My Trip Tp France - Le Train Bleu: A Belle Époque Palace Inside a Train Station
Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Ask someone for the most beautiful restaurant in Paris and Le Train Bleu will often come up, even though it sits inside the Gare de Lyon. Yes, a train station. And no, we are not talking about a sad sandwich as you wait for your train. To give you a bit of history, the restaurant was designed by architect Marius Toudoire and opened in 1901, in time for the 1900 World's Fair, when Paris was busy building monuments. Toudoire also designed the station's clock tower and grand facade, and the railway company wanted a restaurant that symbolized travel, comfort and luxury. President Émile Loubet inaugurated it under the name Le Buffet de la Gare, which is a pretty modest name for what it is. The name came much later. In 1963, the restaurant was renamed after the famous train, the Blue Train. Like the Orient Express, it was a luxury overnight express leaving from Gare de Lyon, carrying wealthy passengers to the Riviera in search of sunshine. So the restaurant is named after the train that stopped by long before you had your coffee. In 1972 it was classified as a Historic Monument of France, and it was renovated in 2014. Jean Cocteau, Brigitte Bardot, Salvador Dalí and Coco Chanel have all been seen there, and Luc Besson used it as a film set in Nikita. When I think that it was almost demolished in 1966, and then fortunately saved by Andre Malraux who was minister of culture at the time.
Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Just looking at the decor, you tend to forget that you also went for the food. Today, chef Michel Rostang serves an à la carte menu of modernized French classics so mouth-watering that you feel you will miss out anyway, everything looking so good and creative. Here is what we had:
Jodi got the morel mushrooms and vin jaune fricassée with sweet onion cream (29 Eur), that was earthy and savory, showcasing perfectly this delicious mushroom that, because of its shape, captured perfectly the richness of the yellow wine sauce. On my side, I ordered the broth-cooked duck foie gras (35 Eur), that was served with white radish chutney, jellied consommé and a small brioche. I was surprised by the portion that was big, perfect for sharing, and loved it: it was rich, buttery and silky. The only negative is that I would have liked more brioche, and I ate it with some of the bread they gave us, that was anyway good.
Morel mushroom and vin jaune fricassée, sweet onion cream at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Broth-cooked duck foie gras, white radish chutney, jellied consommé at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
For her main, Jodi had the plateau de fromage or cheese platter (19 Eur) that came on a cart with a few selection you could pick from. I do not remember all of them, but there was Brillat-Savarin that is a delicious triple-cream cheese, Saint Nectaire (semi-soft cow's milk cheese) and Fourme d’Ambert (blue cheese), two famous cheeses from the Puy-de-Dôme department. My choice was fairly easy: I went for Chef Rostang’s signature dish, the roast leg of local lamb (47 Eur), that was supposed to be served at the table from the carving trolley, but was not, and was accompanied by the Chef’s potato gratin dauphinois. The lamb was fantastic! Juicy, tender, with a crispy skin and a perfect use of sea salt that enhanced the mildly gamey taste. And that gratin dauphinois! If you never had it, know that it is made of thinly sliced potatoes baked in cream and butter, and topped with cheese, giving the top layer a slightly crunchiness while the inside is melting in your mouth. This dish is simply rich and decadent. A must have.
Cheese plate with Brillat-Savarin, Saint-Nectaire and Fourme d'Ambert at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Michel Rostang roasted leg of lamb at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Potato gratin dauphinois at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
For dessert, I would have normally gone for their baba au rhum that is their signature, where they even leave the bottle of rum on the table so you can add as much as you want, but settled for the fresh strawberries with vanilla cream and basil sorbet (19 Eur) that was beautifully plated and quite refreshing, the basil sorbet being surprisingly good.
Strawberries with vanilla cream and basil sorbet at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Strawberries with vanilla cream and basil sorbet at Le Train Bleu, Paris, France
Overall, we had a great meal at Le Train Bleu: this place never disappoints, from the decor to the food. If you are in Paris and are looking for nice meal, this is definitely a place to try. But know that it is better to have a reservation as it can be very crowded.
Enjoy (I did)!
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Le Train Bleu - Gare de Lyon, Place Louis Armand, 75012 Paris
