Dinner At The Marriott #TheFoodLoverInParis

Location: Paris Marriot Opera Ambassador Hotel.

Dining Partners: TheFrenchKid & Peaches (Codenames).

My Mood: Tired tourist legs, very hungry palate, nearly hungry stomach, mind on lockdown with excitement.

We started off with drinks….The name “Lady Of Shanghai” was an instant charmer. And the fact that it was vodka-based sealed the love. This picture doesn’t do justice to how pretty it was. And no, it doesn’t just look vibrant, the taste was like a summer garden with blooming flowers and raspberry notes dancing in center stage.Peaches had “the special of the day” virgin cocktail…..a stunner! Showed up all tikied up with a touch of purple daintiness and fresh strawberry fruit. I got too carried away to ask what exactly it was but I had a few sips and it tickled my fancy.

TheFrenchKid went with Orishas just because Orisha is a Yoruba (Nigerian language) word which means gods. He had no regrets.

Next, starters….The fish tartar would usually be a big “no” for me because of it’s rawness but this was a night out in the city of Paris, normal will be boring! So yes, we did the fish tartar with peppermint and bergamot.I am not going to go on some ramble about this being delicious because I don’t even know how it should taste. It was very new to my taste buds but the minty-citrus-ness slapping against the ever wonderful bread & butter combo was enough to help me eat about half of the mould.

Peaches had earlier insisted I try the goat cheese panna cotta and yaaay me, baby was a delight!I only knew panna cotta to be a dessert so imagining it as a savory dish was a struggle. But as soon as I spotted the plate, I could tell that I was in for a lovely surprise. One shockingly good detail was the fact they succeeded in elevating basic crunchy carrots into some very sweet juicy bites, a perfect complement for the slight tangy feel of the goat cheese…..The smoothness of the panna cotta itself wowed me even more.

Then, the mains….Heaven knows I wanted to keep up with the “not my usual” trend and order the cannelloni dish but the thought of having no meat scared me so much, I ended up with this…..The mixed grill! You see the love glistening over those grills? Okay, let me be nice with a better view….. I refuse to know or talk about what kind of meat was laid out in-front of me because I am not supposed to eat pork and I feel like one of the four was, but I loved every tender bite of each piece! TheFrenchKid also went with this and loved it.The mashed potatoes and vegetable mix were yum enough to flatter the meat even more. This is a dish I could have every single time I come here.

Thankfully, Peaches isn’t so fussed over meat or we would have all ended up with the same main dish. She had the thick salmon steak & quinoa with peach just like her codename. *wink* The presentation was simply gorgeous, I could have stared at it all through dinner if she didn’t indulge. Because I associate quinoa with weight-loss diets, my head keeps thinking it tastes like punishment but this was an eye-opener….pair your quinoa with peaches or other sweet flavors and you would be amazed!

For last, desserts!

We had the first three options!First up…..my favorite of all three…. Chocolate & Hazelnut cake with sherry sauce.Coming from me who isn’t really a chocolate lover, this cake was everything! It had a deep flavor profile (I’m guessing the hazelnuts are to be thanked for that) and a thin layer of fine chocolate frosting that made it all the more decadent. The sherry sauce made me think about Martha Stewart….it was that good!

Next up, blackcurrant and chocolate biscuit with speculoos crisp.On print, I expected this to be my favorite because of the speculoos which seems to my favorite cookie (lotus biscoff) these days but it was insanely sweet! If you have a heavily sweet tooth, this is your thing. The biscuit was drenched in rich blackcurrant sauce as you see and the crisp had the perfect crunch. I couldn’t stop commenting on the sweetness yet I couldn’t stop eating it. Both toppings were lovely and not as sweet.

Final dish….cheese.A platter of two soft and two hard cheeses. Honestly, I struggle with the process of just eating cheese. It is either a spread or the meal accompaniment for me but of course, the reverse was the case on this plate. The greens (that I didn’t even touch) were only there to celebrate the cheese. I believe I had little chunks of each and called it a night.

In all, dinner at The Marriott was truly fulfilling. The elegantly set up space and simplicity of their entire menu gladdened my heart. Sometimes, I can’t deal with the luxury of a lot of options. And just incase you are wondering 16, Haussmann is the address of the hotel.

Photo Session