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LEGO Parisian Restaurant walk-thru review

(Written by William)

As we have discussed earlier, the next set in the LEGO Creator Modular Buildings series is the #10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant (see press release and designer video here: LEGO Modular Parisian Restaurant Coming!) Although the set is scheduled for release January 1st of next year, I had the pleasure of building it already thanks to LEGO sending us a review copy. Let me start out by saying that the LEGO Modular Buildings line is really the best of the best of what LEGO has to offer. And amongst the nine LEGO Modular Buildings that has been released so far, the LEGO Creator Parisian Restaurant got to be the best, or one of the best. Each floor of this three-story masterpiece is bursting with details not seen in everyday LEGO sets. So without further ado, let’s look at some of the incredible details of the #10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant! 🙂

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#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant – Floor 1: Dining

The red carpet is out and everything on the menu is delicious. Indoor and outdoor dining is possible at this fine restaurant, all depending on what type of atmosphere you want. Outdoors features a colorful riot of flowers to create a pleasing atmosphere. Overhead there is a trellis with lantern-style hanging lamps. (If you look closely you will notice that the trellis is made of a large arched gate-door.) While underfoot the word “Chez” is spelled out.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Review

Adding to the outdoor elegance are some finely textured pillars. Unusual LEGO elements not normally used in buildings – mechanical-arms, bars with stoppers, modified plates with bars and fingers, and bricks with grooves – all come together here in a very precise design that creates an elongated V shape.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Outside Dining

Meanwhile, on the inside the dining area is a classier experience. A framed painting, exquisite lamps, a seriously impressive wine-display are only a few of its more notable elements. Less noticeable are the curtains, along with the fact that the waiter uses a round LEGO shield as a platter. If you study the lamps placed at the tables, you will notice two of the three new pieces included in this set. The lamps consists of a new 2×2 round tile with hole in the middle, an upside-down wine bottle, and a new inverted dome as a lamp-shade (also used as planters outside).

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Dining

All this food needs to be cooked somewhere, so we turn our attention to the kitchen. A rich dark-blue and white checkered pattern really makes the floor pop. On the center island is a stove and oven, a couple of drawers (the top of which holds a frying pan), and a massive turkey. It’s not a big deal, but the oven definitely can’t cook that bird! 🙄

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Decor

Along the back wall we have a fully stocked fridge with cheese, milk and wine tightly packed inside. There is a prep-station with all manner of utensils. The tools mainly consist of sharp objects including a couple of swords. We then have more cabinets and drawers along with a sink and dessert area. Going back to the sink, it’s really impressive that LEGO designers used a 1×2 LEGO plate with hooked bar to represent the drain pipe for the sink. It’s such a minor detail, but that’s what makes this set so special.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Kitchen

Take a look at the plates stacked ready for food or cleaning. Did you note that they are turned up? This is all thanks to that nifty 2×2 round tile with hole  we talked about before (it’s the light-gray part at the bottom of the stack).

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Chef

Heading out the back door we see a simple awning with vines growing on the wall, a water-tap, garbage-can, and dumpster. It’s kind of odd that the dumpster has a few food items not carried in the kitchen. The ones most noticeable are the sausages and cherries.  Oh, and right pass the dumpster is a very cleverly designed storm-drain!

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Back View

Well, time to head back to the front to go upstairs. We need to move around the lamp-post and very efficiently designed bench to see the two pencil bushes; another really well done detail. LEGO designers took a 2×2 LEGO brick with grooves on all four sides, put a cone in the center, and finally stuck five straight green blades in all the open studs. The end result is very realistic.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Front Corner

We then move up the stairs that switch back over the kitchen area. But as we move up the final steps, take a look at the railing that is built diagonally along the stairs. It’s amazing what a few LEGO clips and modified plates can achieve. Needless to say, LEGO designers repeat this technique later in the set, and in both cases it looks fabulous.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant – Floor 2: Apartment

