Alain Ducasse au Plaza Athénée @ Paris, France

Caviar Osciètre d’Iran avec Langoustine Refraîchie, Nage Réduite, Bouillon Parfumé

I believe quite firmly that certain restaurants require particular audiences and occassions. Don’t get me wrong, I would rather not eat than eat something that wasn’t Really Good Food,  but everything has a place and a time. At 3am on a Friday night that kebab stand on Edgeware Road really is the most satisfying and appropriate fare. So too are the restaurants of the magnificent Alain Ducasse perfectly suited to family celebrations. Perhaps his particular brand of French haute cuisine holds such a fond place in my heart because my first enjoyment of it was shared with my father. I don’t get the chance to see Daddy very often, so every meal we have together is something to savour. This is why I feel that the various courses of a dégustation such as the one presented at my friend Seun’s graduation party in Paris serve to nourish spiritually as well as materially. To partake is to become a privileged participant in a performance of the most pleasurable kind. Luxurious foods like this lobster and caviar concoction should not be eaten every day. Rather, through the joys of shared indulgence, we are reminded that we love and are loved in return.

Details: 25 Avenue Montaigne, 75008 Paris, France (+33 1 53 67 66 65)