PassPorter.com Feature Article Original article at: http://www.passporter.com/articles/bistro-chez-remy-disneyland-paris.html Bistro Chez Remy at Disneyland Paris: A Disneyland Paris Dining Reviewby Jennifer Lambert, PassPorter Guest ContributorLast modified 01-15-2015 Disneyland Paris recently opened a new dining location and mini-themed land in the Disney Studios park. Based on the Disney-Pixar film, Ratatouille, the restaurant is called (what else?), Bistro Chez Remy. As you may recall at the end of the film, Linguini earns success as the chef of Gusteau’s Restaurant, due not his cooking, but the culinary skills of his little friend, Remy the rat. The inspiration for the park's new restaurant is found at the end of the film, when Remy has established his very own restaurant. Now, guests at Disneyland Paris are invited to shrink down to the size of a rat and join Remy for lunch or dinner. Guests riding the new Ratatouille attraction get a glimpse inside the restaurant as they disembark from their whirlwind trip through Chef Gusteau's kitchen. Diners near the windows get to watch riders finish their rides, similar to how riders and diners share experiences at both Pirates of the Caribbean/Blue Bayou restaurant in Disneyland and The Gran Fiesta Tour ride/San Angel Inn at Walt Disney World. The restaurant opened as part of the new Ratatouille-themed land in summer 2014 and offers table service lunches and dinners. The restaurant is part of a new trend of immersing guests in a narrowly-focused theme, like Cars Land at Disney California Adventure and Avatar Land, now under construction at Disney's Animal Kingdom. With some pre-planning, we had dinner reservations at 7:00 pm the day we visited the park. We arrived at the Studios and luckily we were able to get FASTPASSes for the Ratatouille ride that were near the time of our dinner reservation. I called Disneyland Paris Dining about three weeks before our visit to make the reservation. This was easy, though it required an international phone call to the reservations hotline, (you can make dining reservations up to two months in advance, call +33 (0) 1 60 30 40 50). I was able to select an English-speaking operator during the telephone system prompts. Dining at Disneyland Paris is not the commando style that we have at Walt Disney World, no 180-day advanced reservations needed; but I did want to make sure we had a reservation. That turned out to be a good idea, as there were no walk-up slots available the day of our visit. Also, through research on http://www.dlpguide.com I learned about the menu and the prices. France is part of the European Union and therefore uses Euros as currency, so our meal was expensive even by Disney standards; but we knew what to expect and could budget for it. We arrived a little before our reservation time and checked in at the podium. Once we were checked in, we waited less than 15 minutes in the salon. This area was wonderfully themed, displaying awards and accolades for Chef Remy, and the first Euros he earned in the restaurant (wait... rats use Euros)? We sat on plush sofas, enjoying the details put in by Disney imagineers, including cookbook covers, portraits, medals, and letters of commendation for Remy and his new restaurant.
The theming in the restaurant is just amazing, as you "shrink" to the the size of a rat. Tables are made from sardine cans and jelly jar lids, and chairs are made from the corks and cages of champagne bottles. Giant plates with the Chez Remy logo surrounded us, standing upright and supported by 7-foot tall cutlery. Round tables are shaded by paper parasol ‘drink’ umbrellas. Light from white Christmas lights filters through a giant colander. Flowers are 12 feet tall, and there is even a giant champagne bottle in one of the dining rooms. There are two neat photo spots in the restaurant; each featuring HUGE copies of Chef Gusteau’s “Anyone Can Cook” book supported by oversized book holders.
Jennifer is a Disney veteran and suffers from Disney-itis very badly. She visited Walt Disney World for the first time when she was just 6 months old (Thanks Mom and Dad!). Jennifer and her husband Dave have been to Walt Disney World several times, on the Disney Dream in 2012 and to Disneyland in 2012 and 2013, with their first visit to Disneyland Paris in 2014. She is the local Disney expert to friends, family and co-workers, eager and excited to share experiences and advice whenever needed about her favorite place on earth!
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