At the top of the stairs we have a modular floor that consists of more outdoor dining options. This section fits right over most of the kitchen below, and does not connect directly to the apartment. Two more tables hug the railing, while two pole-lamps with hanging flower-baskets illuminate and decorate the area.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Back

Moving to the apartment we find it has two whole balconies. One is beautifully framed in the front of the building which could prove to be very romantic. The other is less so; it is located directly over the dumpster, which can’t smell very good. Décor in the apartment include a standing-lamp, table with chair, small kitchenette, fireplace, coffee-table with glass top and a very realistic recliner. The recliner is made more impressive by a new 2×2 LEGO slope with no studs. This is an extremely thin slope that when placed flat only stands two plates tall.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Apartment Details

The highlights of this floor are the Murphy-bed and the design around the window. The bed uses some of the new 2×2 LEGO slopes with curved tops and no studs as a pillow. The bed also takes advantage of the 2×2 inverted tiles at the bottom, which makes the bed fit right in with the rest of the décor even when folded up.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Apartment Bed

As I mentioned before, the other stand-out feature of the apartment is the windows. It starts with sideways building techniques to help make the left and right frames, but the design is kicked up a notch using 2×2 LEGO bricks with axle holes as decorative elements. The end result is some very clean lines along with a few spots that look surprisingly like painted flowers. 😀

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant 2nd Floor

It would have been nice to have a bathroom, but when space is a concern, it’s understandable not to have one. Plus, there’s always the dumpster. Er… maybe not… Anyway, we head back out and up some more stairs. Once again, we can admire the diagonal railing. Speaking of railing, the spindle-fences look more versatile with four studs up top rather than just two on the ends; well they would if they weren’t all tiled over. But there are definitely four studs to play with.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant – Floor 3: Studio

Still with me on this tour? At the door of the studio there is another small pencil bush. This one is in the new inverted dome used as a planter. It should be pointed out that a few of the garden-boxes facing the back use some very clever LEGO jumper-plate use. In fact, the back wall is a clinic of how to use jumpers effectively. Entering the third floor you find a very tight space. That’s why there is the fold-down roof to access the studio with its furnace and artist supplies.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Studio

The beauty of this floor is really on the outside. The highly detailed chimney, textured roof and building decorations are some of the best LEGO ever created. It all starts with 18 LEGO headlight-bricks attached to 18 more headlight-bricks that hold the double feathers in gray, typically reserved for Native American minifigures. This forms an insanely amazing zigzag pattern. And right on top of this design-goodness there is more! Look at the circular frames with white clams and croissants!

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Roof

The circular frames are a brilliant two-part designs that consist of some serious sideways building with bars and clips. By the time you get to the central bay-window, it feels like the lead designer is just showing off wit his mad building skills! And if that wasn’t enough, the fold out roof section uses specially angled windows in a specially angled roof. To make a great set perfect, this roof is in a deep rich blue that makes the elegantly designed details pop that much more.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Artist Studio

Final Thoughts & Conclusion

The #10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant is not just worth getting, it’s worth getting multiple copies of! It’s both a work of art and a story of love and artistry. From the hard-luck cramped apartment to the inspirational artist’s studio, this set has it all. And it does it while feeding your minifigure city with 5-star cuisine!

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Street View

Olive-green becomes a viable building color thanks to the quantity and variety of bricks in this set. Dark-blue also makes an interesting choice in the slope department. And you get some stand out detail elements like the three 2×2 round tiles with hole in the center and the inverted dome bowls used both as lamp-shades and planters.

#10243 LEGO Parisian Restaurant Accessories

Compared to other LEGO Modular Buildings, the Parisian Restaurant definitely classes up the place with its clear Rococo style. Building it is great pleasure and full of surprises, it is full of interesting play-features, and it is a beautiful display piece as well. The best of LEGO from every possible perspective. Don’t hesitate; just pick it up when it becomes available next January. You will be very-very pleased!

