LES GOURMETS DES TERNES, PARIS

I love Paris. It's such a beautiful city, it's cheap and quick to travel to from London, and it has so many great restaurants serving brilliant food. I booked a little weekend trip for myself and popped over last Friday. Having recently visited the lovely Rendezvous Bar in London, part of the trio of Les Gourmets des Ternes restaurants (one in Knightsbridge, where Rendezvous is, one in Maida Vale, and one in Paris) I was invited to try out the Paris branch while I was there. The Paris branch is the original restaurant of the three, having been open since 1962. It's a celebrity favourite and the walls are adorned with photos of the owner with various celebs, while the paper tablecloths are covered with prints of handwritten messages from them.

I visited Les Gourmets des Ternes on Friday night, and within twenty minutes of sitting down the place was packed. Every seat at every table was taken, full with diners seeking out the traditional French food they serve. A lot of the customers were obviously regulars and were greeted like old friends. The menu is French through and through - starters include scallops, artichokes and snails while mains are fillets of veal, beef and fish. As it was my first night in France I went completely traditional, starting with half a dozen garlicky, parsley, buttery snails, that were perfect. I mopped up every last drop of the snail butter with chunks of baguette and washed them down with a glass of white wine.

For mains I had their special of the day - a huge fillet of beef, cooked pink, in a creamy peppercorn sauce, with a side of fries. Again, absolutely delicious, though I struggled to finish the steak - it was so big! A glass of red with this and I really felt like I'd arrived in Paris.

Absolutely too full for pudding, I was convinced I would really be missing out if I didn't try it.... So I did. The French pudding rum baba, that dates back to the 19th century. A big (of course!) wedge of cake, over which rum, syrup, raspberry coulis, crème fraiche and custard is poured! It was scrumptious - really boozy, fruity and creamy, but again, way too much for me to come anywhere near finishing!! It's all made at the table as well so is something of a spectacle, especially when "performed" by the owner, Jean-Francois, who's not exactly the shy and retiring type. In fact, he loves a good photo of him with the celebrities who eat there and has had said images printed onto chocolate wrappers so you can take a piece of him home with you....!

Les Gourmets des Ternes is fun, hectic and serves really outstanding food. It is expensive, but it's top quality. I've already recommended it to friends I know who are visiting Paris soon. It's also really near the Arc de Triomphe so a great spot to end up at after a day of sightseeing. You have to book though - they're full every night. Full details of where they are and how to book are on their site here.