Le Soufflé
Many seasoned travelers to Paris know the 1st arrondissement as the district where the Louvre, one of the most famous museums in the world, is located. Though the district is certainly known to satisfy a longing for the fine arts, it is not widely recognized as one that satisfies a longing for fine dining.Yet a fine dining experience awaits you at a small restaurant that is only a ten-minute walk away from the museum. Named Le Soufflé, the restaurant lies on a street that is invisible to the casual passer-by walking down rue de Rivoli.
The restaurant serves the world-renowned French specialty called the soufflé. This delicate dish is often served as a warm dessert, with chocolate or Grand Marnier as the dominant flavor. But soufflés may also be served as a savory main dish, prepared with meats, vegetables, fish and cheese. Claude Rigaud, proprietor of Le Soufflé, proposes a wondrous range of choices of both types, serving them for any or all of the three courses of a meal: starter, main course or dessert.
Recently, I had lunch at Le Soufflé with a couple of friends on a sunny Friday afternoon. As I approached the restaurant, its handsome facade hinted at the pleasant dining experience that it offered within. The waiter greeted us with a smile, which added to my anticipation of an enjoyable dining experience. We were guided through the narrow dining area to a round table next to a front window. Here we had more intimacy than the other customers in the restaurant. The room is quietly elegant, with tables laid with crisp white tablecloths and set with delicate centerpieces that do not block your view of your companions. Fresh bread and butter were present at each place setting when we arrived.
There were several fixed price menus to choose from, as well as an extensive à la carte section. Roughly half the offerings were soufflé dishes. My friends both chose to order from the menu "Tout Soufflé" (a three-course soufflé menu), while I opted for a soufflé as an entrée (starter) and as a dessert, with canard à l’orange et au citron dish (duck with orange and lemon sauce) for my plat principal (main course).
The first course emerged from the kitchen – each of us was served a steaming soufflé in individual dishes containing either soufflé de morilles (mushrooms) or soufflé d’asperges (asparagus), depending upon our order. The server placed the dishes in front of us, then ceremoniously punched a hole in the center of each soufflé with a spoon. He then ladled a dollop of sauce into the well that he had just created. I knew that dessert soufflés are often served with a sauce, but was surprised to see our savory soufflés given the same treatment.
We tucked into our respective entrées…and looked up at each other with smiles of satisfaction at the choices that we’d made. The soufflés were as light as they looked – ethereal puffs of flavor that melted in your mouth. We agreed that the sauces were a perfect accompaniment in that they not only enhanced the delicate flavor of the soufflés but also added body. A small green salad, lightly dressed, came next as part of the Tout Soufflé menu.
The main course followed soon after. For the Tout Soufflé-ers, there was soufflé Henri IV with chicken and mushrooms in a cream sauce for one, and soufflé de brochet sauce Nantua aux écrivisses (pike with a crawfish sauce) for the other. Again, the servers pierced the centers of the soufflés and ladled in the sauce. And again, the smiles of satisfaction appeared as my friends tucked into their dishes. My dish, the magret de canard (duck breast) prepared with orange and lemon, was excellent as well.
Remarkably, the main course did not leave us satiated. While they appreciated the sauces for their flavor, my friends thought that they would make the soufflés filling. But this was not the case, and they looked forward to the dessert. As for me, even after having eaten duck breast with vegetables and two lightly fried dumplings (delicious!), I too was looking forward to the final course of the meal.
And so it came – two soufflés au Grand Marnier for my friends and a soufflé aux noisettes (hazelnuts) for me. The server was very generous when he doused my friends’ soufflés with the liqueur, and left the bottle on the table in the event that they wanted more! As for my soufflé, I was surprised when no server stood at my side with a sauce for it. But once I took the first bite, I realized that a sauce wasn’t necessary – the soufflé was moist and perfectly perfumed, with several whole hazelnuts distributed throughout. A perfect ending for a sublime meal!
There are fourteen savory soufflés on the menu at La Soufflé, and nine sweet ones. Savories range in price from 10€ to 18€ if ordered à la carte, and sweet ones from 9€ to 9.5€. There are three fixed price menus that offer three courses – "Tout Soufflé" at 29€, Menu Tradition at 32€ and a third menu at 41€. Next time, I think I’ll go for the "Tout Soufflé". After all, how often does one get a chance to eat soufflés?
Le Soufflé
36, rue du Mont-Thabor
75001 Paris
Tel: 01.42.60.27.19
Hours: lunch – 12 N to 2:30 PM; dinner – 7 PM to 10 PM
Closed Sundays
36, rue du Mont-Thabor
75001 Paris
Tel: 01.42.60.27.19
Hours: lunch – 12 N to 2:30 PM; dinner – 7 PM to 10 PM
Closed Sundays
Monique Y. Wells is the author of Food for the Soul – A Texas Expatriate Nurtures her Culinary Roots in Paris, as well as co-owner of Discover Paris! – Personalized Itineraries for Independent Travelers. The French version of her cookbook is entitled La Cuisine Noire Americaine (Editions Minerva, 1999).
© Monique Y. Wells
