Are you familiar with the Narro restaurant and its delicious menu by Chikuda Kazuma ? Or perhaps you've fallen under the spell of Baillotte and its succulent dishes concocted by Chef Satoshi Amitsu? If you're familiar with these two gourmet addresses in the capital, you'll be delighted to know that Calice has set up shop in the Latin Quarter!
Calice is the name of this new address from the owners of Narro and Baillotte, located in the 5th and 6th arrondissements respectively. For Calice, open since January 18, 2024, the team led by Julien Alain has chosen to remain in the heart of the capital, setting up shop at N°5 rue de Bazeilles (5e), just a 10-minute walk from Narro.
So what can you expect when you walk through the doors of Calice? For this new and third address in Paris, the owners are this time banking on a concept combining two different atmospheres. At lunchtime, the restaurant offers top-flight cuisine in the gastronomic spirit of Narro and Baillotte. In the evening, a different atmosphere, with a wine bar and small plates to share. All this is to be discovered in a sublime 120 m² space, featuring a glass roof and an Italian granite counter.
As with its big brothers, the discovery and tasting of natural, organic and biodynamic wines, selected by sommelier Thomas Legrand, are a matter of course at Calice. For the moment, a hundred or so wines are on the menu. But this selection is set to grow over the months, with more grands crus, assures us the very friendly Théo at the service.
On the culinary front, Calice titillates our taste buds with delicious culinary proposals imagined by Narro's chef, Chikuda Kazuma, now co-owner and Executive Chef of Calice. And for this new adventure, the Japanese-born chef is not alone, as he is supported by young chef Louis Fedide, just back from London.
We were lucky enough to discover and taste the dishes of Chikuda and Louis over lunch, with the added bonus of a breathtaking view of the open kitchen where the young, dynamic team is hard at work. On the menu that lunchtime? Three starters, three main courses and three desserts. The tasting begins with a tasty gravlax of smoked yellowtail, sublimated by a sake broth, a few koji onions, citrus fruits and winter radishes. An excellent introduction to Kazuma's creativity. Opposite, a beef tartare with fermented apples, a Mont d'Or siphon and crispy breadcrumbs.
The Calice culinary experience continues with a succulent plate of agnolotti pasta, generously topped with smoked ricotta and accompanied by a parsley crisp, mushroom emulsion, black garlic and peanuts, and a tender filet of duckling, sublimated by an incredible orange gastrique sauce, with salsify, Jerusalem artichokes and burnt blood orange as accompaniments. In addition to seducing our taste buds from the very first bite, these plates are perfectly presented.
At Calice, desserts are made by Louis, a pastry connoisseur. We highly recommend you try one of the three desserts on the menu. For cocoa lovers, opt for the incredible and oh-so-indulgent hot chocolate mousse, with coconut ice cream and coconut shavings, toasted cocoa and a drizzle of olive oil. To die for!
If you prefer fruit, then let yourself be tempted by the red fruit vacherin with lychee mascarpone cream, raspberry sorbet and rose emulsion. Note that the menu changes regularly, according to the seasons and the Chef's whims. So come back regularly to Calice for a taste of new culinary offerings!
In the evening, the atmosphere is different, with French-style " tapas ", again imagined by Chikuda Kazuma. As at lunchtime, the emphasis is on ultra-sourced products from the French terroir (meat from the Huguenin butcher's, seafood from Ostrenn, ham from the Maison Le Noir de Bigorre...), with a nod to Japanese cuisine to take us on a journey.
On the menu, for example, you'll find veal tartare au couteau, with organic perfect egg, cauliflower, pickles and coriander, a succulent plate of Icelandic sea urchin (which we were able to sample) with ginger carrot cream, nori brioche tuile and bergamot emulsion, Kabocha gnocchi grilled with Binchotan, or homemade ramen with truffle dashi, caramelized pork belly, crunchy vegetables and yuzu condiment, not to mention scallops lacquered with cider caramel, accompanied by a vanilla Jerusalem artichoke cream.
In short, here's a culinary address to be discovered as soon as possible, before it's taken over by a host of gourmets!
Location
Calyx
5 Rue de Bazeilles
75005 Paris 5
Official website
www.calicerestaurant.fr
