Ducasse: the Paris I adore

As many, I’m Parisian by adoption. After some brief trips when I was young, I finally moved here only in 1996 when I opened my first restaurant at the Hôtel du Parc, in the XVI arrondissement. I thus had a chance to discover a town in which I was not born. This love grew with walks and discoveries. One of my earliest memories is of the Tour Eiffel. I know, it’s banal. I passed here every morning, on my way to work from Champ de Mars. And every time I told myself that one day I would get here. Today I am lucky enough to look at Paris from the Jules Verne, which offers a contemporary cuisine – as well as one of the most beautiful views in the world.

The Tour Eiffel, the Champs-Élysées, the Sacré-Cœur… Paris is, first of all, this: emblematic places, places that any tourist knows and wants to see with his own eyes. Take Lasserre, for example: it’s a monument to Parisian gastronomy. Christiphe Moret, who’s been directing the kitchens for two years now, has reviewed the restaurant’s signature dishes - such as the Duck of Challans and the André Malraux pigeon - with great intelligence.

Paris can boast other sanctuaries of French cuisine. For instance, though belonging to a completely different genre, there’s Chartier. While Lasserre is a good example of high cuisine, Chartier is a model of a popular/more accessible restaurant, in particular of what in XIX used to be called «a stock», a dish which christened the establishment. Even the neighbourhood differs. The theatres of the Grands Boulevards and the Folies Bergères are two steps away. And the menu is as seductive as the surroundings: herrings with potatoes and oil, pig head, andouillette… there’s substance! The waiters, wearing black waistcoats and white aprons contribute to the atmosphere as much as the magnificent Belle Époque furniture.

In the Parisian geography, the Montparnasse neighbourhood defines a whole era. It reached its acme in the wild years between the two world wars, when all the artists and intellectuals from Europe and the world met here. Picasso was among the first, but also Dali, Modigliani, Brancusi, Chagall, Foujita, Léger, Soutine, Miró, writers Cendrars, Breton, Miller, musicians such as Django Reinhardt… The list is like an encyclopaedia of modern art.

There’s still like an echo of this Bohemian atmosphere, in particular in the brasseries of boulevard Montparnasse. I recommend a stop at Sélect (99 boulevard du Montparnasse, +33.(0)1.45483824), for a marvellous old-style hot chocolate. If it’s Tuesday, Friday or Sunday, walk a little further and go down Boulevard Raspail. The market that is open here is one of my favourites, especially for organic fruits and vegetables. While you’re there get to rue Notre Dame des Champs: Gilles Vérot’s charcuterie is worth the visit. The fromage de tête, liver pâté, ham pastry, pâté en croute with pistachios all contribute to the fame of the shop.

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