You won’t find any feathered, furry or scaled beasts at the yoga-friendly HOY Hotel’s restaurant, which indulgently aligns chakras, karma and lunar plates instead. Big shots of the green cuisine scene, Laurent Lovatt and Carolina Rodriguez (who are at the helm of London’s Plant Academy) concoct a radically plant-based menu, executed by Mexican chef Victor Medina (ex-Park Hyatt Paris) for glittering youth under dim lights. The night we went, served on one of the marble tables under tropical plants: a gang bang of crackling lettuce hearts with avocado, a hemp-sunflower mixture, smoked mushroom ceviche and dulse seaweed; intense black rice risotto with transcendent oyster mushroom cutlets, fried dulse, kombucha-infused chimichurri and a deep jus; before an edgy coffee/raw chocolate ganache paired with silky toasted almond butter ice cream, camped out on a dark cardamom shortbread for the finale. It’s worth noting that there’s an invigorating weekend brunch with vegetal charcoal focaccia, black quinoa, hibiscus-infused oats, banana ice cream… Another good tip: Mesa should be open for lunch on weekdays as of February… To be continued! // Matthieu Jauniau-Dallier
FEELING THIRSTY? Natural wines without borders: an orange wine from Progetto Calcarius in Puglia (€9 a glass), a Silex white from Portugal (€26 a bottle), a Pays-d’Hérault red from Xavier Braujou (€36)…
PRICE: À la carte €29-44, brunch €23-29 (Saturday and Sunday).
