We were in Paris to celebrate our wedding anniversary. It was my wife’s first visit to the city, so I wanted to choose the best trip on the Seine. I checked out the various boat companies offering an evening cruise with dinner in advance. I selected not only Bateaux Mouches but also the company’s ‘Excellence’ Menu and booked our places.
We arrived in a pleasant lounge on the jetty next to the Pont de l’Alma and exchanged our voucher for tickets before boarding the company’s flagship, Jean-Sébastien Mouche. The boat is modern and fitted out in superlative style. As we had chosen the ‘Excellence’ package, we were shown to a window table for two near the bow of the boat. Our waitress greeted us and served glasses of Blanquette de Limoux AOC Castel Mouche and an cheese soufflé amuse-bouche. Our 2 hour river cruise then started. We had outstanding views of Paris by night throughout. Dinner was served in an unhurried but attentive manner. To start my wife chose frothy cauliflower cream soup with a coffee emulsion and mini croutons and I had lobster rigatoni in a shellfish jus with finely diced vegetables. We both followed with chateaubriand steaks in truffle jus with thick polenta oven chips. My wife enjoys her steak well done; much to her pleasure, her steak was cooked to her liking. This s sometimes difficult to achieve from a French chef, but was no problem on the Jean-Sébastien Mouche! We then enjoyed our cheese course. Inclusive wine was a fine bottle of Château Grand-Ormeau, Lalande-de-Pomerol complemented by a bottle of mineral water. In the French style we then enjoyed our desserts. My wife chose ‘Voltaire’ pastry with dark chocolate mousse, a crème brulée centre and puffed rice whilst I scoffed chocolate and pear rectangle with a pistachio custard sauce. Coffee and brandy completed the feast.
Of course the cruise and dinner are expensive at 148 Euros per person inclusive of everything including gratuities but we found the outing a worthwhile and memorable experience.
