The elegant restaurant serving South East Asian, European, fusion and vegan dishes
Since January 2015, Christophe Moret is the new executive chef at Shangri-La hotel Paris, notably responsible for the restaurants L’Abeille and La Bauhinia as well as the food served in the salons and lounges [Added on February 11, 2015].
Shangri-La hotel, Paris is situated in Prince Roland Bonaparte’s private palace and offers a lot on the culinary level. It features three restaurants. Shang Palace serves traditional Chinese, in particular Cantonese inspired cuisine; it received a Michelin star in the 2012 guide. At L’Abeille, executive chef Philippe Labbé prepares creative variations on classic French dishes; it received two Michelin stars in the 2012 guide. At La Bauhinia, Western and Oriental classic dishes – not Eurasian fusion – are served. Last but not least, at L’Abeille and La Bauhinia, pastry chef François Perret prepares sweet highlights; in addition, don’t miss his afternoon tea desserts.
View of restaurant La Bauhinia. Photo copyright © Shangri-La hotel, Paris.
La Bauhinia takes its name from the iconic flower that graces the Hong Kong flag, the home of Shangri-La group. In addition, it is a reference to Prince Roland Bonaparte’s passion for botany, illustrated by his herbarium, which included some 2.5 million samples.
La Bauhinia is situated under a 1930s, Eiffel-inspired steel and glass cupola by Maurice Gras, with an impressive, three-tiered Murano chandelier at its heart. The restaurant offers seating on the ground floor as well as on the mezzanine level, where we chose to dine in the theatre like, but nevertheless intimate atmosphere, surrounded by painted silks, bespoke wallpaper and competent staff.
The menu changes four times a year, according to the season. In addition, Philippe Labbé offers suggestions by the chef, which are especially appreciated by habitués of La Bauhinia.
A dinner at La Bauhinia
Reviewed by Marc and Louis in November 2013
Since Marc had no right to drink alcohol for medical reasons in November, he watched Louis with envy starting his dinner with an excellent glass of Ruinart Blanc de Blanc by the first established Champagne House, while sipping his pleasant fruit cocktail without alcohol.
The choice of fresh bred served at La Bauhinia comes from Frédéric Lalos, considered a star in his field, the salted butter from the equally appreciated Bordier.
Marc opted for king prawns with kaffir as a starter, a typical dish from Myanmar. The prawns were marinated and then sautéed, therefore a bit on the dry side. Sous chef Adam Bentalha (*1984), who has been working with executive chef Philippe Labbé at La Bauhinia since 2010, told us during our Sunday dinner that the prawns had been prepared the Malay way. He suggested that adding a sauce could solve the issue in the future.
As a main course, Marc chose an Otak-Otak from Indonesia. The steamed codfish was presented with perfumed Nasi lemak rice with a strong lemongrass taste, tamarind, curcuma, kaffir leaves, coconut milk, lime and Thai basil. The sauces served with this dish included a shrimp paste with cucumber, ginger, mint and yoghurt as well as a tomato purée with peanuts, olive oil and prawns; incidentally, the black tiger shrimps were imported from Madagascar.
For dessert, Marc chose a classic French millefeuille by François Perret, prepared with vanilla cream, caramelized pecan nuts and vanilla ice cream, a light and airy highlight. The dessert was accompanied by an elegant Uda Watte, a full-bodied Dilmah tea (1220-1525 meters altitude) from Sri Lanka with a taste of dry fruit, almonds and other nuts.
Louis started his dinner with a Yam Som from Thailand, a grapefruit salad with cilantro, peanuts, lime and spicy vinaigrette; a non-vegetarian version would have included shrimps. It was a pleasant and light dish, accompanied by a glass of a 2011 Sauvignon Blanc Sancerre from the Loire valley, the Domaine Vacheron, to be precise. It was a well-chosen, elegant and dry white wine with 12.5% alcohol.
As main courses, Louis chose first Singapore fried noodles: stir-fried rice vermicelli in a vegetarian version, without shrimps and pork, but with cilantro, sesame seeds, scrambled eggs, a curry paste and coconut milk. In addition, Louis could not resist tasting a Pad Thai, again without shrimps. The sautéed rice noodles were presented with scrambled egg, soy bean sprouts, daikon radish, white cabbage, peanuts, garlic, tamarind and lime juice. Generous portions of these two light and healthy dishes were served, accompanied by a glass of a 2011 Pinot Noir from the Domaine David Duband, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits, a velvety red wine from the Burgundy region.
For dessert, Louis preferred one of François Perret’s, two-layered chocolate cakes with an Apurimac chocolate sorbet, accompanied by a Silver Tip White Tea from the Imboolpitiya estate in Sri Lanka. A fine choice!
Last but not least, give credit to whom credit is due: Responsible for the Asian dishes during our dinner was the Malay chef Mustafa Bin Saeya; the competent and charming Précilia took well care of us and came up with fine food and wine pairing solutions.
In short, La Bauhinia at Shangri-La hotel, Paris is a save choice for a refined dinner with atmosphere.
Article added on December 14, 2013; updated on December 17, 2013.
View of restaurant La Bauhinia. Photo copyright © Shangri-La hotel, Paris.
