Le Grand Colbert
by Abdon FLORES
When you pass in front of Le Grand Colbert, there will always be a certain fascination and curiosity to know how is it to be inside. The ample vitrines show the astonishing spectacle of its architecture, and the food being served a glimpse of coziness and wealth. But there is also the name, Jean-Baptiste Colbert, a notorious Minister under the rule of Louis XIV having nowadays a luxury related connotation. Whatsoever the reason, gastronomy or mere history, the place is a must in the panoply of top places all over Paris.
The restaurant has just been totally renewed, from door to kitchen we could say; even the opening hours have been modified. So, from September 1st this famous brasserie at rue Vivianne will open 7/7 from 12 till midnight, an enormous challenge for Chef Fabrice Cornée who declares to be happy about it, to see people going out again after long months of waiting. “There are no quiet days in the food business, he firmly states, especially when you work for a place like this, with a long tradition and reputation; during the week we might have less work but not really.”
According to him changes occurred mainly in physical aspects since the cuisine of Le Grand Colbert continues offering what a grande basserie parisienne usually offers: meat, fish and sea food. In fact, by watching the menu you can realize that oysters and lobster share the page with veal and beef. Now, restaurants live of publicity also. “The best roast chicken in Paris is made here. Now, that’s a line from a movie [Tout peut arriver, with Jack Nicholson and Diane Keaton], so we’re going to include it on the menu for the people curious about it”, says Chef Cornée.
But generally speaking, the menu remains the same. What has really changed, according to the Chef, is taking into account seasons, using seasonal products to enhance flavors and make a more logic offer. With the autumn settling up cucurbits, chanterelles and porcini will be more used, as well as one of the favorite seafood in France: the scallop shells.
There is a vegetarian dish changing every week. “We didn’t have the choice, explains Chef Cornée. A vegetarian client that comes once a week is expecting a new dish the next one, he’s not coming to taste the same one.” But clients come to Le Grand Colbert more to taste typical French bourgeois cuisine than anything else. The roasted Chateaubriand, the onion soup, the veal stew or the confit of duck are some of the classics, always accompanied with a wide selection of French wine.
If there is a novelty on this post-covid reopening you’ll find it in the dessert section. Les secrets de Muriel it’s a project managed by pastry Chef Muriel Aublet-Cuvelier and the concept deals with ephemeral desserts. She will be working at the restaurant and will be in charge of a tea room (from 15h) where she will also dispatch dessert to take. The offer is also classical: baba with rum, Paris-Brest, crème brûlée, gourmet coffee…
For M. François Brossard, manager of the restaurant, the reopening is a new opportunity to reinvent the place without losing the gild of its tradition. “We cook French products and we make French recipes; that’s the essence of this restaurant”, he states while discussing the qualities of the different dishes in the tables. Like many other brasseries, there is a menu bistrot (two or three dishes) perfect for tourists or for Parisians working in the neighborhood. Either a simple dish of this menu or a royal tray of sea food, the eating experience at Le Grand Colbert is totally worth.
