Last Updated on February 21, 2024
A Parisian tasting menu with Michelin style
Some meals are bound to be special because of the venue, the chef or the occasion. Sometimes all three come together in a beautiful way. So it was when I was invited to review Galanga par Monsieur George in Paris on my 25th wedding anniversary. Chef Thomas Danigo is renowned in France for his creative flair with vegetables and his fusion of French and Asian cuisines, influences drawn from his travels. At his Paris restaurant, he offers three dining options – a three, five or seven-course set menu. The restaurant is situated in a beautifully elegant hotel, Monsieur George, in rue Washington which runs off the Champs-Elysées. Housed in a Haussmann building, the hotel’s interior was designed by Anouska Hempel whose inimitable elegance welcomes guests to take a flight of fancy. The entrance lobby, bar and restaurant interconnect not only spatially, but through the use of bottle green tiling, plush velvet banquettes and marble-topped tables. Mirrored ceilings, black lacquer and glass panelled doors and large, globe-shaped glass chandeliers bounce light around the interior spaces, while potted palm trees connect the indoors with the small interior courtyard. The whole effect is not only sumptuous and inviting, but felt like discovering a wonderfully cool oasis following two unbearably hot days in the city.
Arriving early for our dinner, we installed ourselves in the bar where a flute of Moët et Chandon was the perfect aperitif to celebrate romance and the evening ahead. Later we were seated at a table alongside the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that overlooks the courtyard. We took a look at the menu options and chose the 5-course dinner which for me is the perfect number of courses to explore the chef’s signature dishes.
Galanga, as those familiar with Asian cuisine will know, is an aromatic tuber related to ginger. Chef Danigo chose it for the name of his restaurant where he puts vegetables, fruit, tubers and flowers at centre stage with meat and fish playing a less central role. This is precisely the way I like to eat so I was delighted that the first three courses all showcased the chef’s talent with vegetables. Chef Danigo uses the ancient arts of cuisine – maceration, fermentation and cooking on fire – to create dishes of sophistication and visual appeal. On the floor of Galanga par Monsieur George, the staff are very knowledgeable, friendly, and helpful yet non-intrusive. They offered to speak French or English and, as my husband does not speak French, we opted for the latter but chatted away in French at times too which I always enjoy. With an impressive wine list representing the major regions of France plus a small ‘wines of the world’ section, we decided to put ourselves in the capable hands of our waiter who chose a couple of bottles for us to drink by the glass. The first was a crisp, floral Côtes de Provence, Domaine de la Martinette, 2021.
A delicate amuse bouche was presented – a small bowl of eggplant caviar with two thin breadsticks that put me in mind of a Giacometti bronze. In a second bowl, on top of a collection of dried peas was a tiny grey cracker with a swirl of smoked tarama and a square of feta, cucumber and glazed red tuna.
Before the first course arrived, a warm dome of bread was presented from Boulangerie Frédérick Lalos, who is a Meilleur Ouvrier de France, a highly prestigious award. The bread was served first with a puddle of Provenҫal extra virgin olive oil from Moulin Cornille. Later a second loaf was presented with a quenelle of whipped butter with sea salt and buckwheat from Crèmerie Delacour.
The meal then began with tomato couer de bouef confit dans son jus, pain perdu vinaigré, anchois de Cantabrie, gazpacho à la sauge. A beautiful tomato looked resplendent in a wonderfully organic, white ceramic bowl. I cannot think of a more perfect dish to begin a summer tasting menu, especially considering the shocking heat earlier in the week. The sweetness of the tomato, confited in its own juice, combined with the salty Cantabrian anchovies and a tiny slice of bread (pain perdu is what the English call French Toast), a slick of green extra virgin olive oil, and the Spanish influence rounded off with a gazpacho scented with sage added tableside. A beautifully balanced dish both visually and in the mouth.
The second course was one of Chef Danigo’s signature dishes – le poireau brûlé, gunciale, pecorino et sabayon fumé. This dish comprised a bruléed leek topped with guanciale and grated pecorino, which along with a puddle of smoked sabayon, creates a kind of carbonara effect. There was also a lozenge of cherry wine (from the Jura) jelly which added an alcoholic note. The textures were interesting – softened leeks, crispy bits of guanciale and the cloud-like sabayon, an extra helping of which was kindly supplied in a mini saucepan. The tastes were vegetal, salty, earthy, with loads of umami. The humble leek often plays second fiddle to more sexy vegetables and I liked how Chef Danigo has promoted the leek to a starring role on the menu.
