French restaurant
La Table de Norbert
Norbert Tarayre's Versailles restaurant lets diners pick a product, such as lobster, monkfish or duck, then decide whether to have it Brut, cooked simply, or Sublimé, pushed into a fuller composition.
The story
The house motto, du brut au sublime, explains the format. Artichoke, beef, lobster, monkfish and duck each come in two versions. Brut relies on precise cooking, seasoning and garnish. Sublimé adds sauces, textures and accompaniments without masking the ingredient. Desserts follow the same logic. A tasting menu hands the choices to the kitchen, so you may not know what is coming until it arrives. The restaurant sits in the Saint-Louis quarter, a short walk from the château. Its dining room pairs exposed stone with deep royal blue, gold, leather and velvet, borrowing Versailles' codes of refinement without copying them. It seats 44 per service, with a single large table for ten or twelve. Tarayre is often in the room to chat with guests.
Good to know
TAGGG AI- ✦The tasting menu arrives without announcing dishes in advance, so go with an open mind and trust the kitchen.
- ✦The dining room is small and intimate, well suited to a quiet evening for two.