“Where do I begin, To tell the story of how great a love can be
The sweet love story that is older than the sea
The simple truth about the love she brings to me
Where do I start …”
(Andy Williams, Theme Song of ‘Love Story’)
… at the only place at which I can start, for the rest is available on the formidable world wide web, and that is at the beginning of my own relationship, 18 years ago in 1996, with the towering French institution that is La Tour d’Argent, Number 15, Quai de La Tournelle, Paris, as much a cultural icon as a culinary one, its history dating back to the 16th century and since the early 20th century belonging to the same family, which is now in its third generation of proprietorship.
Emblematic of all that constitutes the French Art of living, aka, ‘L’art de Vivre a la francaise,’ the Tour d’Argent may well be considered the greatest culinary courtesan of the 20th century, having seduced such a vast and glittering international clientele, it might make the entries in the guest book of the White house look altogether pedestrian … moreover, none of it has been the result of dedicated effort or artful design, but rather, by consequence of the overwhelming charm, unwavering commitment to culinary perfectionism and incomparable hospitality of the late owner Claude Terrail, whose magic touch made each & every client feel as if they were coming home where they belonged … today his son Andre, now at the helm of the establishment, is honoring his father’s legacy even whilst evolving the establishment to efficiently service the tastes and tendencies of the 21st century, albeit with immense skill and enviable subtlety.
Clockwise from top left: Side view of the building on the Quai de La Tournelle,
The original entrance during its Café Anglais avatar,
The more casual street side Rotiserrie of La Tour d’Argent,
The bakery of La Tour d’Argent and its ice cream truck in front,
The gourmet store of La Tour d’Argent.
The first time I went to dine at La Tour d’Argent was in 1996 with my parents and brother whose birthday we were celebrating, shortly after my father had been posted to Paris as Indian Ambassador … needless to say we were greeted immediately upon arrival by Mr. Claude Terrail, and forthwith hypnotized by that special quality he had of making one feel, for the duration of his presence, as if one were the only person in the room, if not the universe … but as I have already suggested, this was not the privilege of an ambassador or even those far more important; it was the same welcome given to everyone who had the good fortune of passing through the venerated chambers of La Tour d’Argent.
The specialty of the house, for indeed many enduring culinary establishments are reputed for a particular dish, is the ‘Canard au Sang’, or pressed duck – its two principal unique selling propositions, as much as I hate to spell it out, the manner of extinguishing the birds life and sauce with which it is served, the latter constituted by blood that is extracted using a duck press, and various other equally bold ingredients – for which each consumer receives a card at the end of the meal, indicating where it stands in terms of the number consumed since the very beginning … most unfortunately I forgot to take a photograph of the card during my recent visit, and even worse left the card at the restaurant … but then all the more reason for you to go and experience it for yourselves.
Above: Images of the Brand New Bar
During my father’s tenure as Ambassador, I had many an occasion to dine at La Tour d’Argent, each one more special than the last, but this time in May 2024, the meal I ate may well have been the best I have ever eaten there, if not one of the best ‘nouvelle French’ meals I have eaten anywhere for as long as I can remember.
Andre Terrail shut down the restaurant in 2022, for a comprehensive facelift, which included a modernization of its culinary heritage under the stewardship of Chef Yannick Franques, the result of which I have just experienced and will proceed to describe in this eulogy of what is one of the most memorable love stories of my life … I suspect it is the same for many others too.
Above: Images of My solitary glass of La Tour d’Argent pink champagne as I waited for my date
There is now a brand new, wonderfully swish, yet somehow classic bar (which may be said of the entire overhaul of the premises with respect to interior design and decor, and thus an unequivocal triumph) on the ground floor as one enters, looking on to the pont de la tournelle & majestic statue de Sainte-Genevieve, the low ceiling bringing just the right measure of intimacy to the minimalist interior décor and contemporary design; it also acts as a waiting lounge where one is received, given the opportunity to unburden oneself of a coat or other cumbersome accessories, and allowed to pause before being escorted upstairs by lift to the semi-circular dining room with the most magnificent views of Paris … this was not only my first time post- refurbishment, but also since 1998, and so I arrived before my date, simply to be able to take some photographs, however amateur they might be, and ordered a glass of La Tour d’Argent pink Champagne to keep me company … my chaperone that day was none other than Prince Louis Albert de Broglie, an old friend and larger than life figure who I will write about in some more detail in another piece, but for now, suffice to say that he never drinks at lunch, hence I was forced to compensate lest he be accused of parsimony.
