Last New Year's Eve I was in Paris with my boyfriend, brother and sister-in-law and we went for a long, late lunch at Ciel de Paris, the restaurant on the 56th floor of the Tour de Montparnasse with arguably the best views in Paris, until the Eiffel Tower sparkled and the sun set on 2013.
It's expensive, but the food is good and the views are spectacular, which is definitely the main draw. Like Le Train Bleu, it's worth it for a treat. We started with a bottle of champagne and went for the three course déjeuner gourmand menu, before moving onto French white wine. To start I had the Chitterling sausage and jonagored apple with a light Calvados brandy sauce. Not the best presentation - it looked like a sticky stack of brown food - but it was delicious.
For mains I went for the pan-sautéed pike with sweet mash potatoes and vegetable crisps. Yum. The knuckle of lamb with rosemary and creamy polenta was pretty good too.
To finish we shared a few desserts - my favourite was the orange cheesecake with citrus fruits compote, which was the perfect balance of rich and creamy with the zesty clementines. The saint marcellin cheese was delicious and the chocolate macaron with roasted almonds and white chocolate mousse went down rather well too.
We finished off with coffees and waited until the sun had fully set for the last time of the year and until 6pm, when the Eiffel Tower sparkles for the first time, and finally left after four hours. I do love long lunches.
Ciel de Paris, Tour Maine Montparnasse, 56ème étage, 33 Avenue du Maine, 75015 Paris
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