doorman ushers you into a hallway with a sweeping staircase leading down to a plush red carpeted ballroom, complete with towering chandelier in the centre of the intricately decorated ceiling. Tinkling piano music accompanies you as you elegantly make your way down the staircase and are shown to your table by a smiling host. It?s posh. Very, very posh. The dress code is ?Dress to impress, but not strictly black tie? which seemed to equate to little black numbers for the ladies and shirt and smart trousers, at the very least, for the gents. It?s full of immaculately made up beautiful people, staff included. Yet for all it?s grandeur, I didn?t feel intimidated in the slightest, possibly because apart from the brief sashay down the staircase, you never feel ?on show?. All the tables are arranged discreetly so that you feel like you?re in your own private world, just you and your party, it?s very well done indeed.

*** Ambience

The ambience changes throughout the night. Early in the evening, it?s all very quiet and genteel; just the unobtrusive piano music in the background, dim lighting and relaxed atmosphere as people begin their meals and settle in, anticipating the enjoyable evening ahead. Then as the wine continues to flow and the excellent food keeps on coming, it becomes more ?buzzy? and exciting. At about 7.45pm, a jazz band begins to set up on stage, and you?re aware of an air of anticipation, excitement. When the band starts to play, you realise why. They?re superb. Really, really good. You?d pay a fair
bit to go somewhere and see them elsewhere, but here they are, all part of the Café de Paris experience! It really makes the evening special.

*** Food

By the time the food arrives, you?re expecting it to be fabulous, given everything that?s gone before, and you won't be disappointed. It is wonderful ? perhaps not the best I?ve ever had, but certainly up there in the top ten. To start, I had a lobster risotto, which was all a risotto should be ? creamy, rich and indulgent. Two of our party opted for the game pate, which was pronounced superb, and my other half went for scallops in a rich butter sauce with samphire and asparagus, again, delicious. We all went for the same main course ? seared tuna, which was very rare ? really it was sashimi without the soy sauce & ginger ? and very tasty. I had to try the cheese platter, which consisted of four different cheeses, all very different, and all very nice, and a friend went for passion fruit crème brulee. I stole a spoonful, and it was the best crème brulee I?ve ever tasted.

There?s normally something to criticise food wise in a restaurant, but really I can?t think of a single thing that marred that meal in any way ? it was simply superb.

*** Drink

A very good selection of wines were available, we ordered both red and white and they were both fine, very overpriced though ? I saw a bottle that you can pick up from Tescos for £7.99, listed at £27.50! If you?re celebrating, a bottle of house champers will set you back £45. We were offered a complimentary cocktail, which was a bit too sweet and sickly for my liking. It was all fine, but the prices really did spoil my enjoyment of it somewhat ? a spirit and mixer came in at £10.50, and it is extortionate ? you could get it in the Wetherspoons pub round the corner for £1.99! You?re paying for the experience though, and all in all it was a wonderful experience, so I suppose as a one off it?s just about bearable, although I w
ouldn?t want to pay those prices on a regular basis!

*** Service

Couldn?t fault it. Our waitress was both discreet and attentive, everything a waitress should be. Our glasses never went empty, our food arrived in reasonable time and in perfect condition, and we wanted for nothing the entire evening. Without a doubt the best service I?ve ever experienced in a restaurant.

*** Prices

I?m not going to say too much more about this, as you?ll already have gathered from my comments at the beginning of this op and in the drinks section that it most definitlely aint cheap, guv?nor! There were four of us, and we were taking advantage of a special offer that gave us 50% off the total food bill, and the bill still came in at over £250. But it was worth it.

*** SUMMARY

For an evening of total and utter decadence, when you want to feel really special, or to make someone else feel really special, you can?t beat Café de Paris. It was an experience, not just a meal, one of the best nights out I?ve ever had. Yes, you?ll pay through the nose for it, but at the end of the day you really won?t care, because as you sail up that staircase and out into the night, well fed, entertained and feeling incredibly happy and important, you?ll know that that feeling will stay with you for a very long time. And you?re worth it too!

Thanks for reading

Amanda 20/10/03

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