My friend Lily visited Paris recently, and funny thing, SHE showed me places here that I have never been to in my own city!

She tends to have a knack and a nose for all things charming, chic, luxurious and opulent, so although she doesn’t live here she is somewhat of an expert. 😉

One of these places she introduced me to is actually quite unassuming from the outside and if you don’t know about it, you wouldn’t even suspect its existence. It’s a hidden jewel.

The (5 star) hotel Vendôme hosts a charming and chic, gastronomic restaurant over looking the intersection of rue Saint Honoré and rue de Castiglione. We had made reservations and waited in anticipation for our fabulous luxurious splurge.

You enter through the hotel entrance at n° 1 place Vendôme. (what a fabulous address!) A small but très elegant hallway directs you to the first floor up where the restaurant is. We had our choice of tables because there was only one other party there having lunch. All the better for us, because this meant we were about to discover a well kept secret place in Paris.

The dinning room is full of light, and has a decorum that feels like vintage Dior from the 1950’s with black and white “pied de poule” fabric on the chairs, plush little pink silk cushions and velvet benches against the walls and windows. Creamy whites, soft light grays, black and pink are the color scheme. There is a corner decorated as a lovely little library, recessed ceilings, and perfect lighting to match the soft pastel palette. Attention to detail is apparent and comfort is a priority.

The table service in porcelain and silver was elegant and tasteful.

We both had the lunch menu which for 39€ gave us bottled water, the lunch plate creation of the day by chef Josselin Marie, a glass of wine and a dessert from the pastry cart. Our main course was monk fish served with roasted peaches over a bed of marinated onion confite. There was also a creamy shellfish sauce that I sadly requested to be left off my plate (dairy free issues). But it was mouthwatering and delicious in spite of the lack of sauce. And the chef was a dear and made me a special fresh fruit dessert since there was nothing on the pastry carte to accommodate me. Now that is 5 star service!

We topped off our dessert with a glass of bubbly to celebrate our day together.

We spent two hours lunching, sharing, talking and enjoying this delightful place.

To sum up our experience at Le Vendôme, I can say it lived up to all our expectations. The service was delicate and attentive, the meal was exquisite, the decor was divine and we felt like we could almost be back in a more sophisticated era with such a beautiful and tasteful ambiance.

Refined elegance, unassuming opulence, couture chic… or in a word : Parisian.