Is the Passage des Panoramas the new obligatory rite of passage for young star chefs? After Shinichi Sato (Passage 53), Sven Chartier and Simone Tondo (Racines), Levantine chef Tamir Nahmias (ex-Frenchie and Fulgurances) has decided to seek asylum there for his tiny café named Adar, Yiddish for “abundance” or “generosity”. In a space with well-stocked shelves and a tiled kitchen, nibble on cheeky dishes with the flavors of the Fertile Crescent. The day we went, the lunch menu was a bit like if Yotam Ottolenghi and Omar Koreitem (Mokonuts) were cooking together in tandem: homemade bread to dip into hummus and labneh; summer tabbouleh with broad beans, onions and celery; Datterino tomato and spinach salad with feta and pine nuts; a mixture of cabbage, carrots, fenugreek and fermented mango; incredible chicken with artichokes, chickpeas, preserved lemon, cooking juices and ras el-hanout, and optional homemade harissa or amba – an Iraqi condiment made with green mangoes and chilies; before an incredible hazelnut babka or a spellbinding shortbread with lemony date paste to go with a Turkish coffee. The ultimate hack: the house also makes sandwiches to go. // J.G.
FEELING THIRSTY? That’s a miniature selection for maximum fun: three wines served by the glass, including an Alsace from Boesch (€6), along with Deck & Donohue beer (€5 for 330 ml) or pomegranate juice (€4.90).
PRICE: Mezze €5-12, dishes €21-24.
