I have died and gone to meat heaven.
The Beef Club, the restaurant where Yves-Marie Le Bourdonnec sells his famous 5 week matured English beef, is the only place to go if you’re a meat-phile.
Every time I go to a truly delicious restaurant I always have the same problem: a loss of words. Which is, admittedly, a little problematic for a food writer. But this time I was lucky, because I did manage to find one word and repeat it throughout the whole dinner. “Wow.” “WOW”. “WoW”. “Woooooooow.”
I skipped appetizers and went straight for a steak, specifically the spyder steak. Normally this cut of meat is full of sinews and nerves and all those little stringy bits that you have to chew particularly enthusiastically before you can swallow. But the waiter explained that here they remove everything, leaving the steak particularly tender and buttery, seeing as it’s a cut that is conveniently located close to the bone. Needless to say, it was perfectly cooked (and highly recommended to be eaten rare, as per the chefs request) and was the first time that I was able to close my eyes and savor how delicious meat can be when it’s prepared properly. The entrecote was also delicious, a divine eating experience for my dining partner.
before
after
The wine that we had with it was an excellent Beaujolais, which says less about my amazing food/wine pairing talents, and more about the fact that it was one of the cheapest bottles available (at the, ahem, modest price of 44 euros)
The prices remain relatively high, which is completely understandable given the quality of the beef. It was around 25 euros for my spyder steak, and about 35 for the entrecote. The steaks come with a large choice of side dishes, including my personal favorites of duck fat French fries, and 3 cheese gratinée mac and cheese. The 10 euro profiterole is the house specialty for dessert, and not only is one big enough for two, but funnily enough it looks surprisingly like a hamburger.
And here’s a little challenge for you: go inside the restaurant and find the magic door that leads to the hidden bar downstairs. It’s called The Ballroom and is run by the same guys who do the Experimental Cocktail Bar.
The Beef Club
58 rue Jean Jacques Rousseau, 75001
09 52 52 89 34
