June Restaurant News in Paris

2 June 2016 by Margaret Kemp    1309  
June Restaurant News in Paris
Margaret Kemp
By Margaret Kemp
La Table du Flow Moored beneath the handsome Pont Alexander III, this state-of-the-art péniche (barge) has a restaurant, concert hall, bar, pop-up beach and rooftop lounge – for tapas, cocktails and stunning views. It’s the €5.5 million, 18-month project of three friends: Laurent Segall, Mathieu Choplin and Laurent Maldalvi. They are the captains of the 40-meter “good ship” FLOW built by the Chantier Navales of Dieppe and Rouen. This is “the place to be” if you’re looking for, say, a cocktail Alexandre (15€) by mixologist Florent Simonet, a salad/burger/dessert or a gastronomic experience by two top chefs. The big plus is the concert hall, with a very sophisticated sound system (the same as the Philharmonie de Paris). The gastronomic brasserie/restaurant FLOW is almost “pieds dans l’eau” – book Table 4 or 5. It’s headed by chef Geoffrey Rembert (who has previously worked at Le Bristol, Lazare, Les Magnolias, and La Tour d’Argent) and Gérard Cagna as chef consultant (Le Relais Saint-Jeanne in Corneilles-en-Vexin). “The menu will change each week according to the market,” says Geoffrey Rembert. “We’ll be featuring our signature dishes such as Gérard’s pistachio sweetbread and foie gras terrine and my croustillant of line-caught cod with licorice and celery confit and Palais chocolat banana dessert.” Heading the dessert team is young talent Camille Mouraud (ex-Arpège with Alain Passard and La Grande Cascade). Camille’s delicious Tea-Time will showcase her pastry and Tea Forte. The wine list is an eclectic mix of French and world vintages from red silky Lalande de Pomerol cuvée prestige 2012 (48€) via the aromatic Rioja Rayi Uva, Olivier Rivière, 2014 (40€) to Château Petrus 1970 (1,500€). Check FLOW’s Facebook page daily for last minute menu and concert details La Table du FLOW, 4 Port des Invalides, 7th. Open Mon-Friday for lunch & dinner. Tel: 01 44 05 39 60. Lunch 32€; plat du jour 19€; or order a la carte. An evening’s average spend is about €100. Le Cigare Croustillant Michel Rostang– the 5th generation, 2-Michelin star chef– heads Maison Rostang, Paris. The restaurant is a showcase for Rostang’s second passion, after cooking: his love of wacky antiques. (Lunch 90€ – or A La Carte – Menu Transmission in 6 or 8 steps 185€-225€). A trip to Cuba, watching the cigar rolling process in La Plata and Little Havana in the 90s, inspired Rostang’s signature dessert combining Parisian elegance with exotic woody flavours of Cuban cigars. Today, with all eyes turned towards Cuba, it’s more timely than ever. Faithful aficionados of the dessert means that he was never able to take it off his menu. Made with sprinklings of Havana tobacco, filled with a light, creamy Cognac Hennessy mousseline, the dessert is presented in a cigar box, by the Maître d’hotel, paired with Marsala ice cream. Do note that on June 14, Executive chef Nicolas Beaumann welcomes Patrick Jeffroy of two-star Hotel de Carantec into his kitchen for a four-hand dinner, “a round trip between Paris and Brittany”. €250 includes food and wine pairings. (Reservations on 01 47 63 40 77.) Maison Rostang, 20 rue Rennequin, 17th. Closed on Sundays and Mondays. Compagnie Générale de Biscuiterie At the recent launch of his neo-retro Biscuiterie on a tiny Montmartre side street, Gilles Marchal (ex-Le Bristol) said: “This project is based on my Grandmother’s biscuit tin!” And, he adds, “It’s also inspired by a certain Madame Debray, La Goulue, Jane Avril, Nini Patte en L’Air and Cha U Kao, Toulouse Lautrec’s best friend and model.” All now have delicious biscuits named after them. Hurry up La Butte to taste them straight from the oven in an atelier setting. There’s even Eiffel Tower shaped delicacies to take home as gifts – if you don’t eat them on the way! (from 6€ + the tin) 1, rue Constance, 18th. Tel: 01 45 51 22 40 Mama Loves Guy Savoy Mama Shelter’s open kitchens are now headed by Michelin 3-star superchef Guy Savoy. “Mama’s success is secured by a mix of genres and our relaxed outlook never prevents us from striving for excellence”, says Mama’s director Jérémie Trigano. “We’ll be combining local flavours with a touch of exoticism, using Mama’s inspirations alongside some of my signatures”, explains Guy Savoy. “There is just one constraint: remaining affordable!” Vegetarian dishes will feature as well as Mister Fabre’s Goat Cheese pizza (16€): Ceviche of Grenoble sea-bream (19€) de-constructed Lyon sausage in a brioche bun (20€), vegetable and chicken gyozas with steamed vegetables (14€): Tonkatsu tune, Japenese rice (23€) salad niçoise using an outsize lettuce leaf as a salad bowl (17€) and asparagus with Lauris sauce (14€). Finish with molten Carambar chocolate cake. (10€). Mama says, “Yum”. 109 rue de Bagnolet, 20th. Tel: 01 45 51 22 40. Sunday Brunch (42€) RAW William and Marie Pradeleix, the duo behind Will (75 rue Crozatier in the 12th), announce the opening of RAW, because, “I noticed clients often prefer uncooked dishes and systematically order two starters instead of a main course,” explains Marie P. The talented couple have worked and played together worldwide from London to San Francisco, via Bora Bora and Morocco, so William’s eclectic cuisine showcases his globetrotting inspirations. (Lunch 21€ Average spend A La Carte 25-30€ Dinner tasting menu 49€). As well as an excellent, mostly biodynamic, wine list there are fresh juices such as fennel/apple/celery. And, being Paris, there’s a couple of cooked dishes available, velouté of organic vegetables or Thaï style fishcakes, but you’ll want to taste…
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Lead photo credit : Chef Guy Savoy at Mama Shelter

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By Margaret Kemp

Born in Hampton, Middlesex, UK, Margaret Kemp is a lifestyle journalist, based between London, Paris and the world. Intensive cookery courses at The Cordon Bleu, London, a wedding gift from a very astute ex-husband, gave her the base that would take her travelling (leaving the astute one behind) in search of rare food and wine experiences, such as the vineyards of Thailand, 'gator hunting in South Florida, learning to make eye-watering spicy food in Kerala;pasta making in a tiny Tuscany trattoria. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Financial Times Weekend and FT. How To Spend It.com, The Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Travel, and Luxos Magazine. She also advises as consultant to luxury hotels and restaurants. Over the years, Kemp has amassed a faithful following on BonjourParis. If she were a dish she'd be Alain Passard's Millefeuille “Caprice d'Enfant”, as a painting: Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe !