FIEF - Michelin Stars In Paris
Bust or Bomb?
This year I turned 32, and the one thing that I had on my mind was … well, Disneyland Paris (Post coming soon!), but then when it came to Paris all I could think of was food.
Me and Alistair are big foodies, and we never let being vegan change that. So I immediately started looking up the best places to eat in Paris central. Website, after website blurred before my eyes before I stumbled across my favourite place for the actual people - Reddit. In one post someone mentioned that they ate at FIEF, which was followed by hundreds of others upvoting and cheering on the idea.
One quick look at their website and my heart soared. A Michelin Star restaurant. One thing I have always wanted to do is visit a Michelin Star restaurant, and as a vegan I thought it wasn’t possible. I am so so so glad that I was wrong.
FIEF has one michelin star, and serves and focuses on French only ingredients, farms and cuisine. They have two menus, one that is meat, and one that is plant based. I booked weeks in advance, paid my deposit and waited…
So, let’s start with the restaurant. It is small, intimate and moody. Low lighting, candles and comfy seats. The waiter took us straight to our table, assumed I would take the booth seat as the lady (He was correct, and I love when they do that) and let us know that the waiter would be over soon. A quick note, is that the tables are VERY close to eachother. I absolutely didn’t mind, and I felt like we still had enough room to be private - but if you need more room in your seating then I would definitely let them know in advance. Everyone in the room turns and says Bonjour when you pass regardless of how busy they are. They really make you feel welcome.
The plant based menu is called Vegetal Love, and is five courses. The menu changes with the seasons and availability so you will most likely never eat the same thing again. If you’re anything like me and search the web for the menu in advance - it will not be the same. Trust me - I tried!
It’s five courses, but technically seven including your pre and post mini bites.
You also get the choice of wine pairings. There is a Discovery and a Celebration option, one being £50 and the latter £90. There is a non alcoholic pairing priced at £30. We went with the Discovery. Now, we are not wine people at all but as it was an experience, we thought we would trust in them and get the whole ordeal.
We also had a pre drink which was offerred as we got to the table of a cocktail and a beer.
First up are the appetizers.
Now, when I tell you, that little tube in the back was the first thing that we put in our mouths and it completely blew our minds. I mean it. We still talk about that little crispy tube now. By this point, I was two cocktails in (I had a lemon spritz that might aswell have been gasoline from a small bar before the meal) and starting on my first wine so I was a little fuzzy on the details but I tried to scramble and take notes for you.
So, the tube was a Rosemary puree, in a crisp shell. Sounds boring, and no doubt they have many more flavours than that one included but it’s all I could take in when the waiter gave us the overview. The shell cracked under the lightest pressure so we shoved it straight in - and my god! It was insanely good. The flavour coated my mouth straight away and really set us up for an insane night.
To the left is a Wasabi and Celeriac puree in a shell casing. Fantastic bright and lovely flavour. The bottom is smoked Beetroot on a Buckwheat belini. It was smoky, earthy and dense. Three perfect bites.
Next up is the Green peas and ajo blanco, cherries and elderflower. Now, when I explain what this is like just bare with me. It’s like thinly sliced green beans in some milk. I know, I know it sounds awful but it doesn’t taste like that. The peas are fresh, the “milk” is actually creamy and savoury and coats the mouth. The cherries on top add a tart sweetness that cuts through the richness. I definitely wasn’t expecting this kind of plate, and I struggled to eat it slightly due to the fear that my spoon was for dessert and I didn’t want it to get… milky? I should have definitely used it though as they replace the cutlery each time. So don’t be an idiot like me! It was light and fresh and a great first course. It was paired with a red wine which I didn’t catch the name of.
I wouldn’t say the red wine added anything to the appetizers or this course, but again I am not a wine person. It was still delicious but definitely a flavour that went over my head. The other wines though were incredible, more to follow!
The second course is Pepper served like Beef tartare, miso and fresh herbs. Now when you hear beef tartare you might grimace like me. The thought of raw pounded meat makes me yip, but this honestly blew me away. The texture is like beef tartare, but the flavour couldn’t be any different. It was sweet and savoury all at the same time. There were small crisps which you can see at the top of the picture, which added a lovely crunch to such a soft texture. The yellow circle in the middle on the “tartare” was just like an egg yolk. I don’t know how they did it, but it burst when I poked it with my fork just like a runny yolk. It added a delicious richness into the dish which I adored.
Spring Sui Mai, concentrated broth, Sichuan pepper from Normandy. This dish was a true spectacle, and is served without the broth which is poured tableside. Now for the normal people like me, this tasted like an open topped pasta or dumpling with a “meaty” filling. The dumpling was nice, but the broth was where it blew us away. It was floral, rich and coated your mouth completely with flavour. The white wine that we were sipping at this time paired a fruitiness with the savouriness of the broth.
