The other day, myself and Sam were waiting for a bus to pick us up and get us back to our apartment when we suddenly saw a black double-decker bus with the Bustronome logo emblazoned on the side. We immediately gasped in delight as we’d taken part in a Bustronome experience whilst in Paris earlier this year.
As it was our first time in Paris, we wanted to be typical tourists and do every tourist trap worthy experience. Bustronome popped up as being a top attraction so as it was a special occasion for Sam and it being his birthday, I wanted to treat him to something special.
The Bustronome Voyage Gourmand is a lavish bus tour which boasts big glass windows and a glass ceiling which allows every diner to get the best snapshots of Paris’ most famous landmarks both during the daytime and the evening. We already had plans to go up the Eiffel Tower that evening so we opted for the daytime trip.
We were cautious about our time so got to the pick up spot 15 minutes earlier than requested. The bus was already parked up, right next to the Arc de Triomphe. We were the first on board and were given a table seat near the front of the bus.
The package we’d gone for was the food only option, although we did end up partaking in a glass of vino. It was €65 pp or €85 pp with wine included. This was a four course lunch and with the opportunity of seeing all the great landmarks, without walking for hours on end, justified the price for me. Also because we paid in Euros, it ended up being slightly cheaper with the conversion rate.
We were greeted by a lovely waiter who gave us a run through of how the experience worked and took our drink orders. On the table was a map of the route we were taking along with a click pen that had a speaker which spoke to you in your native language about each landmark when you approached it. We got a little sponge cake which was already on our table when we arrived.
I wasn’t quite sure when we were meant to eat this so we just ate it before our starter came out. The menu is fixed but changes throughout the year. Ours was different to the one that’s currently on display but I do think you can specify any allergies or dietary requirements and they can make amendments.
Now annoyingly, our menu is the only one in which I can’t find it on their list of ‘previous menus‘ so I may be hazarding a guess on a few of these. First up was a ‘perfectly cooked egg‘, although for me, a perfectly cooked egg is one where the egg white is fully cooked and the yolk is runny. It was topped with what I believe was cashew nuts and mini radishes. From memory, I think it also had some sort of puree at the bottom. You can probably tell I wasn’t bowled over by this course but the mains definitely made up for it.
The mini main was Haddock with a carrot puree and I believe, again from memory that it had a pineapple sauce. It was a unique taste combination and worked very well with the fish. Like the starter, it wasn’t a huge amount of food but it was just enough to make up for the previous course.
What I enjoyed about the experience as a whole is that they spread out the dishes throughout the journey so you didn’t feel bombarded with food. It also gave us the opportunity to take photos without worrying about our food going cold. I liked that everything on the table was also bolted down, meaning you didn’t need to worry about drinks flying off the table or food sliding off.
The main course was beef on a bed of black rice, topped with veggies galore. It was also drizzled in a creamy sauce but I’ve totally forgotten what that sauce was.
The beef was lovely and tender and this course definitely filled us up. Our desserts came a little later and I finished it before I could take a photo. I think it was a profiterole with a caramel/vanilla ice cream.
I think as an experience, Bustronome should definitely be one to try out if you want to splash out. The food was a little hit and miss but then again with the menus changing each time, they probably figure out what dishes went down well and what ones didn’t.
If we went back to Paris, I wouldn’t do the experience again just because we’ve now seen most of the famous Paris landmarks. For anyone who’s new to Paris though, I would certainly recommend this. It’s something different and little more luxurious than your average bus tour.
What do you think of the Bustronome Voyage Gourmand? Would you do it? Let me know in the comments below.
