Having to stay in Paris for Christmas Eve because of the SNCF strike I took advantage of this December 25th to have dinner at Garnier, one of my favorite restaurants when it comes to fish and seafood.

Garnier’s concept

It couldn’t be simpler: it’s a restaurant specialized in fish and seafood. I say a restaurant and not a brasserie, and this is what distinguishes it from many other properties positioned in this niche.

Garnier’s setting

Nothing notable: the room is in dark tones that look quite premium and the atmosphere quite muffled. This is the notable difference with Mollard located just next door: one is a pure brasserie with all that this implies in terms of setting and atmosphere, the other is a more classic restaurant.

I will be settled on the second floor.

The menu at Garnier

First of all, the seafood…

Starters, salads and fish.

And the specials of the moment.

The dinner and the service

I will start the dinner with a Negroni as an aperitif as usual.

Then I will take a dozen of Belon n°3.

From a practical point of view I find the idea of the rectangular tray very clever: this way it doesn’t take up the whole table, especially if there are two guests.

What can I say except that the oysters were good, fresh and well opened. It is not on this dish that one judges a cuisine but it testifies to the capacity of the restaurant to serve fresh products. And you can’t find Belons everywhere.

Then I’ll have the marinated scallop carpaccio with cucumber, Granny Smith and yuzu vinaigrette.

A real delight with a diversity of flavors that are perfectly balanced in the mouth. Creative and excellent.

Then the 600g sole meunière

The quality of the fish is very good, the preparation and the cooking perfect. I asked the waiter to prepare it, but purists can have the fish served “raw” and lift the fillets themselves.

And for dessert, crêpes suzette flambéed with Grand Marnier.

Absolutely delicious.

The atmosphere

Quiet and hushed, very pleasant.

The staff and the service

Professional, fast and very friendly. Special mention for the waiter who started the service at my table, very helpful and friendly.

Bottom line

An excellent dinner, absolutely nothing to complain about! A menu that is both traditional and a little creative, perfect execution and very good service.

Inevitably the comparison with Mollard located just next door is inevitable and this dinner confirms me in my opinion. One is a restaurant, the other a brasserie. I don’t prefer either style but you have to know what to expect if you choose one or the other.

On the other hand, if you look at the essentials, I have always found a consistency in Garnier’s cooking and service that is missing in Mollard’s.

In the end I found myself with a substantial bill (192 euros but as soon as you take sole you should not be surprised) but if I compare to my last meal at Mollard (129 euros) I took a much more expensive dish, and especially I took oysters, a starter, a main course and a dessert instead of a plate of oysters and a main course at the other.

The result speaks for itself.

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