Villa9Trois

Who said there were no foodies in Montreuil? Definitely not master chef Camille Saint M’Leux, formerly of Taillevent and Le Cinq, who now seeks refuge at Villa9Trois, and who is putting on such a fine show that chefs in the city center should watch their backs. A demonstration of her talent came the day we went for lunch with the menu prepared over binchotan charcoal, devoured in the cozy space (patterned wallpaper, velvet armchairs, dim overhead lighting): a delicate pea tartlet with a rice emulsion and a nori chip to get you in the mood; incredible grilled octopus swimming in a very fresh tomato water; ultra-tender eggplant and buttermilk seasoned with dill oil and sprinkled with nasturtium petals; deliciously opaque yellow pollack surrounded by watercress, briny cucumber and wakame seaweed; the house’s perfect signature Angus chuck steak, glazed with squid ink and balanced out by smoked herring roe; and to catch your breath, a lime ice cream with lemon jelly, sea beans and wakame, pimped out with a shot of tequila, before a perfect chocolate-buckwheat combo prepared three ways, to end the meal. // Ana Kirpad

FEELING THIRSTY? Pricey wines: a Chablis from the Garnier brothers (€17 a glass), a Tours Chenin from François Chidaine (€68 a bottle), a Jura red from the Domaine Labet (€78)… 
PRICE: Menus €59 and €79, à la carte €78-102.