The French Taste is the brainchild of Paris Aéroport, Areas and Guy Martin; a trio who share a passion for good food and l'art de vivre à la française (the French way of life). Under the aegis of Paris Aéroport, whose aim is to increase the number of master French chefs at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle and make the airport a showcase for French gastronomy, Areas came up with the idea for the I Love Paris restaurant which was inaugurated in terminal 2E in spring 2015. This concept is in line with Areas’ philosophy and overall goal to promote the qualitative and fashionable codes of bistronomy, especially in travel zones. Chef Guy Martin, the owner of the Grand Véfour, composed the menu for this demanding and innovative project which in 2016 was crowned with success when I Love Paris won the award for best airport restaurant in the world.

On the back of this success story, Areas, Paris Aéroport and Guy Martin decided to take up a new challenge: The French Taste, a neo-classical brasserie located in terminal 2F.

Behind the concept of The French Taste lies a new goal: to offer travelers waiting to board a culinary experience worthy of the most renowned Paris restaurants, with traditional French gastronomic dishes prepared from seasonal products, cooked in a creative way and served in a convivial, refined setting.

Alexandre de Palmas, Chief Executive Officer of Areas France and Northern Europe, said, “Following the success of the I Love Paris restaurant, we wanted to give more travelers the chance to benefit from the talent and savoir-faire of master chef Guy Martin by proposing a bistronomic table featuring fresh produce and reasonably priced meals, combining local produce and tradition.”

« The opening of The French Taste is particularly significant for Paris Aeroport: Chef Guy Martin has renewed his confidence in ADP after the tremendous success of his I Love Paris restaurant. Many of our international customers passing through our terminals hope to find the culinary excellence of French cuisine that is so revered throughout the world. We have risen to the challenge with The French Taste”, stressed Mathieu Daubert, Director of Customer Relations for the ADP Group.

With The French Taste, the challenge for Guy Martin was to create the element of surprise, while remaining loyal to his values of excellence in order to satisfy the connoisseurs and the curious customers. The master chef has clearly succeeded in taking up the challenge in an extremely creative way, while paying close attention to achieving a perfect balance between the different flavors and product origins. His menu, highlighting local produce and tradition, is nevertheless surprising since it also bears the stamp of Guy Martin’s own inventive cuisine.

An example of the menu at The French Taste: for starters - cold zucchini and verbena soup, or creamy carrot soup with orange and cumin; followed by a choice of main course - roast milk-fed lamb or poached sea bass with seaweed, and rounded off with a selection of desserts - thin-pastry russet-apple tart, pink praline chips, vanilla ice cream, chocolate mousse with matcha tea and even cheesecake with pumpkin confit, crushed Sicilian pistachio nuts, etc. Other examples of menu specialties include Bayonne Ham rubbed with Salies-de-Béarn salt and left to mature slowly so as to bring out the contrasting aromas of mountain and sea; slow-cooked duck liver, subtly seasoned with a drop of Saint-Emilion, some black pepper, coriander and nutmeg, not to forget the selection of tasty cold-cut platters.

Whether you are one of the 50% of travelers in transit, one of the 39% business travelers or one of the 26% terminal regulars; whether you are alone, with friends or family; whether you are loaded down with luggage or baggage-free; whether you have time to kill or less than an hour before your flight takes off; whatever your situation, The French Taste has designed the ideal solution to satisfy your specific demands and needs. Travelers who are pressed for time can opt for the Express Menu designed so that they can savor up to two dishes in less than 30 minutes. Those who are less rushed can take more time to browse through the menu at their leisure, enjoy the surroundings at any time of the day, and choose from one of the breakfast, lunch or snack formulas.

The experience would not be complete without a refined setting and a team of professionals trained in the art of welcoming guests. To design the decor, architect Charles Zana drew his inspiration from the Palais-Royal to create a welcoming, albeit sophisticated, setting. The façade, which evokes iconic Parisian street scenes, invites customers to come in and discover a trendy, cozy spot. The dining-room, with its large central bar counter and tables, its made-to-measure furniture and its photos, generates an atmosphere which evolves throughout the day. The secret? A customized lighting system which alters the lighting to suit the time of the day; yet another example of the care taken over each detail.

At The French Taste welcoming guests means caring about perfection. Every guest is ushered to his or her table by the maître d', and the staff do their very utmost to ensure that all customers’ time constraints are respected. Those who don’t have time to finish their meal may take away the rest, or a slice of cake... iPad menus, translated into eleven languages, with the possibility of posting comments, offer greater flexibility and efficiency, and therefore facilitate ordering. The paper menus are elegant and attractive, the waiters’ uniforms chic and original, and the tableware refined; all of this enveloped by the tasteful choice of music is designed to enhance the food and set the scene to ensure that guests savor a special moment before takeoff.