Prémices

There’s the hustle and bustle of July and August, and a little later, that of fall, when sunchokes, red kuri squash, chestnuts, parsnips and other seasonal produce have us missing the beach. Luckily, certain chefs, like Benoît Cadot, manage to get us into an autumnal mood… At his restaurant inside the former Opéra Zoizo, opened with an ex-La Mercerie escapee (Léo Marzullo, on wines), he warmed us up heart and soul the day went for lunch. Seated at the counter of this classic bistro dining room, with a zinc-topped bar and sixties globe light fixtures, the menu was already hinting at winter: leeks licked over the flames of the kamado BBQ, plus mussels in a creamy curry sauce to whet the appetite; beautiful Landes chicken, more specifically a deboned thigh pressed against the supreme, flash-seared against the flames and paired with a fabulous jus de viande, plus spelt wheat, oyster mushrooms and a few hazelnuts to round out the flavors; and as dessert, persimmon brushed with oil and salt and then grilled, camouflaged under a black sesame meringue and paired with a turmeric carrot ice cream. Bonus points for the delicious Colombian coffee extracted using the Rocket espresso machine and the upstairs dining room for feasting as a group… In short, undoubtedly the start of a truly great restaurant! // Gwen Jacquère 

FEELING THIRSTY? : Around 50 carefully chosen wines: L’Insolite, a chenin from Thierry Germain (€10 a glass), a Mâcon-Cruzille blanc from Julien Guillot (€52 a bottle), Empreinte, a 2018 Jura chardonnay from the Domaine des Marnes Blanches (€60), and Coqueyron Haut, a grenache from Les Frères Soulier (€49). 
PRICE: : Set menus at lunch €25-29 and dinner €45.