Tracé, chef Clément Vergeat's deeply moving gourmet table

Tamara is dead, long live Tracé! Opened in place of his previous address, Tracé is the sign of chef Clément Vergeat's revival, already well underway during the three years of Tamara's existence. While his first restaurant opened in collaboration with Andreea Barroca in a bistronomic spirit (and according to some of the owner's wishes, such as the name of the establishment), Tamara quickly reached new heights, those of great gastronomy and unlimited creativity.

Clément Vergeat wasted no time in bridging the gap between the original project and the way things turned out, by completely reinventing the 15 rue Richelieu address to better reflect his own image of the setting and cuisine, both of which were tending to be even more streamlined.

To go back to the chef's origins, we need to recall his stint at Les Bouquinistes and the three-starred Monnaie de Paris restaurant, both owned by Guy Savoy; his meeting with chef Toshitaka Omiya, who would become his mentor, at Alliance; his acclaimed performance on the 2018 edition of Top Chef.

Fascinated by Nordic cuisine, Clément Vergeat continued his apprenticeship in Copenhagen, at Kokkeriet, then at Le Copenhague on the Champs-Elysées, before heading back to the Netherlands, on the North Sea, at Sergio Herman's two-star Pure C restaurant.

From these cold lands, he returns with a deep and inexhaustible desire to invent new things, in complete freedom. Disregarding the seasons, the chef preserves foods using a variety of techniques picked up here and there - something he already did at Tamara, but takes a step further at Tracé - and transforms them through fermentation, maturation, pickling or garum techniques. This leaves plenty of room for surprises, both good and not-so-good.

"The chef at Kokkeriet was setting traps for himself; he didn't know what he'd discover when he opened a jar. Having ingredients that live their own lives, alongside what I cook every day, reassures me. I dread exhaustion, breakdowns, laziness, the routine of returning again and again to what I know how to do, the old cook's tricks. Knowing that there are things waiting for me somewhere, that they'll be there when I'm looking for an idea, tastes, to bring volume, relief to a dish, that's true freedom for me." explains this chef who describes himself as on a "perpetual quest for purity", continuing: "My dream is to have a cold room for every day, with fresh produce, and a cold room for jars, to play with without knowing what the outcome will be."

The crockery changed, the wine list fine-tuned, the menu outlined, the team briefed - gently supported by restaurant manager Félix Bogniard, whom we met at Copenhagen - and so Tracé opened, a name that had been on Clément Vergeat 's mind for a couple of years, and which should even have adorned the façade of what should have been his first restaurant in Montpellier, had the opening of Tarama in Paris not decided otherwise.

Twicewon over by Tamara, our Arlésienne devant l'Eternel, ignored for far too long by the famous red guide to our great despair, we're back just a stone's throw from the Palais-Royal to rub shoulders once again with one of the most exciting and moving chefs of his generation.

Combining rigor, great technical skill and vibrant sensibility, Clément Vergeat and his team play the game of gastronomic cuisine to heights rarely seen in recent years. His quest for thepurity of his culinary identity and his eye for detail make him focus on other things, without bluster but with greatexcitement.

A few winks in memory of the previous address - this flower, a delicate premise for what awaits us; and then, some stunning novelties to be discovered through an 8-course tasting menu at dinner (€130 skilfully spent) complemented, as desired, by food and beverage pairings - non-alcoholic, with house kefir and kombucha; with wines from small producers; or with exhilarating cuvées, selected for their singularity.

Since the start of the 2024 school year, Tracé has also been open for lunch, from Tuesday to Friday. Expect to pay €65 for a 3-course menu (€110 with wine pairing, €94 with non-alcoholic pairing) and €95 for a 5-course menu (€155 with wine pairing, €135 with non-alcoholic pairing).

And since a picture is worth a thousand words...

Knäckebröd, bottarga

Floraison 2.0 signature
Radish, roasted sunflower seeds, cosmos flower petals, caviar

Nest of smoked trout and herring roe
Sabayon

Dehydrated tomato style
Tagetes and fig leaves vinaigrette

Artichoke, crab, Kalamata olives
Yellow wine emulsion

Scampi broth
Lampung pepper oil

Raw langoustine tail, steamed in seaweed
Squid blubber, sea grapes, oyster cream

Turbot and mussels

Pigeon cooked on trunk, preserved spring shoots
Effiloché of leg confit

Redcurrant and basil tartlet

Field flowers
Meadowsweet ice cream, pollen insert

An achievement and a taste for excellence, to be sure. Let's face it, the road to a well-deserved star seems clear. And if that's still not the case, we'll hand in our apron.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.