A classic French restaurant serving classic French food.

For our tenth anniversary meal, Michel Rostang served up one of our most memorable dining experiences. The highlight of our trip so far. Remembrance brings a hungry yet sated smile to my lips.

I started with a warm “tart” of sweetbreads and foie gras with a rich reduction sauce. After taking my first bite I jotted down two words: umami redefined. The sweetbreads and foie gras were enrobed in a golden buttery pastry which helped sop up some of that glossy, meaty sauce. The technique, the flavours, the presentation . . . classic.

The Wife accepted our delightful waiter’s suggestion of the seafood gelée with mussels and asparagus, a light starter to offset her main plate—La Quenelle de Brochet soufflée à la crème de homard comme le faisait “Jo Rostang”, a souffléed pike quenelle floating on a lobster cream sauce. I know when we return to Michel Rostang there will be a fight as to who orders the “mythical” quenelle this time. As The Wife said, “There was nothing deconstructed or particularly new about the sauce. It was just the most wonderful lobster-y goodness, enriched with cream and cognac.” And the quenelle, its lightness belying its size, was the perfect vehicle with which to soak up the sauce.

For my main plate I ordered the milk-fed lamb with young vegetables and jus. The lamb’s sweetness matched the sweet delicateness of the vegetables—a perfect spring dish, everything cooked and seasoned perfectly. Considering the richness of my starter, this was the perfect foil. And then came the surprise. Our waiter sidled up to me with a dish hot out of the oven and bubbling with potato gratin. “Don’t tell anybody,” he whispered, a wicked smiling glint in his eyes as he spooned enough for two on a side plate. So much for a moderate main plate!

The Wife may have polished off every last drop of her quenelle and (two servings of) lobster sauce, but she failed miserably to make a dent in her Grand Marnier soufflé. I, on the other hand, had no problems devouring another Rostang classic: the warm bitter chocolate tart with coffee sauce and chocolate ice cream.

Michel Rostang gets my highest praise and recommendation. A memorable day made even more memorable by the meal and the company.