Brunch at the Iconic Hotel Le Fouquet’s

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I apologise for my absence in the past few days! I have just returned from Tokyo two days ago, with so many souvenirs and shopping to unpack! The transit flight was delayed on Monday and I came home completely whacked and exhausted. Anyway, now that I am fully rested and refreshed, I am going to invite you to a brunch at the renowned chi-chi Parisian restaurant – Le Fouquet’s.

FYI to all Franco-newbies, except for extremely touristy areas like Montmartre and the Champs-Elysées, shops in France are closed on Sunday. I know, I know, it’s the French trading law and a rather annoying one. We can only chomp on baguette and litter their streets with a liberal amount of crumbs as a sign of protest.

Since most places will be quiet and you don’t want to shop for items with marked up prices at blood-sucking tourist zones, your best solution is to go for a brunch and take a walk down Champs-Elysées or visit a museum afterwards.

And restaurant du jour? At the iconic five-star hotel – Le Fouquet’s – just a short distance away from Arc de Triomphe.

Now for the direction: you go to Champs-Elysées, walk to Louis Vuitton (oh please don’t look at me like you have no idea what I am saying), skip that hour-long queue and turn into the hotel right next to it. If you really struggle to find this place, ask any Parisians, they know Le Fouquet’s. Everybody knows Le Fouquet’s.

Head to the carpeted entrance that is flanked by manicured shrubs. Please be careful to not trap yourself in the revolving door because that would be awkward. Then, try your best to gracefully make your way into the plush velvet-y world that is unfazed by anything that is happening beyond its walls.

Welcome to Le Fouquet’s, the luxurious 5-star hotel in Paris that is frequented by movie stars, directors and the crème de la crème.

Oh, don’t be mistaken, I am certainly not one of those. But I were there because I was curious… and hungry… and surprisingly got passed the revolving door.

So now darling, hold your head up and strut a little strut. Take the swirling flight of stairs on your right and it will lead you to Le Diane and the Galerie Joy. There, you will be received by a suave receptionist, all suited and booted, and ready to guide you to your seats.

And here it all began, the eat-all-you-can fancy fare the posh calls brunch. At Le Fouquet’s.

You can choose to dine at the elegant and feminine round room, accentuated by a grand beautiful flower vase surrounded by plates of hors d’oeuvres and appetisers. Alternatively, if the combination of gold and royal purple and green studded sofas tickle your fancy, you can settle yourself in front of the ritzy bar over-viewing a Parisian courtyard through a stretch of floor-length windows.

Lastly, of course, you can dine al-fresco, right at the aforementioned courtyard, in front of a private garden where you can find black-and-white timeless portraits of renowned celebrities and a statue of a golden lion.

Next to this proud, tawny-colour cat, you’ll see a grill station manned by a handsome uniformed chef with his white toque, ready to serve the grill of your choice. Seafood, meat or just a few freshest of greens.  Point your finger at whatever you want and they will be delivered to your table. That’s how things are at Le Fouquet’s and don’t worry, you will quickly get used to that.

Back inside, there were salad bar with an assortment of dressings and condiments, the bread and cheese trolley, the hot food section, the cold food section and the ice-cream slash pancake man. The man who would flip a flipping pancake for you and double the size of your scoop of ice-cream even without you requesting. He is the ladies’ man. My favourite man.

Oh and the dessert. Crème brulee, macaron, chocolate mousse… and here’s what they say caught in action, picking and licking the cream off the finger when really, it’s just an impatient taste of the tarte au citron.

Now you’ve seen everything that is meant to be seen, make your move and call Le Fouquet’s for reservation.

Till then, here’s our stash. Quite some posh-stash. That just how things are at Le Fouquet’s.

It’s not that hard to get used to anyway.

With love x