La Pagode de Cos & Restaurant Le Gabriel

La Réserve

42 Av. Gabriel

75008 Paris, France

Tel. +33 1 58 36 60 66

BY ANTONIO GALLONIO | DECEMBER 19, 2025

Tucked away in the 8th Arrondissement, not too far away from some of the most famous shopping areas in Paris, Michel Reybier’s La Réserve offers an oasis of calm. If it were not for the imposing military presence surrounding the US Embassy, La Réserve is the sort of place one might walk past without really noticing. I have never stayed there, but I have enjoyed several meals there recently, all of them exceptional.

Carpaccio di Gambero Rosso; Watermelon, Raspberry, Green Pepper.

Lunch at La Pagode de Cos

The Food:

Carpaccio di Gambero Rosso; Watermelon, Raspberry, Green Pepper

Lobster Roll; Mayonnaise with Shellfish Juice

Salade Niçoise; Tuna Confit, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Spring Onions, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Black Olives

Tarte Chocolat Signature; Grand Cru Chocolate, Fleur de Sel, Shortbread

The Wine:

Tucked away in the 8th Arrondissement, not too far away from some of the most famous shopping areas in Paris, Michel Reybier’s La Réserve offers an oasis of calm. If it were not for the imposing military presence surrounding the US Embassy, La Réserve is the sort of place one might walk past without really noticing. I have never stayed there, but I have enjoyed several meals there recently, all of them exceptional.

La Réserve is home to several restaurants depending on the season. The three-Michelin-star Le Gabriel is the hotel’s signature destination restaurant, while La Pagode de Cos offers a more informal environment within the context of high-end Paris hotels. The bar area looks quite welcoming, but I have never spent time there. 

Lobster Roll; Mayonnaise with Shellfish Juice.

We enjoyed a delicious late Sunday lunch at La Pagode de Cos. Weekends can be challenging in Paris, so it’s always helpful to have a few spots in mind for the last minute. Calling ahead is always advised, unless you want to get the brusque reception we experienced elsewhere without a reservation. I suppose that’s part of the allure of Paris. Or not. La Pagode de Cos is a fine place to stop by for anything from a snack to a full meal. The menu offers crudos, salads, pastas and mains, among many options. The dessert selection will seriously tempt those with a sweet tooth. Guests can order from the full hotel wine list or chose from a by-the-glass selection that is diverse and nicely put together. 

Salade Niçoise; Tuna Confit, Green Beans, Tomatoes, Spring Onions, Hard-Boiled Eggs, Black Olives.

We go for a lighter lunch, as it is already early in the afternoon and dinner awaits in a few hours. The Carpaccio di Gambero Rosso (red shrimp) is divine. Watermelon, raspberry and green pepper are unusual complements, but they work well in playing off the sweetness of the shrimp. I would not ordinarily order a lobster roll in Paris—it’s a choice mostly driven by a fruitless attempt to hang on to the last days of summer, which are already in the rearview mirror. La Pagode’s rendition of this New England classic is very good, but naturally it’s not going to match the original. The Salade Niçoise is refined, delicious and a fine choice for sharing. We can’t resist the Tarte Chocolat Signature, which is very similar to the version served next door at Le Gabriel. It disappears in an instant.

Tarte Chocolat Signature; Grand Cru Chocolate, Fleur de Sel, Shortbread.

Krug’s MV Grande Cuvée 172ème Édition is fabulous. Delicate yet creamy in the glass, the Grande Cuvée is immediately welcoming. After a long day of walking through the streets of Paris on a busy weekend, the pace slows down to a more human rhythm. Based on the 2016 vintage, the 172ème Édition is a bit more generous than I recall. We promptly polish off two glasses, then order two more. We should have just gone for the whole bottle. Lesson learned.

Dinner at Le Gabriel

The Food:

Carrot from Sandy Soils; Tangy Ginger Sauce

Artichoke Heart; Cherry Blossom Vinegar

Abalone with Kristal Caviar; Lentil Salad

Blue Lobster Cooked over Binchotan; Corn Velouté; Sorrel

Line-Caught Whiting; Morel Mushrooms, Razor Clam Jus, Peas

Squid Tagliatelle; Duck Jus, Kristal Caviar

Chicken; Poached in Buttermilk, Peas, Wild Garlic

Assorted Cheeses

Chocolate; Buckwheat Ice Cream, Salted Butter Caramel

Candied Mango, Spicy Sorbet, Peanut Cream

The Wines:

Carrot from Sandy Soils; Tangy Ginger Sauce.

