Parisian neo-bistros / 2

(see part one)

Until recently, only a 5-minutes-walk from Septime there was Rino, a pocketsize mini-bistro that closed in March this year. Roman chef Giovanni Passerini, previously at work at L’Arpège and Le Chateaubriand, should soon open a new place of his own, again in the French capital. Walking for 10 more minutes, we take the road that leads to marché d’Aligre, a sort of village in the heart of Paris. This is where La Gazzetta is located, a bistro with a 1930s atmosphere where Petter Nilsson used to cook before going back to Stockholm, his homecountry.

Not too far from Canal Saint-Martin there’s Le Chateaubriand. It’s an old Parisian bistro with a unique cuisine, a mixture of raw and cooked, with French, Basque and Spanish elements with a remarkable creativity. There are no rules here. All sorts of pairings are allowed, as well as a sort of audacity. Chef Iñaki Aizpitarte is the spiritual father of this new generation of Parisian chefs. He’s full of talent and one could say his motto is “no limits”. Wines are strictly natural.

Since I only spend the weekend in Paris, I like drinking a glass of wine after dinner with my friends. We head for La Buvette (67 rue Saint-Maur, Paris XI, +33.9.83569411), then. Camille, previously at Le Dauphin and Le Chateaubriand, runs wine bars with three tables. The wine list is exceptional and as a pairing one can have excellent cured meat, anchovies and olives. Fantastic.

On Sunday morning I usually go to marché des Enfants Rouges. I do my shopping there: fish, meat, cured meat, fresh organic vegetables, wine and cheese. I then take a seat at Taeko (39 rue de Bretagne, Paris III, +33.1.48043459), on decrepit wood benches, and taste one of the best homemade Japanese food in Paris.

The minimalistic elegance of Jacques Genin’s Chocolaterie

I then run to Jacques Genin’s Chocolaterie, very close by. They say it’s the best chocolatier in the world. Sitting in the tearoom, I hesitate between the legendary Lemon-basil cake or the Millefeuille assembled on the spot. Before leaving I always buy a packet of mango candies. They’re unique.

I know very well that London is trendy; I also know well how chic it is to say that Paris is the sleeping beauty of gastronomy, or that in France nothing is happening anymore because we’re all resting on our laurels. French gastronomy, however, has never been so healthy and all the young people who open their first restaurant in town are here to demonstrate this.

2. the end