Filipino cuisine has a majestic new home at Reyna! Chef Erica Paredes (ex-Mokoloco) installed her tiny Manila-inspired château inside the former bistro Chez Pierre, with decor like a boudoir shared by Marie-Antoinette and a Silicon Valley startup (rough concrete, powder pink walls, sugary sweet banquette seating…). We were in for a royal treat the night we went: an Asiatomic sea bream ceviche marinated in coconut vinegar and sprinkled with red onions, pomegranate seeds and kalamansi – a small citrus that’s typical of the Philippines; umami-packed pointy cabbage grilled with miso butter and pimped out with trout roe; a lovely traditional sisig, or pork head that’s chopped and grilled with red cabbage, an egg yolk and soy sauce; and divine fried chicken topped with the sauce of your choice, adobo-style (yogurt with roasted garlic and cilantro) or patis, a fish sauce topped with fried shallots, kaffir, chili and mint here. We ended the meal with a delicate pavlova with strawberries and pandan cream… Long live Reyna!! // Louise Delange
FEELING THIRSTY? Natural wines: a Roussillon white from Nada (€7 a glass), a Gard red from Le Petit Oratoire (€6), an Alsatian orange wine from Brand & Fils (€42 a bottle), a sparkling Czech red by Milan Nestarec (€48)… Also available à la carte are craft beers from the Big Mountain brewery in Chamonix (€5 for 330 ml).
PRICE: Appetizers €10-16, mains €14-35, desserts €8-9.