Le Gabriel is one of Paris’ three-star Michelin restaurants. Chef Jérôme Banctel serves refined cuisine in the best of the grand French tradition that exalts technical virtuosity, rich sauces and complex preparations. Guests can choose from several tasting menus. It’s our first time here, so we opt for Périple, which is described colorfully as a journey where destinations resonate with seasonal flavors. Périple is offered in two versions; seven courses for €310 or nine courses for €410. The wine list is extensive, as one might expect from a restaurant of this caliber. Astute readers will find a few exceptionally well-priced wines, a strategy the team here employs for wines they have in some quantity. Service is attentive but never obtrusive, formal but also quite warm. It’s a balance that is hard to achieve but that works so well here.

Blue Lobster Cooked over Binchotan; Corn Velouté; Sorrel.

Its Spring in Paris, so this menu is full of things we love, including peas and morels. Caviar is in season all year long, as far as I am concerned. Dinner starts with a Jérôme Banctel signature; the Carrot from Sandy Soils, which is marinated and served with a tangy, concentrated ginger sauce. Blue Lobster is cooked over Binchotan, a premium hardwood Japanese coal, and served with a corn velouté and sorrel, then a consommé to finish. It’s a fabulous dish, but also pretty rich for the early part of a long menu. I feel the same way about the Line-Caught Whiting, which is seasoned for a few days in a special refrigerator to concentrate the flavors and textures, then served with earthy morels and peas. It’s delicious, but the volume is already at an eight. There’s not a whole lot of room to go. The Squid Tagliatelle, another Banctel signature, is cooked in duck fat, then served with duck jus and caviar. It’s a playful, rich and utterly delicious dish. Chicken poached in buttermilk is served with a wild garlic sauce and the most delicious tart filled with spring peas. The flavors are so vibrant. These last four dishes are impeccable—there is no doubt about it. Ideally, I would have liked to see a bit more of a progression in intensity, flavor and complexity, but that’s a small critique at this level, and I am certainly not a food critic.

Squid Tagliatelle; Duck Jus, Kristal Caviar.

Vincent Dauvissat’s 2020 Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru is much too young, but it’s also a hidden gem on this list, so I can’t resist. Rich and beautifully layered in the glass, with striking intensity, the 2020 is flat-out gorgeous. Time in the glass brings out gorgeous saline, white pepper and citrus overtones. I would love to own this. The 2019 Gamay El Dorado from Duncan Arnot and Nathan Roberts is a very pretty, gracious wine that I chose to bridge the gap from white to red. I had hoped the 2019 would have gained a little weight with time in bottle, but it has remained a relatively lightweight red, just as it was when I first tasted it. Readers who own it will want to finish any remaining bottles.

The 2005 Cos d’Estournel is a real head-turner. What a wine. The soaring, exotic bouquet is immediately alluring. Spice box, new leather, mocha, blackberry, graphite and espresso announce a wine of exotic, beguiling beauty. Each taste reveals a different facet of this great, great wine from proprietor Michel Reybier. I immediately thought about all the young 2024s I had just tasted. Why would anyone buy those wines? And I don’t mean the 2024s specifically, but any vintage en primeur, when, for a pretty reasonable price, you could pick up a case of the 2005 Cos? This, in a nutshell, is the dilemma Bordeaux faces. I let that brief thought fade quickly as we enjoyed the wine and the rest of our dinner. Simply put, the 2005 Cos d’Estournel is an epic wine, one of the best of the year.

Candied Mango, Spicy Sorbet, Peanut Cream.

The chocolate dessert, served with buckwheat ice cream and salted butter caramel, is suitably rich. I prefer the candied mango dessert, which is bright and refreshing. Spicy sorbet and a cream of peanut play off the mango nicely.

La Pagode de Cos and Le Gabriel represent the pinnacle of French dining and hospitality at the elite level. Both are highly recommended.

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