Towering challenge

When super chef Alain Ducasse won the contract to operate an upscale restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, he faced a multitude of challenges. How to maximise the tiny space and capitalise on the views? How to complement the structure and capture its sense of history? And, most important, how to match the, well, Frenchness of it?

"This is the most visited tourist monument in France, and there had to be a harmony between the structure and what's inside," Ducasse, 51, said during a recent tour of Le Jules Verne restaurant, located 410 feet high on the second platform of the Eiffel Tower.

Currently one of the highest-rated chefs in the world by the revered Michelin Guide, Ducasse refurbished the 25-year-old establishment, which in recent years had degenerated into a tourist trap where food was an afterthought. He reopened it in December after months of preparation and experimentation.

"Everything is pure French - French wine; classical, contemporary French cuisine," he said. "The view, the food, the design had to be in perfect harmony. It's not revolutionary. But it shows the evolution of French tastes." Ducasse and one of his top protégés, chef Pascal Feraud, began 16 months ago with 250 proposed recipes from across France. After refining the techniques and ingredients, they pared the list to about 25 dishes for the menu.

"What we want to achieve is a contemporary interpretation of French food - not futurist, nor retro, but contemporary, to go with the Eiffel Tower in its time," Ducasse said. Take, for instance, the creamy pea soup with spider crab and caviar: It's no coincidence that the delicately frothed soup mimics the light and airy girders outside. The "Tower Bolt" dessert is a thick, six-sided bolt made out of dark chocolate on a praline base with a milkier chocolate screw in the centre.

For the most part, the food aims to put a modern twist on the classics - roasted veal blanquette, suckling lamb with baby artichokes, pan-seared turbot with a Champagne sabayon sauce.

All French

In keeping with the totality of the French experience, if the food doesn't give you a heart attack, the bill will. That pea soup? $83 (Dh305) for a small bowl. The lamb dish runs $118, about average for a main course, and desserts set you back $38.

Ducasse currently holds 15 gastronomic stars from Michelin Guides at 11 restaurants in four countries, including the United States, where he has opened two restaurants this year in New York. Come September, he's to have one in Washington, too.

He was the first chef to have two three-star restaurants (Michelin's highest rating) in a single country (France), and the first to have three-star restaurants in three countries at the same time (France, the United States and Japan). He has authored 16 books, and his company, which owns another 10 restaurants and four hotels, employs about 1,500 people.

Some might consider his venture at Jules Verne to be the marriage of two icons. Others might fret that the food is in competition with the surroundings - not just the Eiffel Tower, but all the landmarks on display outside, including the Arc de Triomphe, Invalides, Notre Dame Cathedral, Sacre Coeur. "The star is the Eiffel Tower," Ducasse said. "We're just a restaurant. The food is an ingredient, but it's not the only one. Design is important, the view, a nice atmosphere. It's a global experience."

Walking around Le Jules Verne, Ducasse is a study in controlled intensity, with a well-crafted image of chic informality. He waves at workers and stops to chat. In the kitchen, he grabs spoons and tastes the sauces, comparing notes with chef Feraud.

But for the most part, don't bother looking for Ducasse in one of his kitchens.

"There's no need for me to be here to stress out the team," he said. "Once I accept a dish, I don't manage any more. The chef will do what we agree upon, and he'll improve it with time. "What's important for me is to think about the cooking itself. I don't have to peel potatoes and carrots to make it work."

Despite all the changes, certain problems arise that even Ducasse cannot resolve. One evening, dozens of well-heeled clients gathered near the base at sunset, kept at bay by police lines as security officials evacuated the tower. Special police units scurried like trapeze artists across its beams to inspect a suspicious package. His staff has grown used to the distraction. It was the third such evacuation in four months.