The most memorable dining experience during my vacation to Paris was at Le Dome in Montparnasse, and it just so happened to be my birthday 
. The funny thing was, I had planned to have my birthday dinner somewhere else, but was unable to make a reservation. Don’t they know who I am?!?! I was disappointed. In a rare moment of good behaviour, however, I decided that if Le Dome is good enough for so many famous politicians and writers it’ll have to be good enough for me… le sigh. I didn’t even throw one of my usual tantrums (I must have been tired). Who would have guessed that this would turn out way better than the dinner I originally wanted?
Le Dome is a seafood restaurant, and as the waiter joked when he handed us our menus, “It’s simple, it’s all fish.” And actually, our dinner at Le Dome was simple. Simple in the best possible way. It is one of those restaurants that uses super fresh, high quality ingredients and presents them in a way that really highlights their strengths without masking them with a lot of silly sauces and fiddly stuff. That is an enormous peeve of mine. I absolutely refuse to eat in a place that does dumb arse things with foam; and I hate little fancy foods that come in child sized portions that sit in the middle of a plate like a mini sculpture. A little pea in a plate surrounded buy some questionable but artful “emulsion” is not my idea of a good time. When I go out to eat, I like to dress up and go somewhere nice, but I also want to eat. I want to eat good food, and I want to eat a lot of it. That’s exactly what I got.
Upon arriving, Mr P and I were seated within their glass fronted terrace, and on such a bright sunny day, it was completely ideal. Should you be seated in another area of the restaurant, however, you would be enjoying the wood panelled and stained glass Art Deco interior from the 1930s.
They started us off with a little complimentary gaspacho. Now in all honesty, I am not a soup person, and cold soup…. no… but this was quite pleasant and spicy; and it was free, so I’m not complaining LOL. We were also served with the most amazing crusty French bread. This bread was completely irresistible, we could not stop eating it. As soon as we finished one, a waiter would come by and offer us another. By our third bread however, as painful as it was, we had to force ourselves to decline if we intended to be able to eat our dinner!
Eating at Le Dome is not cheap, but to their credit, they are are very generous when it comes to portion sizes. Our starters could have been small dinners on their own. Mr P had red mullet and tabouli. The mullet was simply cooked, but its texture was perfection. It was so melt-in-the-mouth and almost creamy. The accompanying tabouli was so nice and fresh tasting. It was a perfect pairing, very Mediterranean. It might seem too simple, but it was so well executed that Mr P and I were blown away. How come my fish never tastes this great? These guys, it was obvious, knew their stuff!
Pour Moi, we have smoked belly of salmon with little potato fritters. I eat smoked salmon all the time. It is a favorite of mine, but I’ve never had it in this fashion before. Instead of the thin slivers that I’m used to layering on top of bagels, these were thick fillet portions. They tasted so meaty and decadent. They were fatty and full of intense flavour. And the fried potato patties? Well who doesn’t love a bit of fried potato? To die, daaaahlings!
With their own poissonnerie right next to the restaurant, you know that you are getting the freshest seafood around.
And now my dears, it is time for me to tell you about the best part of my dinner, the main course. I love to order sharing dishes whenever I see them on the menu. There is something about them that is so much more fun than individual meals (plus you know you are going to get tons of food, and that is always awesome). This was my first time having a real bouillabaisse. It was almost a theatrical experience because of the way it was presented, and then taken away to be cleverly filleted and displayed.
First, the waiter came to our table, and upon a very large tray lay five fish in a beautiful saffron scented broth. What a spectacle that was, so cool! Look how many creatures lost their lives all in the name of my birthday dinner. I tell you, I am one lucky housewife indeed! Don’t worry, none of them were left behind. Each and every one got to take part in the festivities 
. There was a snapper, a monkfish, a Mediterranean fish known as vivre, bream, and a scorpion fish. Welcome to my party guys!
The next time I saw my birthday guests, they were deftly plated into a star shaped pattern on each of our plates. At least one fillet of each fish was beautifully placed before us in a manageable format (who wants to be poking around fish heads, after all?). At this point, the waiter poured the broth over the fish with a dramatic flourish, and left a bowl of the hot broth on our table so that we could constantly refresh our bowls. Mr P and I were in Heaven.
