Galbi

The ambassadors of the coolinary arts are making their mark in Aubervilliers! In addition to their food design studio Mekla, Victoria Mekkoui (who did stints at Double Dragon and Garance) and Iris Texeire (formerly of La Folie Barbizon) opened up an eatery running at 120 beats per minute in one of the work studios at the Poush creative venue. Boasting massive windows, colorful sofas and chairs, Galbi (which means “heart” in Arabic) beats to the pulsating rhythm of resident artists, visiting exhibitions and guest chefs for an evening – or longer, if the vibes are right. But until late October, the duo is sending out small plates, dreamt up with chef Sasha Paindavoine : an umami-rich haricot vert salad with a crimson red peach compound butter, tarragon and shaved almonds; vibrant fusilli alla puttanesca (a smoking hot sauce of tomatoes, anchovies, garlic, onion and capers) under a dusting of Parmesan; and finally, a chou craquelin cream puff stuffed with a light and airy toasted rice and fresh fig cream, with a dash of olive oil and rhubarb coulis for extra zhuzh. They also offer two sandwiches at lunch time (including a vegetarian one filled with slow-roasted eggplant, labneh, celery and fresh herbs the day we went), plus snacks served all day long: miso cookies, orange cake, Sicilian olives, charcuterie from Viande Viande, cheeses from Taka & Vermo. So come get your heart rate up! // Angela Dolu

FEELING THIRSTY? : Natural wines (Osiris, a Bordeaux pet’ nat’ from the Château Gaillard at €5.50 a glass, a malbec from Le Vent des Jours at €22 a bottle), along with Vertigo beer from the BapBap brewery (€12 for a 750 ml bottle), Coutume coffee (€1.50 for an espresso, €4 for a latte) and ginger Lemonaid (€3.50 for 330 ml).
PRICE: : Sandwiches €7-8, snacks €2-6, appetizers €6, mains €11-13, desserts €3.50 to €5.

Hopopup! Because sometimes wiping the slate clean is the best way to fill it back up again, this restaurant hosts a chefs-in-residency program. So it’s possible that when you visit, a new talent may have taken over the kitchen!