january-2012

CAFÉSALLEPLEYEL
Th e Salle Pleyel is an art deco concert hall designed by Gustave Lion which
opened in 1927 and has hosted artists including Stravinsky, Otto Klemperer,
Louis Armstrong and Ravi Shankar. On the mezzanine fl oor is a light and airy
space built around a vast atrium which looks down into the foyer. It’s here that
Hélène Samuel – not a chef but a food entrepreneur who has worked with the
great Alain Ducasse – has created Café Pleyel.
Samuel had the brilliant idea of inviting visiting chefs to inspire the season’s menu
and work with her in-house team. Recently Mauro Colagreco, who is based in
Menton at his highly regarded restaurant Mirazur, was the guest chef. His menu was
inspired by the Mediterranean and brought the warmth of the south into a chilly
Parisian winter’s day. We tried a tartare of fresh crevettes with peaches and a green
lemon vinaigrette, red mullet served with carrots and orange sauce, and a veal chop
served with unctuous mashed potato laced with vanilla. At one side of the room
stands a magnifi cent orange machine, like a work of art. In fact it’s a slicer, ready to
serve Parma ham and other delicacies, supervised by Samuel’s business partner, the
irrepressible Michael Eisenbaum, who also manages the short but excellent wine list.
Th e colour scheme of the room is black and white with fl ashes of red, and the
easygoing atmosphere clearly appeals to the lunchtime crowd of local hedge funders
and pretty women.
252 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, 75008 Paris, +33 (0)1 5375 2844, www.cafesallepleyel.com
LES GRANDES TABLES DE L’ÎLE SEGUIN
While architect Jean Nouvel transforms the old
Renault factory into a museum, this pop-up, set on
an island in the Seine just outside the city, has
been created from scaff olding and containers.
Jardin de l’île Seguin, +33 (0)1 4610 7972
PRIVATDINING
MOREQUIRKYDININGDESTINATIONSINPARIS
SATURNE
Wonderfully simple food, natural
wines, clean sparse interior, some say
deplorable service but we loved it.
17 rue Notre-Dame des Victoires, +33
(0)1 4260 3190, www.saturne-paris.com
Thirty-Two
LEDAUPHIN
Zut alors! Is nothing sacred? Is this the end of the traditional
French three-course meal? Ultra-fashionable Le Dauphin is
serving food tapas-style and the Parisian public love it. Th e
restaurant is owned by Fred Peneau and chef-of-the-moment
Inaki Aizpitarte, the dark-eyed, self-taught Basque whose
fl agship eatery, Le Chateaubriand just a few doors away,
opened in 2006. Aizpitarte spearheaded the new bistronomique
(bistro+gastronomique) movement to bridge the gap between
high-priced gourmet destinations for a moneyed elite and tourists,
and tired, formulaic restaurants for everyone else. Th e neo-bistros
of Paris attract daring but accomplished young chefs, eff ortlessly
cool waiting staff , and a buzzing bohemian crowd of all ages.
Le Dauphin opened at the end of 2010 and was wildly
successful from day one, despite the location in an old working
class area. Th e interior, designed by Rem Koolhaas and Clément
Blanchet, is a cool, minimalist cube of white Carrara marble with
mirror, steel and exotic wood. Th e room is dominated by a
marble-topped bar with tall stools, and set around the walls are
tables simply adorned with stylish glasses, napkins and chairs.
Th e dinner menu contains about 50 diff erent items grouped
by category: cooked meat dishes; cheese; salads, pasta and rice
dishes; fi sh; sausage and cured meats; and desserts. Many dishes
are familiar but prepared with a light modern touch. You can
tuck into suckling pig, gigot of lamb with haricot beans, melon
gazpacho with almonds and lemon verbena, or octopus served
with robust tandoori spices.
Th ere’s a list of well-priced wines with an emphasis on
biodynamic natural labels that don’t appeal to everyone, but who
cares? Th is place is pure joy.
131 avenue Parmentier, 75010 Paris ,+33 (0)1 5528 7888
VIVANT
Natural wines again and precisely sourced
ingredients served in enchanting room that
used to be an exotic bird shop with walls
covered with art nouveau tiles.
43 rue des Petites Écuries, +33 (0)1 4246 4355