Halo, top chef Victor Blanchet's excellent restaurant hidden behind a concept store

Surrounded by mystery, the opening of Halo is one of the most exciting of the year. This multi-faceted space in the Sentier district of Paris is part concept store, part bistro restaurant, part hidden cocktail bar , part private dining room. It's all housed in theHôtel d'Osmont, an 18th-century mansion once run as a pleasure house by Marguerite Stock, known as La Gourdan, and boasting a marvellous 5-metre-highEiffel-era glass roof.

On the front, the concept store, soberly designed by the mur.mur agency, gives carte blanche, for two months, to small fashion and design creators who don't yet have the international renown they deserve, but who all have in common the idea of responsible, circular, modern and minimalist fashion.

On the opposite side, the restaurant is hidden behind a heavy wooden door, concealed behind the fitting rooms. Bathed in daylight, the table welcomes young chef Victor Blanchet, 24 years old and discovered by the general public when he took part in the 2023 edition of Top Chef.

Having worked at Guillaume Sanchez's Michelin-starred Ne/so restaurant, then L'Arpège, Alain Passard's 3-star restaurant, where he went from chef de partie rôtisserie to sous-chef on leaving Top Chef, he is now at the helm of his first restaurant, where he creates a cuisine that is iodized, lakeside and plant-based, with Basque and Mediterranean inspirations, in a nod to the origins of Halo's two founders, Victor Goyeneix and Matthieu Nicolaï.

And what fine bistronomic creations for a first season! On the evening menu, txistorra ravioli (16€), Espelette pepper-flavored bush cheese and meat jus to die for (Victor Blanchet's signature dish); mullet carpaccio (17€), ewe's milk cheese and persimmon; saddle of lamb cooked at low temperature then barbecued (35€) with mussel jus; barbecued octopus with green pesto lacquer (27€); or matured red mullet snacked bouillabaisse-style (30€), served in 2 courses.

It's bright and delicious, daring and delicate, simply excellent. And the same goes for desserts, such as the almond hazelnut crunch with amaretto liqueur chantilly (12€), but above all the realistic lemon (12€), a trompe-l'oeil creation that the chef will evolve with the seasons.

For lunch, expect to pay 29€ for a starter/main course or main course/dessert, or 34€ for the full menu, to be chosen from the weekly changing menu. But you can also choose from the evening menu, even at lunch, as we did! A detour to the wine list is also a must, carefully selected by sommelier Irène Jaubert, France's Best Sommelier Apprentice in 2019, who previously worked at 2* restaurant David Toutain and 110 Taillevent.

For any other beverage, head for the basement and its 4-metre-high ceilings, where the cocktail bar is hidden away! Here, you can sip creative cocktails such as the Bomber (white vermouth, tio pepe, rosemary, fig leaf kombucha and blueberry; €13) or the Bowtie (Rinquinquin, oolong tea and jasmine, fennel and parsley cordial, Campari; €13), all of which have in common the fact that they are low ABV, with a lower alcohol content than classic cocktails.

It's in the basement that we understand where Halo gets its name. A work by Studio Mandalaki, named Halo Giga, illuminates the lower level with its warm, vivid colors. The same applies to the 30m2 table d'hôtes, available for private dining only from Thursday to Saturday evenings.

No fewer than 15 people can dine here, around a large table, with a 3-course (€50) or 5-course (€75) gastronomic menu and dedicated waiter. A private, relaxed atmosphere guaranteed.

• To be read
• Top Chef restaurants in Paris, our best addresses
• Vaisseau, chef Adrien Cachot's long-awaited restaurant in Paris
• Court-Bouillon, the ephemeral restaurant of top chef Jean Covillault

A one-of-a-kind place that's sure to be the talk of the town in the months to come!