Il Cuoco Galante, fine Italian cuisine accessible to all

Not content with discovering Braisenville and coming away conquered, we're back on Rue Condorcet, just a few steps away, to rub shoulders with the delights ofIl Cuoco Galante, restaurateur Philippe Baranes' second address. This time, the focus is not on French bistronomy, but rather on refined, delicate Italian cuisine that matches its neighbor on one point: affordability.

Like Braisenville, Il Cuoco Galante has prices to suit all budgets, with two lunch menus, again priced at €20 for a starter/main course or main course/dessert, and €24 for a starter/main course/dessert. In the kitchen, chef Pasquale Laudani, who has worked at the Table du Lancaster and the Royal Monceau, infuses his finest achievements at these fine tables into creations that are as sapid as they are comforting.

Who would have thought it possible to enjoy Italian cuisine at such an affordable price?Il Cuoco Galante ticks all the boxes for success: exclusively fresh, homemade pasta, like the stunning maccheroni with gorgonzola and hazelnuts; a mix of historic recipes that haven't changed since the 18th century and more contemporary ones, like the beef tagliata with bell pepper cream and friggitelli and the astonishing buckwheat gnocchi; completed by a farandole ofantipasti far removed from the ever-present bruschetta.

There's no simple assembly here, just starters worked like dishes, with plenty to discover: on our visit, an eggplant caponata rossa in the purest Sicilian tradition - a good dose of pleasure to boot - as well as a Puglian burrata with eggplant caviar to die for and smoked vinaigrette.

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We toast without a guilty conscience, in the sunshine on the terrace, with a small Italian wine from a 100% transalpine menu (a tasty Grechetto from 2019), before moving on to the sweet end of the menu: a baba with limoncello and amarena that makes you go gaga, and a coconut mousse, melon sorbet, tangy melon brunoise and jasmine gel.

No doubt about it, Italy is just around the corner.