The bouillabaisse came with big bowl of super crunchy croutons and some pungent rouille. Rouille is a sauce made mainly of olive oil and seasoned with garlic, saffron and chili. Think of it as a spicy mayonnaise. The croutons and rouille are the traditional accompaniments to a bouillabaisse. The waiter instructed us that the proper way to eat them is to put a little rouille on the crouton, place the crouton in the broth and let it get a little soggy, then gobble it up. Moi is a fast learner…
The restaurant’s signature desert is “millefeuille parfumé au rhum et à la vanille.” We ordered one of those, and it was a colossus, absolutely gigantic. Its visual impact makes for a really fun dessert, but tatewise, I can’t say it blew me over or anything. It was pleasant, but unremarkable, and I wouldn’t order it again.
Alas, after a taste of this next one, I had to enact a special (and impromptu) “birthday girl clause” and trade desserts with Mr P. The lime meringue was superb. This little beauty consisted of a very tart lime filling which was both rich and zesty. The filling was resting on a crispy biscuit base. It was covered in meringue and surrounded by a deliciously tangy fruit coulis. It made me pucker my lips a bit, but not enough to keep me from the giant smile. It was the perfect ending to such a wonderful meal.
I couldn’t have asked for a more fantastic birthday dinner. There was only one thing that could really top this off. A stroll. A stroll to the Eiffel Tower. Every hour on the hour the tower’s lights shimmer for 5 minutes. I arrived just on time. C’est magnifique! I was a happy housewife.
My only concern is…how are you going to top this for your next birthday?
Mandy
You lucky girl. So pleased your birthday was so special.
Have a happy weekend.
Are you a Leo as well, darlinnnnnk HH? (Have spent mine in some pretty exotic places too!!)
Wishing you & Mr P a fabulousssssssssssss weekend as always!
Off now …
XOXO Lola:)
I’ll bring you some birthday pie! What would you like?
Happy Birthday, HH! I hope you had an amazing day…it definitely looks like it was a fabulous dinner! When seafood is this fresh and cooked this perfectly, I would choose it over any other protein (even chicken, which is my favorite!). The bouillabaisse looks to die for!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY
I am flying there NOW!
You find THE BEST spots – gorgeous photos – no time to say all I want as I have a meeting and must run, but – spectacular review.
YUM!
Valerie
This sounds like a perfect, perfect birthday celebration! And, this meal is exactly what I would want for my birthday. The fresh seafood, and that amazing bouillabaisse sound fabulous.
What an amazing birthday … just ah-mazing! This is stuff dreams are made of!
That last picture is absolutely beautiful!! It sure looks like you had a magnificent birthday. Happy birthday!!!
I think you had a perfect birthday. I know what you mean about the salmon. I remember once, years ago –– just after college, I was eyeing some outrageously priced smoked salmon. The counter guy took pity on me and gave me 2 chunks for less than half price. I sliced one gingerly but ate the other chunk as a chunk and it was great… a real difference. Perhaps should try again.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HH, can there be better one than having the Eiffel tower blink for you??
Le Dome looks amazing and right up my alley. Wow!
I was completely cracking up when you made your disparaging comment about “foam.” You are so right about that.
Stunning to read that your favorite course was the fish soup. I was sure that you’d be ecstatic about dessert. I will go here for sure the next time I’m in Paris.
I think my last birthday dinner was at a local Persian restaurant. I am VERY jealous HH.
As you probably already know, Maya and I LOVE smoked salmon so I think your appetizer would be delicious. Your entree, on the other hand? I am not so brave as to look at fish in their original state. Dessert more than made up for that, I’m sure.
Isn’t it great how sometimes Plan B ends up better than your original plan? So glad it worked out for you and maybe, just maybe, we’ll dine at Le Dome together one day.
Happy belated birthday! How come they didn’t recognise you? The portion size does look generous. Their focus seems to be more on food and less on decoration:)
———-” I want to eat good food, and I want to eat a lot of it!” YES, I couldn’t agree more….
WOW.
& Talk about a BIRTHDAY!
Thank you for taking me to your celebration with you. What Luxury. How Devine. And then the Romantic Stroll to the Eiffel Tower…
Did I get a kiss, Too? xxx
You ate all that food HH? How fabulous. I agree, I too like to have food on the plate and not just a picture made out of tiny morsels of food. The heads on the fish may well have tipped me over the edge though……..
They better be good the next when HH the queen making her reservation ! haha…. Gosh, you’re just Soooooo good. Le Dome isn’t that bad after all. Good that you eat mostly fish. it’s good for your diet.
) After all, the birhtday girl had a great time & good food there.
Enjoy your day dear!
Blessings, Kristy
Happy Birthday! What a treat for your birthday. I never seen bouillabaisse done with 5 different fish and with a scorpion fish! The smoked salmon belly must have been so fatty! Gorgeous shot of the Eiffel Tower!
