Paris’s most famous landmark has a new dining venue. Is it worth the effort of getting there?
Paris is always a good idea, so it’s said. Even gliding into Gare du Nord on the eve of a heatwave that will push temperatures to 39C, I have little cause to doubt it. It’s my 10th trip to the City of Light and each time brings a little frisson, like it’s my first visit at age 21.
We have reservations for a 9pm seating at Madame Brasserie, the new restaurant on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. And if Paris is always a good idea, then a trip up the Eiffel Tower is an excellent one. There it stands at dusk, 10,000 tonnes of steel rendered into lace, the perennially stylish Parisienne. Even the circus at the base does little to diminish the landmark’s grace.
The hawker cries and strange disco music of a fleet of refurbished tuktuks mingle with the jangle of the carousel on the banks of the Seine. And then there’s the view from the summit – all of that Hausmannian splendour – although it’s important to note a reservation at Madame Brasserie will grant ascent to the first floor (or stage) only. A separate ticket is needed to ride all the way up to the summit, which gets complicated. My advice is to visit the summit another time.
Dining at Madame Brasserie and visiting the first stage is an adventure in itself. As instructed, we make our way to the foot of the tower 30 minutes before our reservation. This isn’t any ordinary restaurant in any old historic building. Security is tight and there are tickets to retrieve. If we feel smug as we bypass the queue to collect our lift passes from the Madame Brasserie reception located between the north and east pillars, we feel less so as we join the long line for the elevator with all the other visitors bound for the first stage.
We’re finally funnelled into a lift packed, it seems, with half the city and I’m starting to wonder if the logistics will defeat us when the doors open again. We spill out into the fresh air 57m above the ground and – a party. Deckchairs. Cocktails. Music. The first floor of the tower is a festival.
We’re tempted to linger here but signs point us towards the restaurant, and we open a glass door to soft carpet, a friendly welcome and a dining room bathed in sunset gold that is also, mercifully, airconditioned. We are shown to our table with a view over the Trocadero and the glorious deco Palais de Chaillot out to the gleaming towers of La Defense (the view from the other side of the restaurant is the tower’s interior, which is fascinating in a different way). The room is full and buzzy. Diners and decor alike are elegant, not too formal, and there’s an exciting air of transit – like a first-class lounge, but in the air. I detect more French-speakers than English. This is no tourist trap.
We have booked the Grande Dame tasting menu, and chef Thierry Marx’s pedigree (he spent time in the kitchen of the late Joel Robuchon and has a couple of Michelin stars under his belt) is on display. It’s traditional haute cuisine but summer is everywhere, even in my ramekin of silky foie gras, which is topped by a single plump raspberry. I can usually take or leave goat’s cheese but am enamoured by flakes of chevre atop a tartelette of fresh peas. It’s my favourite dish of the night, possibly the year.
Mid-course brings a spelt risotto with asparagus, which is very good although probably surplus to requirements. For mains, there is a beautifully roasted breast of corn-fed chicken in a Marengo jus washed down with a crisp Bourgogne chardonnay for me, while my husband is delighted with his veal and St Emilion pairing. By the time we reach dessert the sun has given up the last of its pink glow and we are at peak-twinkle in the City of Light. Baba au Rhum and chocolate fondant are too heavy for this hot summer’s night but a serving of Pere Fabre goat’s cheese and Ile de France honey hits the spot and lends continuity to boot. Coffee and petit fours send us back down the lift (no queue now). We’re so exhilarated we actually hail one of those ridiculous tuktuks and ride joyously, sultry breeze in our hair, through the city streets to our hotel.
In the know
Madame Brasserie’s tasting menu, including drinks, costs €253.60 ($372) a person for a window seat (Paris view); from €183.60 with drinks for tables with minimal views. The restaurant is open daily for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Visit: restaurants-toureiffel.com/en/madame-brasserie