We both decided on the lunch menu of the day, as opposed to a la carte, the former quite frankly nearly always the wisest and most exciting choice, for it is not only where the greatest attention is placed in the kitchen at midday, but also a product of the Chef’s flair and creativity …
Above: Images of the Dining room and Head waiter
… The culinary concert began with an assortment of the most delicate and delectable canapes, including one constituted by a sliver of house-smoked sardine that stole the show, with which I opted for a glass of Puligny Montrachet as chaperone, the same great Burgundy white wine I used to unfailingly drink with my father at La Tour d’Argent, this particular one from 1991, the sommelier so moved by my story, he insisted on a vintage worthy of the occasion … on that note, I must tell you that La Tour d’Argent boasts one of the finest collections of French wines in the world …
Clockwise from top left: The Puligny Montrachet 1991 being served,
The Puligny Montrachet white wine in the glass,
A Waitress serving the canapes, The assortment of Canapes
… A few minutes later we were served the first course, which not only brought a gasp of delight but also expression of stupefaction to the face of my noble date, while I remained serene and composed, at once stilled by the sheer majesty of what was a white asparagus velouté crowned with a feather weight asparagus sabayon … I smiled at our waiter upon my first taste, and he smiled right back, by way of paying a silent tribute to a composition that rendered each one speechless … the only difference between our respective smiles was that his was a knowing one, for he was aware that this was merely the prelude to an exquisite culinary journey ahead …
Clockwise from top left: The Meursault, Les Tillets, 1988 being served,
The white asparagus velouté, The baby baguette & Normandy butter
Needless to say, I am a fast drinker, and between the canapes and renowned baby baguette served with a characteristically French and sinfully delicious Normandy butter, I had polished off my glass of Puligny, and so the sommelier suggested I taste a Meursault, ‘Les Tillets’ Domaine Michelot, 1988, as accompaniment to the next two courses including the asparagus velouté and suffice to say, as the image will illustrate, it was akin to liquid gold on the palate.
The second course arrived at just the right moment (it goes without saying, but I will anyway, that this is an establishment that prides itself both on clockwork precision and discretion of service), a duet of salmon on a bed of sorrel cream that took my breath away in every way, comprising a quenelle shaped ‘royale’ i.e. warm mousse, in consort with a lightly pan seared (or perhaps blow torched), log shaped medallion of the fish … a perfect symphony of textures, the natural flavor of salmon embellished by the sorrel cream exhibiting the utmost chivalry in romancing the tastebuds.
Above: The Duet of Salmon, Sorrel Cream
Next up was a Monkfish, which happens to be my all-time favorite fish and one of the hardest to get right, this particular rendition a medallion of roasted monkfish tail that was as soft as room temperature butter, served with a vermouth enriched fava bean sauce, black lemon sabayon, stewed peas and a stuffed morel … well, it is simply impossible to describe; suffice to say that it was an exquisite composition that flirted outrageously with the palate, leaving much to the imagination … with it, I was served an Hermitage La Chapelle 1989, and quite in spite of the fact that it might be sacrilegious for many, the white wine proved to be so gallant, I chose to preserve it as chaperone for the veritable piece de resistance, aka main course, which was a portion of an almond crusted roast breast of duck, pastilla of confit duck leg, aubergine caviar and molasses enriched jus …
Clockwise from Top left: My date, Prince Louis Albert de Broglie,
Hermitage La Chapelle 1989 wine being served,
Roast Monkfish medallion, stuffed morel, fava bean sauce, stewed peas, black lemon sabayon
… Each element of the dish, right from the meticulous cooking of the duck to an inch perfect medium, the most skilfully balanced sweetness of the sauce, surgical precision in the duet of textures of the pastilla, from a perfectly crisp case to the tender and succulent confit of meat within, and finally the muted aubergine caviar that aided and abetted the co-operation of all of the other components, this was one of the most accomplished Duck compositions I have ever had the good fortune of tasting …
… for those who are reading this piece, I suspect you are by now overwhelmed, as am I in re-living the experience, and so I will sign off, leaving you with two images of the pre-dessert & dessert that need no more by way of description than the expression ‘My, oh My’ … the rest is for you to guess, along the notes of strawberry, raspberry, pear & lime.
