paris diary: restaurant georges

i went to paris on thursday for a day meeting but ending up staying the night. we went to dinner with our clients at restaurant georges located on the top floor of the centre georges pompidou which is the controversial modern art museum that you either instantly love or hate. the museum was recently in the news for upsetting a few LA-based artists because two paintings accidentally fell off the walls. what an embarrassment!

if you're looking for just one restaurant recommendation in paris then this is it. i say it more from the point of view of sheer ambience rather than the food - which is very good, by the way.

as you ride the elevator up to the sixth floor, you increasingly getting a more panoramic view of the city and the excitement slowly builds up. once on the top, the sheer expanse of paris all around is simply breathtaking. once on the sixth floor, you pass an outdoor terrace where you can chill with a few glasses of champagne before heading to the action indoors.

the dining room is massive. the industrial style with very high ceilings, exposed pipes and minimalist design overall is perfect as the focus is really on the views of paris. you can see the eiffel tower shimmering in the distance for ten minutes every hour on the hour at night. the lights in the restaurant are dimmed as it gets darker inside creating a very magical atmosphere with underlit tables et al. i specially loved the all white tables and the special touch of a single two foot high rose in a slim glass vase on every table. the waitresses are also dressed minimally and if you're into eye candy, you'll probably love it here.

the menu is continental with an asian flair. the asian threw me off a bit - not sure where that came from - but when i read that restaurant georges is the sister establishment to hakkasan in london, it made sense. i was pleased to have lots of vegetarian options including a california roll (sushi) that was fresh and delicious and penne with a rich tomato sauce. sorry about not taking pictures as i was at a business meeting!

what amazed me most was how buzzing the place was even at 1 am in the morning. restaurant georges seems to attract mostly thirty olds, young enough to want a very hip and trendy scene but just old enough to pay for it!

place georges pompidou
19, rue beaubourg
75004 paris
33 (1) 44 78 47 99