Casa Eminente, ephemeral restaurant and bar in the style of an authentic Cuban house

A few steps from the Place des Vosges, at the end of a courtyard with the appearance of a Cuban jungle closed by a heavy porte cochere, hides the Casa Eminente, an ephemeral and exotic place imagined in the manner of an authentic Cuban house. Behind the creation of this place, open until next July, is the house of rum Eminente. This one reserves you a true culinary and sensory trip to Cuba, and more particularly on the Isla del Cocodrilo where the rum in question is made.

Climb the steps and go through the glass door to discover, first of all, the ephemeral cocktail bar of Casa Eminente and its collection of objects found here and there that immerse the curious in theCuban atmosphere. To the sound of the Buena Vista Social Club, one discovers a cocktail menu divided into two parts, on the one hand the two timeless cocktails of Eminente (the Pomelo Daïquiri with grapefruit and the Eminente Canchánchara twisted with coffee; 14€) brought to stay until next July, and on the other hand temporary cocktails, imagined by mixologists coming from all over Europe.

Each of these six invited bartenders will have a month of residence to reveal his vision of Eminente rum through 3 creative and original cocktails. And the festivities begin with Monica Berg and Alex Kratena, founders of London cocktail bar Tayēr + Elementary, ranked 2nd in the World's 50 Best Bars in 2022, who sign innovative cocktails, such as the Bergamot Highball cocktail (€15) made with rum, tonic and bergamot cordial, and the Cedarwood Sour cocktail (€15), with rum, Olorosso, Martini rosso, lemon and cedar cordial.

Once the cocktails are sipped, it's time to discover the other side of Casa Eminente: its Cuban restaurant. Here again, there are plenty of surprises in store until July, with several chefs in residence who will have the task of reinterpreting the best of Cuban cuisine in their own way.

And to get things off to a great start, chef Julien Sebbag will open the show in February and March, before handing over to two other personalities of the French culinary scene whose names are still being kept secret! Julien Sebbag is a young, committed chef and a rising star in Parisian gastronomy. He is already at the helm of the restaurant Créatures on the roof of Galeries Lafayette, Forest in the heart of the Museum of Modern Art in Paris, and more recently Micho, just a stone's throw from the Palais-Royal.

Revisiting the great Cuban classics, Julien Sebbag signs for Casa Eminente a contemporary and inventive menu, like this taco of sea bream, jalapeño and yogurt sauce with coriander (12€) and especially this excellent (we weigh our words) pan con carne, a buttered and snacked brioche, garnished with a 24-hour beef confit with Eminente Reserva, sweet potato, a julienne of Granny Smith, fennel and chervil (12€).

Next, let's move on to the main courses, with Cuban-style snacked prawns, with Cuban coffee crumble, spring onion and red pepper, topped with a miso cashew sauce (25€), or theentrecote to be shared between two guests, marinated for 24 hours in a Cuban mix of cumin and orange, then cooked at a low temperature - and served rare - to be dipped happily in a mustardy chili sauce (52€ for two).

To accompany it, a bit of heat with a rice sautéed with chili and cebette (5€) and a bit of freshness with a Cuban salad based on radiccio, pear chips, walnut kernels, pickled onions, fresh goat cheese, sesame dressing and spicy Cuban honey (5€).

Obviously, a passage through the sweet is mandatory not to regret. Don't hesitate to try the Casquitos de Guayabas, an airy and fruity dessert made with guava, passion fruit, fromage blanc mousse and nougatine (10€), and Julien Sebbag's version of the rum baba (12€). Each of the guest chefs will have the mission of revisiting this essential dessert, and for Julien Sebbag, the rum baba is modernized with a verveine chantilly, pineapple confit with rum, a lime gel and purple oxalys.

Before you leave, feel free to wander through the floors where 4 suites have been created, inspired by the paladares, emblematic Cuban restaurants and bars, opened within the family homes, like guest rooms. It is not possible to sleep in the rooms of Casa Eminente, but they allow you to discover all the facets of the island - design, music, literature and art in general - with works ofCuban artists displayed in each room.

• To be read
• Faurn and his man'ouchés, Alan Geaam's Lebanese pizzas
• Perception, chef Sukwon Yong's delicate French-Korean cuisine
• Nonos, Paul Pairet's restaurant-grill at the Hôtel de Crillon

And in the basement, well hidden, hides a speakeasy bar with a raw look, accessible unlike the bar and the restaurant without reservation. How about a little trip to Cuba?