on the town An international palate has been more prevalent recently in the City of Light. traditional French terracotta tiles, are usually used on floors, but he’s put them on the walls, which gives this place a lot of warmth. The dining room is found in a mezzanine, and most seats are at a long, large table d’hôte in front of the open kitchen where Atsumi and his team work. The menu evolves constantly but runs to dishes like veal tartare with cèpes and haddock; roasted monkfish with squid’s ink; and a luscious pithiviers—a short-crust pastry torte, filled with duck, foie gras, and spinach, and garnished with quince puree. Close by, in the hip 10th arrondissement, chef Amandine Chaignot has unveiled POULICHE (poulicheparis.com). After working as executive chef at the Rosewood Hotel in London and the Hotel Raphael in Paris, her own restaurant bristles with inventive and refined market-driven dishes. Vegetables play a major role here—most of the starters are vegetarian, including a soup of different grains; maize tempura; and grilled halloumi with sage oil. An all-vegetarian dinner menu is served every Wednesday night. Main courses include skate wing with broccoletti and pickled pears; wild duck with cabbage and chestnuts; and sautéed turnips and cèpes with figs. In addition to vegetables, an international palate has been more prevalent recently, and nowhere is this more evident than COYA (coyarestaurant.com). After London, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Monte Carlo, the Peruvian institution favored by beaux mondes has launched a branch in Paris’ Beaupassage, a tiny Left Bank lane with a gastronomic vocation. Start your meal with one of its superb pisco sours, and then tuck into dishes like sea bass ceviche with red onion, sweet potato, and white corn; yellowfin tuna tiradito with sesame seeds and pickled cucumber; and arroz Nikkei (rice with sea bass, lime, and chili). There’s also great people-watching at this see-and-be-seen place. Israel-born, Paris-based chef Assaf Granit had massive success with Balagan, his first foray in the French capital, and now his team—Uri Navon, Dan Yosha and Tomer Lanzman—have a hit on their hands again with SHABOUR (restaurantshabour.com), a tiny Israeli-Mediterranean bolthole with an open kitchen surrounded by a pink marble counter where guests are served. Its festive, low-lit, speakeasy-like atmosphere and excellent cooking, including dishes like eggs marinated in tea slicked with tahini and garnished with salmon eggs gravlax with horseradish cream, red mullet with braised fennel, and Wagyu beef with freekeh, aubergine caramel, and girolles mushrooms, has made it one of the most sought-after new addresses in Paris—and an apt example of the city’s continuing culinary swagger. BENOIT LINERO, NICOLAS LOBBESTAEL The open kitchen at Pavyllon; facing page: the dining room at La Scene. NetJets 63
