Contraste | Paris by Mouth

Handle: 18 Rue d’Anjou, 75008
Hours: Open Monday-Friday for lunch & dinner. Closed Saturday & Sunday.
Phone: +33 1 42 65 08 36
On-line Reserving / Web site / Fb / Instagram

Contraste is aptly named, present because it does in distinction with a lot of what will be discovered within the ritzy eighth arrondissement. Inside a Louis XV eating room dotted with cornices and chandeliers, crimson audio system streaming a contemporary but subdued playlist instantly inform diners of what’s in retailer: an eclectic menu and wine checklist from the “contrasting” pair of cooks Kevin de Porre (previously of two-Michelin starred Kei) and Erwan Ledru (previously of Arnaud Nicolas) deliver a recent, inventive culinary expertise to this posh Paris neighborhood.

The long-time pals play up their variations – one passionate in regards to the land, the opposite in regards to the sea; one perpetually seeing innovation, the opposite enticed by conventional approach. The ensuing juxtaposition lends itself nicely to a singular, stunning eating expertise: one other success from Stéphane Manigold, the businessman behind much-lauded Substance of Paris’ equally ritzy sixteenth arrondissement.

The primary chew sadly stumbles a bit, with amuse-bouches which can be extra visually interesting than sensorially engaging. The gorgeous shrimp chip tastes nearly stale; the small bouchée of caramelized onions is rather more flavorsome however not all that modern or stunning. It doesn’t bode nicely for the restaurant’s promise, however all is forgotten when the appetizers arrive.

A beetroot and smoked eel starter boasting eggs from each land and seais not simply visually beautiful, it’s additionally a deal with for the palate. Crispy quinoa and barely-cooked beet cubes are served atop a tender panna cotta made with smoked eel. Paired with the unctuous cured egg yolk and a sprinkling of chives, it’s a really profitable journey of taste, texture, and shade.

By comparability, a ravioli served with Parmesan foam and wealthy sobrassada takes far fewer dangers however is not any much less scrumptious. Shifting into the mains, a sauté of seasonal greens is equally scrumptious but devoid of threat. It does, nevertheless, fill a much-needed hole: a vegetarian essential that feels neither like a punishment or a cop-out.

The Bellota pork, in the meantime, could nicely have been probably the most profitable dish of the day: seared and pleasantly pink on the within, it was served with an beautiful potato purée with oysters. The wedding of land and sea, of technical acuity and innovation, is Contraste at its greatest.

Persimmon has been omnipresent on Parisian dessert menus this season; right here, it’s served with artistry as an amalgam of thinly sliced rosettes and unctuous purée alongside candied hazelnuts, crystallized sage leaves, and a sage sorbet. The latter packs a wallop of taste, with an influence paying homage to important oil slowly taking on the palate in a really nice manner. The persimmon however will get a bit misplaced among the many totally different remedies of sage. In reality, it appears a lot as if the dessert is much less a sum of its components than it’s an meeting of components that don’t have any rhyme or purpose collectively.

Service all through the meal is current and cordial however at occasions ill-informed: when extra counsel was requested, for instance, relating to sure strategies or the various wine checklist that effortlessly walks the road between standard and pure bottles, previous and new vintages, flowery responses stood in for details. Total, nevertheless, Contraste is a promising spot bringing ingenuity and innovation to a neighborhood that sorely wants it.

Contraste in Footage

In Different Phrases

Le Monde (2019) highlights the design contrasts of this restaurant’s eating room earlier than delving into reward of the “sharp sense of pure style” shared by the cooks. “On this Contraste,” writes the journalist, “there’s neither duel nor battle, however a easy adhesion to the precept of stylish humility.”

Figaro Madame (2019) lauds Contraste’s respect for the seasons, noting the restaurant’s stability between gastronomic and accessible cooking. The reviewer however spends fairly a little bit of time concocting odd mathematical periphrases, highlighting the truth that “no fewer than two” younger cooks “barely 50 years previous mixed” are turning out refined delicacies “that echoes rurality, earth, and tradition.”