This was the Sorrel sorbet, herbs pesto and absinthe. I was really hesitant to put this in my mouth I won’t lie. I made my partner try it first out of fear. Absinthe, herbs and pesto sounded awful together. Especially in the form of sorbet which my brain tells me should be sweet and delicious. I was so wrong. If you are a millenial like me you will have watched Princess Diaries where she shoved a whole load of sorbet like this in her mouth and immediately gets brain freeze. It was a palatte cleanser and not a dessert which means she gets odd looks from everyone around her. That scene is all I could think of, and all that prevented me from doing the same!
This really is a pallette cleanser. It was herby and strong, but also creamy and delicious. Not a spec of alcohol taste, and it was incredibly earthy. My mouth was free from every flavour we had eaten so far - ready for dessert.
This dessert really sent me through a tailspin. Tulameen Raspberries and Black Olives from Nyons, Rosemary. The outside was like soft meringue that melted in your mouth. The filling was fruity and sweet - but the real kicker is the olives. There were crispy almost freeze dried black olives through out the dessert. A savoury pocket of crunch in a sweet and smooth dessert. At first I didn’t like them, and it broke my heart. I feared it would be the first meal I didn’t really like, but then as I continued to eat I found myself searching for them. The clash between the crisp and soft, and the savoury and sweet blew my mind. It shouldn’t have worked but it truly did. This dessert was proof that you need to stick with something a few moments before you write it off completely! The chef had a vision, and I got there eventually! Thank god!
The Mignardises were a perfect finish to an incredible meal. It was a remix on the classic desserts. The bottom bowl was like a cold foamy rice pudding, it was sweet and soft and perfect for a light finish. The left dish was two sweet crisps sandwiching a fruity puree mimicking a fruit roll up. The right and final dish was a soft gummy pretending to be a wine gum flavoured with szechuan pepper. I have to say that the “rice pudding” was one of our absolute favourites of the night. It was just so airy and gave a 90’s dish a complete glow up.
On the booking it asks if you are celebrating something special, and I mentioned that I was going for my birthday. So when they brought out our desserts they also surprised me with a candle to blow out and make a wish with. It was standing in a bowl of flowers. It was such a sweet and kind thing to do and I was truly touched. Our waiter thanked me for choosing to spend my birthday with them and I almost teared up.
I also managed to snap photos of the sourdough and oil that was served alongside our meal, and the two wine pairings that completely blew our minds. The Justin Boxler was a white wine which was light, bright and perfect for the savoury meals. The Cerdon was a fruity, bubbly rose that was our favourite of the night. It was sweet, delicious and perfect to sip along with dessert. Our lovely waiter happily fetched the bottle for us each time so that we could snap a photo of them.
A few additional notes that could be handy if it’s your first time going (Like us), the bathrooms are downstairs and I didn’t see or was told about a disabled friendly option. (I could be wrong, but just thought I would mention it just in case). The waiter spoke in perfect English with his wonderful French accent. We were greeted in French, but they happily swapped to English for us as soon as they realised so there was no pressure on us to butcher the beautiful language. We booked weeks in advance, and they do put a hold on your card to confirm that you will attend. It is the price of the set meal so for us it was £170 which could be quite high for some people. We popped it on the credit card, and you do get the money back if you let them know you won’t be attending. They do also text you a few days before so that you can confirm your attendance, which is amazing when you’re travelling and are forgetful like me!
Our waiter was the nicest person we met on our whole trip. He was attentive, friendly and knowledgable. He gave us as much space as we wanted, and found no request too much trouble. We were meant to have a dedicated sommelier, but she was so busy that our waiter took that task too. We didn’t mind one bit, and loved hearing about the meals and the wines in detail as we were served. He definitely deserves a raise, and we left him a big tip despite being told that we definitely didn’t need to.
Another thing to note was that after some casual spying of the other tables, we noticed that 80% of the room was having the Vegetal menu - so it’s definitely a fan favourite. An American couple next to us were chatting with their waiter about how they both are meat eaters, but wanted to try both menus so the wife had the Vegan option. At the end of the meal they remarked that they would both have the Vegan menu next time due to it being so good! So if you’re worried about being the only Vegan (Or Vegan curious) person there, you truly won’t be!
So, the final verdict I hear you ask even though you know the answer? It was perfect. Everything from our waiter to our food to our wine or even just the atmosphere. It was truly a memorable 10/10 experience and I couldn’t have asked for a better birthday meal. I implore you to visit when you next go to Paris. It is truly worth every penny. I would love to go back and experience all of the new menus, but I am afraid I would be broke by the end!
It was our first night in Paris and my birthday meal. They had a large weight to carry, and they did it like it was a feather. I can’t wait to go back!
FIEF is definitely the bomb.
44 Rue de la Folie Méricourt, 75011 Paris, France
