You are this woman melancholy. Arrival only at the port Debilly, in front of the Eiffel tower, you miss you lose. But the familiar face of Alain Ducasse speaks to you. He discusses on a houseboat with a neighbor. Impressed, get you off on the dock. The silhouette reassuring a captain clad in white guide your shyness. It helps you to cross the bridge as if you were a lady. “Welcome. “The sun is reflected in her clear eyes, illuminates your pale face. You are in paris. The wave to the soul you decide to play the tourist in your city. There’s nothing better to take it the distance, possibly a smile on her face. You have chosen the cream of the cream, the luxury in every gesture that verges on the massage of spinal cord : the cuisine of Alain Ducasse served in a boat 100 % power in cruise on the river Seine, from the Eiffel tower to the ile de la Cité and back. Two hours in which “to let” is a command. One does not disobey Ducasse.
Then you sit at the table indicated, at the front of the boat, with a view of the 324 metre of lace of iron. A glass of champagne arrives. The server assure you, it is included in the menu pre-paid on the Internet (no refund if the event is cancelled less than seventy-two hours before). You toast with the sun, drink a mouthful. Harpists have composed the original soundtrack of this cruise. You let yourself be lulled by the melody crystal clear. The boat is still docked, but you already feel your shoulders lower a notch. The servers remove the préassiettes, bring appetizers, distribute, and then resume menus, pour water and wine in glasses. As you expected, every gesture is a caress to your dismay. The mooring lines are dropped.
Paris is at your feet
The sound of ten tons of batteries put in motion is as sweet as the bubbles of a Jacuzzi. You never experienced spa floating. You have opted for the “naturalness” of Alain Ducasse, you are component a vegetarian menu. After a royal of the mushroom texture as comforting a bathrobe sponge while hot, the vegetables of the season in the Greek are advertised in their simplest device, with coriander pounded in a mortar. They come covered in a sauce beige with acidity (white wine ?) reveals nothing other than your disappointment.
The puligny-montrachet 2016 for Jean Pascal & Fils inspires more thoughts of the sun. You receive the small spelt and artichokes violet with kindness. They have the same acidity as the dish before. Is this cooking too much emphasis on vegetables ? The difficulty of working on a kitchen onboard ?
You slide on the Seine as on the negative thoughts. Paris is at your feet, and you take delight in. The beauty of the pont Alexandre-III you still dazzles, just as the butt of Our Lady. You don replongerez not. The dessert of chocolate set on a crisp praline is your lifeline. Intense, bitter, soft and crunchy at the same time, this cake in the shape of a boat and its ice cream with hazelnut are the final notes of a trip to bitter-sweet that you don’t forget. But, next time, you rabattrez on more traditional dishes.
The address : Port Debilly, Paris 16e. Tel. : 01-58-00-22-08. www.ducasse-seine.com Open daily from noon to 22 h approx.
The addition of : three versions of breakfast, from 100 € up to 250 €. Five versions of dinner, from 150 € to 500 €.
insider trading : the captain, Laurent, knows full of anecdotes about river life. He was fireman on the Seine for fifteen years.
The essentials : the agreement with the wines, the cheese plate, the dessert Paris chocolate.
The downside : it seems difficult to tame the vegetables.
The award : the cuisine is not at the level of experience, yet thought in its smallest details.