Virginia Woolf once said, “One cannot think well, love well, sleep well, if one has not dined well.” Taking the words of Woolf into consideration, I was hoping to enrich my Parisian experience by dining at the well-known restaurant, Le Bouillon Chartier. While I can now say that I have eaten at a restaurant that has been around for more than 100 years (which is quite an accomplishment considering the turnover of restaurants in today’s world), I was disappointed with the food and reputed service.
Walking into the dining room, I was overwhelmed with the décor. It was clear I was walking into a space much older in time than most other restaurants in the city just by glancing around; from the tall ceilings and barrel lights to the mahogany crown molding and mosaic-tiled floors. The staff creates a certain ambiance of elegance, as well, with their uniform of black waistcoats and bow ties. However, it turns out I was walking into the hype. With its beautiful setting and a reputation for quality service, I expected an unparalleled experience but left disappointed overall.
I was most impressed with the escargot, a starter I nibbled from the table in delight. The garlic butter sauce accompanied the dish well, and yet, did not seem to overpower the dish itself. While it was not the most amazing escargot I have ever tasted, it was definitely enjoyable and left me excited to try the rest of my food.
For my main meal, I ordered Poulet fermier roti avec frites; a simple roasted chicken with French fries. Overall, the dish was not horrible, but not what I was expecting, either. I imagined succulent, well-seasoned roasted chicken with meat that glided off the bones. Instead, my chicken was more bone than meat, and a bit dry. I have heard many people complain about receiving dark meat when ordering chicken, but after ordering quite a few poulet dishes throughout the month, I was not surprised or disappointed when I cut into my dark meat meal. However, someone I was dining with ordered the same dish and her serving included much more meat than bones, which furthered my dissatisfaction.
I also ordered a side dish of haricot verts, which I was glad about after the chicken. Although they tasted slightly bland to some people, I really enjoyed the green beans. It was a modest dish of warm green beans, with nothing more than salt for seasoning. They were simple, but very tasty and without the pretentiousness of other dishes. I ordered my green beans, and without fail, I enjoyed my green beans.
I was excited to see Coupe Mont Blanc on the menu, as I have seen this dessert at a number of restaurants and patisseries around the city. Each time, the mound of chestnut pulls me in and begs me to order it, but I resist. I thought Le Bouillon Chartier presented the best opportunity to try this dessert. This was the first time the dish looked differently than I had seen it before, but I attribute this to my lack of knowledge about the dessert rather than fault this particular restaurant. Keeping an open mind (since I have nothing to compare the taste to, anyway) I slid my spoon past the heap of freshly whipped cream down to the puree of hazelnut resting at the bottom of the dish. The taste was somewhat bitter, which the whipped cream helped to lighten, but it was the consistency I was least impressed with. I found it to be grainy and slightly uncomfortable on my tongue. I swiped the whipped cream off the top of the dish, and decided to leave the Mont Blanc hazelnut experience for another time.
In retrospect, I was forewarned that the food at Le Bouillon Chartier is simple, not five star dining. It is quite possible that I was expecting far greater food based off of the recommendations and reputation for the restaurant alone. Perhaps the food was not to my liking, but not the worst food I have ever tasted. As I mentioned above, the escargot and green beans were very nice, and my discontent with my dessert stems from the shock of receiving a dish far different from what I was expecting. The chicken, on the other hand, was just not that good.
Lastly, while the wait staff’s outfits are a defining characteristic of the restaurant, the service was not as amazing as I expected. With a reputation for having excellent service, I was looking forward to an “experience.” Our waitress muddled past left elbows and right shoulders to grab plates, and even handed me my dinner plate of hot food instead of placing it on the open space in front of me. I went with a larger group (14 persons), but for a restaurant claiming to have excellent service and basic, but still palatable dishes, I was not impressed.