HONEST REVIEW of the WORLD'S #3 BEST Restaurant (Paris)

The internet is buzzing about Table by Bruno Vergy. Recently it was named number three on the world's 50 best restaurants list. With some saying it's the best thing since sliced bread and deserves all the success in the world. And others saying the only list this place should be on is your s*** list. Who is right? In this episode we go to Paris to find out for ourselves. To try and understand Table by Bruno Vergy. Is there something special about this place or his chef? Did he get lucky? Or is there more to this story than we think? Maybe you know the story of Jim Morris. At age 35 he tried to break into Major League Baseball. And to everyone's surprise he was selected by Tampa Bay. Later it was turned into a movie called The Rookie. It's an outrageous story. What if I told you there is a Michelin star chef with a story just as outrageous? Meet chef Bruno Vergy. Born in France he studied medicine and went on to try just about every job except doctor. In his life at one time or another Bruno was a photographer, a writer, a radio commentator, a food critic, a winemaker, a blogger and an entrepreneur in China. Then at the age of 54 with no formal training he opens a restaurant in Paris. One year later he has a Michelin star. In 2022, eight years after that, he gets the second. The next year chef Bruno finds himself on the world's 50 best restaurants list at an astounding number 10. And this year he moved up to the third best restaurant in the world. Is this man touched by the hands of the culinary gods? Let's go and find out. On a peaceful Paris side street we find Tablet by Bruno Vergy. Stepping inside it's buzzing with activity. What surprised me the most was seeing a man sitting there at the bar like a guest. He's the owner and chef Bruno Vergy. He got in the game just 10 years ago and now he has two Michelin stars and the number three restaurant in the world. Okay, it's obvious he's a different breed of chef. Looking around I must admit I was expecting something different. This place reminds me more of a pub or a bistro rather than a Michelin star restaurant. The floor looks like it would be hard to keep clean. But grabbing my attention is the table that stretches around the room. It might be the most unique table I have seen in a fine dining restaurant. I like how the kitchen extends into the dining area and makes the two spaces into one. The top of the table is made of stainless steel, the same as a chef's prep table. It looks sleek from far but when you sit down you can see every scratch. It's not practical. It's cold to the touch, things slide easily and make noise on contact. By standing out like diamonds in the sand are the utensils and the glasses. These are top quality and really nice. I get the feeling that our dinner will be great, with the best ingredients and fantastic French cuisine. Getting a table was easier than we thought. Just a few days out we were able to book for five people. I'm here today with the ATG team and this gentleman named Lukas. He works for Caviari. That's our caviar supplier for 42 restaurants, my Michelin star restaurant in Hungary. Lukas helped us shoot an episode at Caviari, where we go behind the scenes into the fascinating world of the caviar business. It's coming soon, so make sure you hit subscribe, so you don't miss it. We start with a visit from the sommelier Agnese. She's a 26-year-old Italian with a bright future ahead of her. She started at my favorite restaurant in Italy, Piazza Duomo. Here she has the role of head sommelier. When we talk champagne, we have some options. We can choose from the wine list, and there is also the chef's personal collection that he makes available to guests. I love this idea. Chef treats customers as friends and puts his true self into his restaurant. Agnese suggests a Jack Celos Blanc de Blanc extra brew. It comes from the chef's personal stash and of course it has a story. When Anselm Celos took over the Jack Celos Champagne House in the late 70s, he really shook things up with his experiments. Like using oak barrels for fermenting and aging, when all the champagne houses of that time used steel, enamel or concrete. They all thought he was crazy, but the joke wasn't them. Celos used oak to counter oxidation and he changed the landscape of the business. He wasn't crazy, he was ahead of his time. Guess who is old friend with Anselm Celos? That's right, Chef Bruno. He has been supporter and customer for years and years, so it's no surprise that he has some rare bottles in his collection. Like this Blanc de Blanc. As this bottle came from his collection, I kindly ask that the glass be sent to Chef Bruno. The first bites to the table are an exhibition of vegetables, seedlings, flowers and wild fruits with vinaigrette and pine bud oil. They are fresh, crisp and delicious. I love this plate and this presentation. It's the first course in the color of the day menu. It's the only thing available and it's 10 to 14 courses for 400 euro. Why does the number of courses change? It all comes down to Chef Bruno's philosophy. To cook with the best ingredients he can get his hands on that day. For drinks, there are few pairings to choose from. There is a rare tea for 200 euro, wine for 300 and a champagne pairing for 400. We decide to skip the pairings. Since there are five of us, we are able to try a few different bottles. So I will work with Agnese and take advantage of her knowledge of the Chef's collection and the wine list. Arriving next are two selections of bread. We have a crispy rye bread baked in the spirit of a puff pastry and the brown bread with two days of fermentation. Both are good but I wouldn't say exceptional. Agnese