At TravelGuys, we’re big fans of seafood, and of restaurants that have become institutions over the years. These include the Brasserie Mollard, which has stood opposite the Gare St Lazare since 1867 (1895 in its current form)!
Brasserie Mollard: the concept
Not much to say on the subject: this is a traditional Parisian brasserie, which is a concept in itself. And not just any place, as it was one of the hottest spots in Paris when the St Lazare district was booming.
And one of its specialties is seafood.
The setting
Mollard is one of those properties where you don’t just go for the quality of what you eat, but also – and sometimes primarily – for the setting.
Here we’re in a room in the purest Art Nouveau style, which is also a listed room.
Some will find the place worn out and in need of a facelift, and that’s true. But that’s also the charm of such properties. Too “rejuvenated”, it would surely lose some of its soul.
The menu
Nothing exceptional in terms of creativity, these are places where people come to find established products. And, of course, seafood has a special place in the menu.
And today’s proposals:
The meal and the dishes
As for the starter, it won’t take me long to think about it: it’ll be a dozen Belon oysters. For the main course, I was keen to try the sea sauerkraut, but I was informed that it was not available that day. There were two reasons given for this: firstly, the chef was in the process of revising the recipe, and secondly (this was mid-July), following the recent reopening of the restaurants, all the supply circuits were not yet working as before. Duly noted.
I’ll have the monkfish blanquette.
But first, a glass of champagne!
I also note the absence of a finger rinse. They’ll bring it to me after they’ve cleared the dish, after the battle because I’ve had time to wash my hands in the toilet in the meantime.
The meal will be accompanied by a bottle of excellent Pouilly Fuissé from Joseph Drouhin.
Then comes the monkfish blanquette.
The quantities aren’t huge, but the presentation of the plate is good.
Meanwhile, I had time to empty my glass of wine. No one came by for the refill, so I did the job myself. The waiter, who was very friendly by the way, came back 10 minutes later, but once again after the battle.
The sauce is light but a little flat, lacking in flavor. Fortunately, the saffron rice makes up for it.
As for monkfish, which is not a fish that enhances a dish through its taste, it is made “sad” by the sauce. Once again, fortunately there’s the rice.
At this stage I’m not too thrilled, but that was before I tackled the second piece of monkfish, undercooked as the photo shows.
I’ll skip the dessert and maybe that was a mistake. A crêpe flambée would certainly have enhanced the overall feeling.
A mint tea will do the trick.
The problem is when it comes to the bill: an average meal can happen, but at €129.45 it’s even less digest than the piece of monkfish.
It’s far from the first time I’ve eaten at Mollard, and certainly not the last, but it does highlight a “characteristic” of the restaurant that one could do without: its irregularity. And I want to make that clear here, so you don’t form an opinion based on a single meal.
I’ve had excellent meals at Mollard where the bill was totally justified for this type of property. But I’ve been to a few where the food was very disappointing and, logically, the bill less acceptable. That’s why I sometimes go to the competition when I don’t want to take any risks, or in the moments following a meal like this one.
There was the context of the recent reopening, with a kitchen to get back up and running, teams to remobilize, suppliers to find, but here we’re just talking about a cooking problem.
The service
As usual, very friendly here, in true brasserie style. A little problem with the timing of the wine service, but it didn’t kill me.
The atmosphere
It’s lively, some might say noisy, but those people probably don’t know the difference between a brasserie and a restaurant. And it’s this kind of atmosphere that people come to find in this kind of place.
Bottom line
Unsurprisingly a disappointing meal. The pleasure of returning to this place and setting was real, but at some point it can’t do everything and make up for everything. It’s all the more of a shame as the property is capable of much better…but it’s also capable of this, and perhaps a little too often, even if accidents do happen.
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