The last of the vegetable courses was artichaut poivrade en barigoule, beurre blanc émulsionné à l’aneth et vinaigre de Sakura. This was a triumph of a dish with a number of complex components. As artichokes brown quickly when cut open, one method of preserving them is called barigoule, a form of cooking the artichoke in stock, vinegar and citrus. Often mirepoix is added. Here artichokes, cooked en barigoule, were served warm, stuffed with artichoke mousse, trout caviar and a tiny fennel flower. It was accompanied by a beurre blanc, a staple of the French sauce brigade, here made with dill and vinegar from Sakura which is a Japanese vinegar made with cherry blossom from Shizuoka, macerated with rice vinegar from Hiroshima. This beautiful dish was a colourful palette of green and orange with the dill-coloured emulsion, plus orange from trout caviar which also added pops of salty flavour. The sauce was surely the finest I have eaten in some while, the floral vinegar notes in counterpoint to the dill emulsion. Powerful yet graceful.
The waiter asked which of the three vegetable dishes we preferred. What a difficult choice! in the end, we voted for the artichoke. I wonder if the chef has a favourite or if that feels too much like choosing his favourite of three children.
From here the meal changed pace and we went on to the meat course accompanied by a glass of Haut-Médoc, Chateau Senejac, 2014. This smooth Bordeaux was well chosen to complement agneau de lozère et harissa de poivron, bouillon épicé aux herbes fraiches et quinoa. Yet another fabulous dish, this was a square of medium roasted lamb – from the Blanche du Massif breed, in the region of Lozère, an appellation protégée – topped with rosemary honey and crispy quinoa and coriander. It perched on a bed of spicy harissa. As if that was not tasty enough, a glass teapot of bouillon was poured around the meat tableside, the lamb jus fragranced with herbs – mint, coriander and basil. Then, a mini saucepan was served with more crispy quinoa mixed with green olives and coriander and topped with a tiny lamb fillet that had been cooked on the Japanese Konro BBQ, a superb piece of kit, the briquettes for which are made in Japan from fossilised remains of plankton, which reaches incredibly high temperatures. What a simply wonderful plate.
While waiting for the dessert course we were presented with frosted shot glasses and a tiny glass teapot of a lemon basil infusion. This was a most refreshing palate cleanser.
The final course was dessert – le citron feuille en crèmaux léger, marmalade au basilic, sarrasin et meringue craquante. The dish was layered with crunchy buckwheat crumble, a marmalade of lemon and basil, basil sorbet, and a lemon cream, then topped with shards of meringue. This was a refreshing end to a sumptuous meal with excellent textures and colours.
The kitchen at Galanga par Monsieur George, having been informed of our celebration, sent out a couple of financiers with a candle and our lovely waiter arrived with flutes of rosé champagne, Alexandre Bonnet, Les Riceys. We could not have felt more spoilt and indulged.
With an espresso and a pot of mint tea arrived a gorgeous collection of petit fours – chocolate-coated pineapple strawberries, warm financiers with cherry, matcha and pistachio, and vervain jelly with grapefruit and candied yuzu.
The superb meal at Galanga par Monsieur George is served at a good pace, by well-trained and friendly staff who add to the enjoyment of the evening, in an elegant setting that is both sophisticated and relaxed. The muted music comes from the bar alongside so one can hold a proper conversation. Everything is beautifully designed from the crockery to the table lamps, with the diner’s comfort considered at every turn, down to cute flower-shaped hooks on the chairs for handbags. The five-course tasting menu – with amuse bouche and petit fours – is 85 euros, which considering the location in the 8th arrondissement should have diners flocking. While Galanga par Monsieur George is recommended in the Michelin Guide, I hope it will one day be awarded a Michelin star. If you are in Paris to celebrate or simply want to treat yourself to a quite excellent meal, don’t miss it.
Galanga par Monsieur George, 17 Rue Washington, 75008, Paris