is back and it's time to speak about the wine. I was thinking of a 2017 Corton but I'm open to suggestions. She recommends a 2007 Chardonnay from Domaine Comme des Jorts de Vogue. They are one of the most famous producers in the region and has been family-run for 300 years. I tried many great red wines from the Musigny vineyard and finally I have a chance to try a white one. And this rare bottle priced at 1500 euros. After my first sip, I wasn't blown away. And Agnese suggests we decant the wine and perhaps it will open up. Coming to the table next are three more bites. First is a Utah Beach Oyster with pumpkins in praline, white herbs and capers. Oysters are sold in sizes ranging from number zero to four. Interestingly number zero is the biggest and number four is the smallest. Here we have number threes ranging from 65 to 85 grams each. These are from Utah Beach. It was one of the beaches of Normandy stormed by allies in the second world war. The oysters are known for their clean crisp briny taste. Here they are elevated by the pumpkin seed praline which adds a nutty sweetness and capers that add a burst of acidity. We also have a wedge clam tartlet. This was crunchy with a nice sharp flavor. And finally in the goblet are calf brains in a crispy fritter with lobster eggs. The idea of this combination is amazing. Three winners here. Our next course is a statement dish. Crumbled Dungeness crab. Served with onion confit, sea tuile and aromatic herbs topped with edible flowers in a crab and curry moussion. Dungeness is one of the largest crabs in the world. They are typically 20 centimeters wide and 10 centimeters long and price for their delicious meat which makes up 25 percent of its weight. This dish had an Asian vibe but I missed a bit of excitement and richer flavors. So far I haven't figured out how this restaurant got to be third best in the world. To help understand it it's worth looking at how the world's 50 best restaurants list works. Instead of inspectors 50 best has a gender-balanced panel of industry experts. The panel has over a thousand people divided into 27 geographical regions. They include chefs, food writers and gourmets and many others connected to the culinary world. Each person on the panel has 10 votes. In using them there is only one rule they need to follow. At least four votes must go to restaurants outside their home region. When it comes to criteria there are none. Panelists are simply asked to think about their favorite dining experiences from the last 18 months and then cast their votes. Our Chardonnay is back after some decanting. It's still quite cold so I will give it a time to warm up a bit and spread its wings. I don't want to waste it in its current state. While we wait I order a young Chardonnay from Pouligny Montrachet. This one is from producer Domaine de la Bougere. It's one of the newer domains in Burgundy with the first vintage in 1999. This is a 2021. It was a tough year for wineries but in terms of price and quality it's really good. This bottle goes from 250 euros but it's already so much better than the expensive 07 that is warming up. It's not as elegant but for me right now it's winning. Our next course is a huge green asparagus from the south of France with kombu seaweed musaillon sauce with herbs and seaweed and topped with crystal caviar by Caviary. Nice move Lucas. I was surprised to hear that this dish should be eaten with the hand but I asked for a knife and a fork. I want to divide the caviar and not eat all of it in the same bite. This dish was good. The quality of ingredients was tough enough and I love asparagus. I like the sauce but just wish it was a bit bolder. The caviar was a good addition as well. Without it this dish would have been less enjoyable. I'm really enjoying this plate. It's vintage and came from friends of the chef. This would have been passed down from one generation to the next. At one time it was the nicest tableware in the house and was used only on Sundays. Now these plates have a new life in a michelin star restaurant and continue to get the respect and attention they deserve. At this point the bench I'm sitting on is getting uncomfortable. Our next drink is a sake. This one is called Eva 5. I tried this in our episode at the French Laundry in our series on the best of California. If you didn't catch it, check it out. And if you would be so kind, subscribe to the channel. I appreciate you. Chef Bruno comes to say hi and cheers us in the glass of Jack Salo's we sent over earlier. At this point he seems to be off the clock and in casual mode. He tells us that this champagne will be perfect with our next lobster dish. It's gonna be perfect with my lobster. It's one of his signatures. He asks us to start eating right away because temperature is really important in this one. It's served with artichoke, nettle and caper remoulade. The sauce is really similar to the previous dish. He calls this dish neither raw nor cooked lobster. It was inspired by a trip to Japan where he first tried lobster sashimi. Chef Bruno creates an illusion by poaching the meat in 37 degree butter infused with the grilled shells of the lobster. So the lobster is plated warm with cooked flavors but it's uncooked. It's a bit of culinary deception and has the name neither raw nor cooked. This is one clever and delicious dish. Our 2007 Chardonnay is back. It's been breathing in the decanter and warming up so it should be ready to go. But wines are like skipping stones. Some skip and hop across the water and go a long way. Others skip once and sink to the bottom. Wine is the same. The good ones stay on the palate. Some for a long, long, long time. Others stay for a second and then they are gone. Sadly, that