Sapid in Paris, the low-priced restaurant that follows the philosophy of Alain Ducasse

Sàpid means what the ancient Romans called “sapidus”, that is to say “rich in flavour”. Indeed, the brilliant culinary creativity and the entrepreneurial intuition of super starred French chef Alain Ducasse have hit the mark with a restaurant called Sàpid. It's a new culinary project based on natural ingredients at accessible prices.  

At 54 Rue de Paradis, in the 10th Arrondissement of Paris, outside the chic and trendy neighbourhoods, you can find a welcoming, simple place that stands out from the outside thanks to its pale green windows, making full display of some vegetable boxes. Sàpid opened in the autumn of 2021: a refectory where Monsieur Ducasse wanted to present the cuisine of his right arm Romain Meder, interpreted for a self-service restaurant.

Ninety-five percent of the ingredients is vegetal: vegetables, cereals, with a strong attention to waste and sustainability. The chef thus describes the concept: «Naturalness means preparing food that is good for the health of those who eat it and good for the planet. Sàpid has shared tables, you can eat spending between 20 and 30 euros, including drinks».

To reduce these prices, the key is certainly not lowering the quality of the raw materials, but eliminating management costs, like service, for instance: guests serve themselves and empty their tray after they've eaten. As soon as you arrive at the restaurant you must show your Green Pass and after this you're guided to the coolest self-service culinary experience in town.  

You must insert your order through a totem. The dishes enhance vegetables and cereals with 4 entrées, 4 main dishes with a minimal use of fish, and 4 desserts. Colourful dishes, appetising, and balanced. After making your order and paying the bill, you can sit at the shared tables and wait to be called to collect your tray. Cutlery and napkins are placed in small buckets on the tables. The kitchen is managed by Meder, but the resident chef is a young Peruvian woman, Marvic Medina Matos. An incredible work on raw materials with no meat, no waste and lots of flavour.  

This is what every dish has in common, with the goal of serving healthy food while respecting seasonality, limiting the use of salt and fat, refined sugar, and preferring seafood in terms of proteins. This culinary philosophy, imagined by Alain Ducasse and developed with chef Romain Meder, has allowed him to receive 3 Michelin stars since 2014, when they removed meat from the menu at Plaza Athenée.  

On our visit, for instance, Sàpid offered, Roasted cauliflower with buffalo milk scamorza and pomegranate or Chickpea ragu and poached egg and a Fruit salad with a rumble of olive biscuits and lemon marmalade. Final note: there's also a takeaway service available for lunch and dinner for a truly memorable Sàpid at home.

Translated by Slawka G. Scarso