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So what do you think? How do you like the LEGO Creator Parisian Restaurant so far? Are you planning to add it to your collection? What are your favorite details about the set? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section below. Also, for the currently available LEGO Modular Buildings series you can check out the Online LEGO Shop. 😉

You might also like to check out the LEGO Modular Houses section for more news and discussions, or select from the following recent posts:

{ 27 comments… add one }
  • Fikko3107 November 20, 2013, 10:34 AM

    Hey, William, uh, when you said “us” in the first pharagraph, did you mean You and Sarah, or The Brickblogger? If it’s the former, I’d like to thoroughly congratulate you for obtaining a copy of a set before it’s release date. But if it’s the latter, I’ll make a mental note to do more reviews, if you know what I mean…

    • admin November 20, 2013, 10:51 AM

      Fikko, larger LEGO blogs and forums can request review copies of sets, as well as sets for contests and other community events. Also, sometimes LEGO offers us sets – especially new and exciting releases that they want the public to know about. I sometimes review these sets myself, or send them to William as he is our embassador who takes care of most of the communication with LEGO on our behalf. 😉

      • Fikko3107 November 20, 2013, 10:36 PM

        Remind me to beg you to send me a review copy of the next modular…

        • HP November 21, 2013, 7:39 AM

          *Cough me too Cough…. 😛

      • LK2 November 21, 2013, 5:00 AM

        Yeah!

  • David FNJ November 20, 2013, 10:41 AM

    Great review of this awesome set! As soon as I saw the pictures for the set a few weeks ago, I was hooked! Reading though this review solidified, packed down, and super glued my choice of purchasing this set once it is released. I had no idea how many useful, unique, and new elements are in this set that I don’t already have. Thanks again! ~FNJ

  • ninja of stealth November 20, 2013, 12:26 PM

    hey guys great review!!! by the way, I know this is a little off subject but did anyone see the trailer for the Ninjago TV show? if not just go to http://www.youtube.com then search ninjago ” LEGO Ninjago Rebooted: Official Trailer 2014″ and its from LEGO so its the real deal!

  • Will November 20, 2013, 12:34 PM

    As the admin pointed out, this is for The Brick Blogger. In fact I have to send a link over to LEGO that this one went live.

    As for the pieces, not only the piece types but the piece colors are astounding.

    I’ve had non-LEGO fans thank me repeatedly for showing them this set.

  • Carbo November 20, 2013, 2:45 PM

    Great review! I really want this set when it comes out! 😀

  • Bohrok Tru November 20, 2013, 4:22 PM

    The girl that is being proposed to has a nice smile……..BUT, what she is really thinking is somewhere along the lines of “Myyyy Preccciioussssssssss”

    Great review Mr. William, this set is a piece of art in itself!!

  • Will November 20, 2013, 7:15 PM

    LOL,

    That thought passed my mind as well when I saw it.

    Considering the magnetude of this set I wanted to do it justice by putting whatever I could think of in this review. Plus I wrote an equally long Breakdown of the set. I believe the Admin wants to wait on releasing that review so that all you lovely builders have a chance to get your hands on the set.

    I do want to point out the fact that the ring showing up in this set means it is no longer a licensed piece and can show up in any set.

    Speaking of great pieces, I was talking with my local LEGO store manager about the PaB wall. She said all LEGO stores will be expecting some nice hard to find pieces on their walls starting in January.

    So if you live near a LEGO store there’s a little something else to look forward to besides this set in January!

    😀

    • admin November 21, 2013, 4:13 PM

      Nice to hear about the PAB Wall! BTW, I was just at the LEGO Store in Orlando yesterday. I haven’t been there for quite some time – at least not since the re-design of the store. The first thing I noticed is that the PAB Wall is so much smaller than it used to be! But I did find some nice pieces, plus they had no problem with me stuffing my PAB cup with pieces from the building stations that were full of unique pieces, minifig accessories and more!

