Bonsoir, bienvenue! Expect to be greeted like this in deep tenor tones as you walk through the doors of this legendary culinary haven, which has witnessed a succession of the finest Parisian chefs – Sota Atsumi, Pierre Jancou, Pierre Touitou…. If the welcome ceremony hasn’t changed, it’s now up to the Mexican chef Robert Mendoza (ex-Saint Sébastien) to grace the marble bar with his creations. The night we went, served on white tablecloths on the terrace: an airy potato sourdough bread topped with black tahini and chard; La Charron mussels from Charente plunged into a crystal clear aguachile broth, with pickled peppers and smoked paprika; a magnificent steak tartare topped with a beetroot reduction, pickled mustard seeds and a watercress emulsion; whole roasted broccoli placed atop a graceful green mole – made without cocoa but with plenty of cilantro! Or even a pollack fillet prepared in the ikejime style, served with a beurre blanc sauce and a silky cashew purée. One complaint? The Brillat-Savarin served as a mousse with a grapefruit jam, which was quickly forgiven since the chocolate tart with mescal-infused cream was so extraordinary! // Antoine Antoine
FEELING THIRSTY? Twenty-some wines served by the glass (a macerated wine from Alsace produced by Jean-Marc Dreyer at €9, an oxidized Gaillac white from the Domaine Plageoles at €12…), unless you’d rather dig into a wine menu that reaches for the stars – a 2013 Rosdahl, a 2014 Vej, a 2002 Gravner…
PRICE: À la carte €41-60.
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