Solstice

On the outskirts of the Val-de-Grâce neighborhood, Eric Torchon (the associate chef of Otto in Paris and Eric’s in Tokyo) decided to push back the equinox. At his muffled little space (unfinished walls, a walnut wood bar, Korean tableware) overseen by his Korean partner Mi-Jin Ryu, the chef stitches together sunny dishes for around thirty guests at a time. The night we went, the five-course tasting menu included: shredded cabbage blossoms enveloped in a silky Dubarry velouté dotted with caviar; impeccable line-caught bass sashimi paired with shiso, grated daikon radish, fresh ginger and finger lime; sublime poached lobster from the Vendée department, prepared as a gyoza and glazed in a lobster-kimchi sauce that stuns both the palate and the retinas; followed by an imperial rabbit à la royale stuffed with truffles and foie gras, crowned with a chocolate and Chartreuse sauce. To round out the meal? A beautiful golden Mirliton biscuit, puffed up and tickled by semi-confit persimmons, a tangy citrus cream and an evanescent veil of sugar garnished with lime. // Vic Beretton
FEELING THIRSTY? The mistress of the house is also a talented sommelier who unveils classy bottles: Perles du Mont-Blanc produced by Vincent Ruiz at the Domaine Belluard (€18 glass), pure biodynamic gems from the Domaine du Bouchot run by Antoine Gouffier in the Loire (€75 a bottle), bottles straight from the Vallée du Rhône vinified by Yves Gangloff (starting at €140)…
PRICE: Tasting menus €120 (lunch), €150-220 (dinner).