was this 2007 Chardonnay. It took one skip and then disappeared. It's no more open than it was earlier. Unfortunately, this one didn't work out. Sometimes it happens. Our next course is carrot, turmeric, citrus fruits mousseline and browned butter in a white herb soup. The colors are beautiful and the basil flavor is very strong. For me, this dish needed a bit more depth. It was one temperature, one texture. This one is called Finger Burning Frog. It's browned frog legs and white herbs in a grilled garlic emulsion. The legs are cooked perfect and the sauce is excellent. I really like this one. I'm starting to notice that the service is getting more and more relaxed. After we finish a course or a wine, empty plates and glasses stay on the table longer. It seems the service is getting a bit delayed. Our next dish is roasted scorpionfish. Scorpionfish are found in warm waters all over the world and are one of the most venomous fish in the sea. Their sting comes from sharp spines that run down the body. Getting poked by a scorpionfish is not usually fatal, but it will certainly ruin your day. Here it's served in langoustine sauce with a clam stew with seaweed on the side. I like the sauce, but it's a little cold. I'm not crazy about how they cook this fish either. I love the idea because one side is crispy and the other is soft, but somehow I didn't feel that it was perfectly cooked. Sorry, but I need to stop the video to share something awesome with you. We are about to hit 300,000 subscribers on our channel. To celebrate, we got two surprises for you. First of all, we are finally doing a Q&A video. Got questions? Drop them in the comments below this video. I also have a fantastic giveaway for you. One lucky winner will get to choose a restaurant with me and we will make a video together. And of course, I will take care of everything. And all costs are on me. Sounds fun, right? To enter the giveaway, just follow me on Instagram, like the pinned post and leave a comment. I want to go with you. That's it. The giveaway runs until we hit 300,000 subscribers. Good luck! With only the main course and desserts left, I guess everything is under control. For the main course, we select a new wine. We decide to go for a 2020 Vaughan Romani from Arnaud Lachaud. It's young, but it's got power. Our main course tonight is Guinea fowl, roasted breast, wild mushrooms in spinach puffs and charred with a thin confit in a poultry jus. I'm not happy with the presentation here. It doesn't look appetizing and needs a touch of elegance. The jus here is quite heavy and steals the show. It's not a good match, in my opinion. I love mora mushrooms, but here they're completely overpowered. Desserts are coming up. After a short delay, a palate cleanser comes out. It's a praline rose ice cream, typical of Lyon, with caramelized hazelnuts and almonds. Traditional with excellent flavors. I liked it. Next is this, Chef Bruno's signature dessert. The chocolate is from Peru and infused with Italian capers, topped with a citrus caviar and hazelnut oil. The ingredients here are superb. The presentation is simple and elegant, but flavor-wise, this combination didn't work for me. We also have a tartlet with custard, strawberries and finished with green peas. And a medellin with olive, almond and citrus jam. Both were nice, but the medellin seemed a bit dry. The total for today was 2000 euros to cover the food for five of us. And the bill for the wine comes to 3250 euros. That does it for the number three restaurant on the world's 50 best restaurants list 2024. It's clear that this place is different. The layout is unique. The atmosphere is relaxed, it's casual and unpretentious. I can see how people appreciate that. The food was outstanding at times and underwhelming at other times. The same goes for the service. In the 50 best list, the voters are people. And people love stories. Like the story of Chef Bruno. I still remember the first chef who introduced me to wine and gastronomy. His name is Philip. If I could travel back in time and choose any restaurant, I would drink champagne with him again. His restaurant was everything to me back then. Of course, it wasn't the best restaurant, but I had an emotional connection to it. If I had come to Chef Bruno with no expectations and had the experience I did, it probably would have been a lovely evening. But unfortunately, I came here with the expectation that this is the world's third best restaurant. As one of the best restaurants in the world, this is not for me. I love more complex dishes and more organized environment. I love comfort and cleanliness where everything is well thought out. When I look at this restaurant as a story, I understand why people love this place. Of course, there is romance in being able to go to a restaurant and have a conversation and a drink with a friendly French chef who is always there. It makes this place different from the classic Parisian restaurants. The chef, who is an interesting person, comes from a completely different world, answers only to himself, and opened the restaurant at 54 years old without prior training. It's a true underdog story, like Jim Morris. But as someone who loves restaurants and the perfect experience, this restaurant didn't speak to me. I like a good story, but I prefer restaurants where the focus is striving for perfection, where the chef might have a less compelling story, but cooks exceptionally well. Although I would like to congratulate Chef Bruno and wish him many more happy years, I am glad that a lot of people enjoy his work and that he can bring joy to so many. And that does it for this episode. Thank you for joining me. If you like this video, hit subscribe. See you next time! you