After gallivanting about the Middle East, transalpine chef Alessandro Candido (ex-Cave de l’Insolite) has opened up a brazen Parisian spot with Camille Guillaud – a former brand manager for Deliveroo! In their den rigged out like a rustic inn (tomette tile floors, thrifted light fixtures, carved wood tables), the sacred fire flutters at the heart of a bewitching rotisserie, where carefully sourced beautiful cuts of meat bronze up. For us, the other night: epic porcini from the Perche region with gremolata and croutons under a slice of bacon; roasted squash splashed with a lovely herring cream and flaxseed chips; a simple dish of clams with lemon and marigold anointed with olive oil from the Candido family; spit-roasted porc noir from Biscay, with beets moistened by the meat drippings; chicken from the Aisne cooked to perfection with vegetables covered in meat drippings as well; and for the scrumptious dessert, a brioche nestled up against a scoop of chocolate-hazelnut ice cream. During the week, there’s an excellent lunch menu featuring, for example, squash and herring soup, Breton bonito with roasted leeks, and Barbarie fig sorbet. Even more good news: Candide also has a wine bar with high-top tables at 37 Boulevard de la Villette, serving sandwiches at lunch and snacks at night – porcini carpaccio, stracciatella with bottarga, deviled eggs… // Aïtor Alfonso
FEELING THIRSTY? There’s a zero-headache wine list composed by Gaëlle Bardout: a sparkling Tridentine wine from Cantina Furlani (€7 a glass), a candid white Apulia produced by Progetto Calcarius (€40 a bottle), a Roussillon Mourvèdre from Zulu Wine (€44)…
PRICE: Set menus €19-22 (weekday lunch), à la carte €30-43 (dinner).
