By Daily Mail (U.S.) | Created at 2024-12-14 13:36:34 | Updated at 2024-12-25 01:50:36
1 week ago
As restaurant locations go, few can match that of Le Jules Verne – it sits on the second level of the Eiffel Tower.
What's more, it has been awarded two Michelin stars.
On paper, then, it's the very definition of a bucket-list restaurant.
But in contrast to the Michelin inspector who described lunch there as 'an exceptional experience', some reviewers have criticised the restaurant for being 'a tourist trap' and one claims that the restaurant has 'an over-reliance on location'.
Indeed, on Tripadvisor, over 230 reviewers out of 995 have rated it average or below.
Foodie Alexander Varga, the co-owner of one-Michelin-starred restaurant '42' in Esztergom, Hungary, was keen to find out for himself what it's like to eat at Le Jules Verne and filmed a fascinating YouTube video of his 1,400-euro (£1,160/$1,470) experience there.
As part of his 'mission to find inspiration in gastronomy', he visits other Michelin-starred restaurants – he's ticked off over 80 three-star venues to date - and creates spellbinding videos of his experiences at them.
They're uploaded to his YouTube channel, 'Alexander The Guest', with his Jules Verne video accumulating over 545,000 views so far.
Foodie Alexander Varga filmed a fascinating YouTube video of his 1,400-euro (£1,160/$1,470) experience at Le Jules Verne, a two-Michelin-starred restaurant on the second level of the Eiffel Tower
The video begins with the ascent to the venue, with the view, unsurprisingly, bowling Alexander over. Above - the 'nice' appetiser, a tartlet of smoked eggplant caviar and roasted tomato
Alexander is largely impressed with the restaurant, but some aspects of his meal leave him underwhelmed.
He tells MailOnline Travel: 'It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience – but not from the perspective of fine dining.'
The video begins with the ascent to the venue, with the view, unsurprisingly, bowling Alexander over.
In the video, he remarks: 'That view. Paris is laid out beneath us like a work of art.'
Then the appetiser arrives – a tartlet of smoked eggplant caviar and roasted tomato. 'Nice flavours, but the texture was a bit watery,' says Alexander.
The bread, however, is 'superb' and passes the 'crunch test'. And it goes 'perfectly' with the 'delicious' amuse-bouche - Spanish cold tomato soup and cherry tomatoes preserved with a sabayon (light sauce) of smoked butter and wild garlic oil.
Next - lobster with a light foam of vanilla, together with a cup of crab soup and caviar on the side.
Alexander praises the 'intense flavours'.
Above - the 'superb' bread, which Alexander reveals on the video 'passes the crunch test'
The amuse-bouche: Spanish cold tomato soup (left) and cherry tomatoes preserved with a sabayon (light sauce) of smoked butter and wild garlic oil (right)
The second course is a galette with Comte cheese and girolle mushrooms, served with tortellini filled with mushrooms and hazelnut.
The galette is the 'clear winner', with the tortellini described merely as 'okay'.
Langoustine served two ways – a signature dish – follows.
Alexander is presented with langoustine tail roasted with a Parmesan cheese emulsion and langoustine ravioli.
'Intense flavours': Lobster with a light foam of vanilla, together with a cup of crab soup and caviar on the side
'Winner': The second course is a galette with Comte cheese and girolle mushrooms
Langoustine served two ways 'doesn't deliver'. The tail (left) was 'delicious', but the ravioli (right) 'had a disturbing ammonia-like smell'
The lamb confit. This is the dish that disappointed Alexander the most
After the disappointing lamb, Alexander is offered veal sweetbread (above). 'Nice save,' he concludes
'Unfortunately, it doesn't quite deliver,' says Alexander, who reveals that the 'ravioli had a weird almost ammonia-like smell'. He adds: 'The smell was disturbing and I didn't finish it.'
The tail, however, 'was delicious'.
The main course? Lamb confit inside pomme boulangère (baker's potatoes) with caramelised onion and covered in a stew with peas and juice from the lamb.
Alexander's thoughts? 'In terms of presentation, this is not a two-Michelin-star main dish, in my opinion.'
He tells MailOnline separately: 'This disappointed me the most. I had higher expectations for the main course.'
Alexander shares his feedback with the waiting staff and is offered veal sweetbread to make amends.
'Nice save,' he says.
Dessert is hot chocolate souffle in a bowl and a stick of cold cacao ice cream. 'I love the concept,' says Alexander
Alexander says the restaurant 'might not hit the two-star standard' if you pulled a curtain around it and blocked out the view
Dessert is hot and cold chocolate – hot chocolate souffle in a bowl and a stick of cold cacao ice cream.
'I love the concept,' says Alexander.
The verdict? Alexander understands that the restaurant faces logistical issues being on the second floor of the tower – kitchen space and storage is limited - but says: 'If you pulled a black curtain around the restaurant and blocked the view, then I would have to say it might not hit the two-star standard, even though the service was exceptional.'
MailOnline Travel asked Le Jules Verne if it would like to comment on the video, but it did not respond.
For more fascinating foodie videos from Alexander visit www.youtube.com/@alexandertheguest and follow him on Instagram at www.instagram.com/alexandertheguest and on TikTok at www.tiktok.com/@alexandertheguest. Follow his restaurant on Instagram at www.instagram.com/42restaurant.
For more on Le Jules Verne, visit www.restaurants-toureiffel.com/en/jules-verne-restaurant.html.