      I also noted that no matter how many pictures I see online, seeing a set in person is totally different! Some of the sets that were displayed were bigger than I thought they would be, and some were smaller. Also, some I liked a lot more in person than on pictures, and some less. I was very-very impressed with the Tower of Orthanc! Also, the Christmas Village sets looked so lovely in person! 🙂

  • Chris November 20, 2013, 10:44 PM

    Excellent review, thanks for the detailed report. It is a beautiful set.

  • LK2 November 21, 2013, 5:03 AM

    I sooooooooooo wish that I had more money…… (I could buy it, actually, but Ninjago is first….)

    • ninja of stealth November 21, 2013, 12:43 PM

      I agree LK2 Ninjago is always first! yay! only 28 more days left!

      • LK2 November 21, 2013, 2:08 PM

        Agree with Ninja of stealth 😀
        Loving the Thunder Raider and Overborg Attack, the MechDragon, Kai Fighter, NinjaCopter and the Hover Hunter……. That is all of them infact. I might pass the Hover Hunter, however.

  • Will November 21, 2013, 12:23 PM

    That’s a good plan. Ninjago sets have a much shorter life than a modular building. There will be time.

    • LK2 November 21, 2013, 2:09 PM

      True.

  • OC November 26, 2013, 6:32 PM

    Can someone please tell me how to build the dumpster that comes with it? I can’t figure it out quite right just from the photos. Thanks!

    • admin November 26, 2013, 8:31 PM

      William should be able to help you with that as he already have the set. I’m going to email him right now to answer your question. 😉

    • Will November 30, 2013, 11:40 AM

      Hey sorry the admin has been trying to get a hold of me but been

      Here’s the dumpster:

      Four 1×1 round plates for feet
      4×4 plate goes on top of these.
      One left and right go 1×4 bricks
      The back two studs gets a 1x2x2 panel wall
      The front two studs get four 1×1 bricks with 1 stud these are stacked two high.
      Now put 1×4 plates one the 1×4 bricks.
      Now put a bracket that has a 1×2 surface on the side that goes up
      To the left and right of each bracket go a 1×1 square plate.
      Over the brackets and 1×1 plates will go a 1×4 plate on both sides. Now everything should be level.
      On the back put a modified tile with two fingers sticking up.
      The front gets a 1×4 tile and the sides get 1×2 tiles.
      The lid is a modified 4×4 plate that takes the two finger connection.
      As for the sides the front gets two 1×4 tiles to connect to the studs horizontally.
      The exposed brackets get 1×2 tiles and you should be done.

      Eventually LEGO will put up the instructions online. The instructions that have the dumpster will be at the end of the first book. I don’t have a scanner otherwise I would have sent that.

      Hope that helps.

  • Archie January 12, 2014, 2:18 PM

    How much

  • Legology January 24, 2014, 11:58 AM

    I just finished this set, and it is one of the best I’ve ever built. The review above is fantastic, and every detail is captured.

    • admin January 24, 2014, 12:10 PM

      Yes, it is a really wonderful set! I’m glad to hear you had fun building it! 🙂

  • Judith July 7, 2016, 9:44 AM

    I know this is an old posting, but I purchased this set last week. I’ve only recently been purchasing Lego sets for myself, and this set is my very first modular building.

    I was very disappointed to find that I have 4 bricks missing in the set! Not very impressed with Lego quality control for a set costing £130.99. I have ordered the replacement parts, but 1 part is out of stock, so no idea when I will be able to finish the build. As I only have minimal Lego, I sadly do not have any of the missing parts in any of the other sets that I have.

    Do sets frequently have missing parts??

    • admin July 7, 2016, 10:26 AM

      Judith, LEGO very rarely has missing parts. It is like a one in a million experience. It is just an unfortunate coincidence that you happened to get one of your first LEGO sets like that. LEGO has one of the highest quality controls in the world. It is actually really amazing that they can churn out billions of LEGO elements with so little mistakes. If you do occasionally experience missing parts, you simply call customer service and they will send them to you free of charge. 🙂

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