It sounds like the perfect french meal. Bouillabaise is one of my favourites, especially with a good rouille. Good choice HH. Eiffel Tower looks faaabulous! GG
I’m so glad you had such a lovely birthday dinner
Those desserts look to die for!
I hope Mr. P (the Heavenly Husband) makes this birthday trip to France an annual affair!
My word! What a celebration!! Happy Birthday HH xxx
What a treat! You really know how to “spoil” yourself for your birthday…Happy belated birthday, by the way…
I don’t know this restaurant…I’ll drop by some day…(but first I have to lose all the kilos…and pounds…I gained during my holidays…How I HATE myself!
That’s an awesome dining experience, perfect birthday meal! The dishes are beautifully presented and everything sounds delicious.
Happy Birthday Lovely HH. Xxx What a fantastically brilliant birthday dinner. Best of luck topping that next year.
)) Great presentation, and I surprisingly like the branded plates. 
Happy Belated Birthday my dear HH! Everything looks wonderful! I agree wholeheartedly about the foams and tiny foods! I have no patience for it. The Eiffel tower is beautiful – better than icing on a cake.
Wow, what a celebration! I just love fish, all of these dishes look so awesome. Happy birthday!!!
Dear how beautiful and perfect!! All look amazing!!! Thius was a lovely and georgeous celebration! Im happy you had a lovely and nice birthday!! LOL
gloria
Happy Birthday my dear!!
And what divine photos. I am sooooo jealous.
o my…a real bouillabaisse.. Croutons and spicy mayonnaise sound really tasty to serve with that fish party.
I am sure you wouldn’t forget that birthday meal!
Heading to Paris for my birthday this year too. Think this is going on the bookmark list. Looks entirely civilised.
Fun fun! I hope you had a lovely birthday!
Oh yum! What beautuful & yum dishes one after the other! Looking at thise pictures, I think I m gonna nag my P to take me to Paris now!
Belated birthday wishes darling!
Ooooh, this looks fabulous! Happy belated birthday. Like you, I am not much of a soup person, hot or cold.
Hope you had a good weekend!
i like that they serve whole fish like that, which already means flavor! well, for Chinese, it is also auspicious to have things ‘whole” during birthdays!
Wow, what a lovely way to celebrate birthday
Happy Belated Birthday HH…love the pictures.
Hope you are having a great week
Happy belated birthday, HH! The dinner fare looks absolutely spectacular, especially the lemon meringue dessert. What a wonderful way to spend your birthday!
Happy belated birthday! You are a lucky housewife- that is truly an epic looking bouillabaisse. I fear you may forever be disappointed in any bouillabaisse you eat hereafter. Also, love that you “refuse to eat in a place that does dumb arse things with foam.” Ha!
C’est incroyable!!
What an amazing dinner…I can’t wait to visit Paris in May. I would love to have the opportunity to dine here. Thank you for making me smile and my stomach growl. I hope you are having a wonderful evening, my friend. Love from Austin.
It’s great to see that you spend a lovely birthday and everything looks so special for the very special lady!
I hope you had a great b-day!
Happy Belated Birthday! Wow what an amazing treat…lucky girl you
Happy belated birthday. I must confess that I couldn’t read too much of your post due to wanting to go to Paris so badly. I’ve always wanted to go but end up going elsewhere on my European vacations. Le sigh.
Hi dearie…Happy happy happy belated Birthday!!! Looks like you had a fantastic time! I can totally totally relate to what you said about places serving ‘foam’ food. I just don’t get it and never will. I like REAL food and that fish dish looks amazing!!! Great meal in a romantic city..hmmm…you are one lucky gal!!
This is making me increidbly hungry!! We were there too last year and what a treat it was, everything was soooo good. That bouillabaise..one of my all time faves! What an amazing place to celebrate a birthday!
happy belated birthday to you!
I absolutely loved your description of Le Dôme; I’ve never been there but feel I have just had lunch! Happy belated birthday. Couldn’t agree more about the arty pea on the plate cinema. Looks like you certainly had a super time!
Wow, happy belated birthday! I was in Paris last week but I didn’t go to Le Dome (how did I miss it!! I read your post a week to late :O) but the restaurants there I feel are great in general, especially the amount of free bread! And my my that meringue looks amazing, I’m quite jealous
Glad to hear you had a good meal!
Ooh la la, you lucky housewife you. Happy belated birthday darling!
Oh , I’m late , belated happy birthday!
That experience will be memorable its very amazing .