The duo Rémi Poulain and Anthony Rivière are at it again. After L'Escudella, a lovely address a stone's throw from Les Invalides that met with well-deserved success, they've now moved to the Left Bank with a new restaurant, L'Evadé, in a neighborhood that's a little livelier than the snoring 7th : SoPi.
L' Evadé takes its name, worthy of a Melville film, from the street on which it opened its doors, honoring the memory of Bertrand Clauzel, a French army officer. Deeply attached to Napoleon, Clauzel endeavored to organize his escape even though he was in exile in the United States. This exceptional loyalty inspired the name of the restaurant.
The restaurant's decor is marked by its past, with exposed beams and stonework, a cosy atmosphere and attentive service. Although Chef Poulain has worked in distinguished establishments(L'Auberge des Saints Pères, Prince de Galles, Laurent, Tour d'Argent), it's with"gastro techniques" but"bistro products" that he intends to impress his audience at L'Evadé. In short, bistronomic+ cuisine. Bingo!
Every starter, every dish, demonstrates the chef's haute-cuisine training, whether it's a mastered technique (these balls of creamy egg yolk that accompany smoked leeks and cecina; 14€), a daring but meticulous pairing (duck, turnip, pear, tonka, and why not?), or a cooking that you'd expect to be just around the corner and that turns out to be a success (fabulous sweetbreads with a crazy crispness but a heart of butter; 46€).
The chef also knows his (great) bistro classics, such as this pâté-croûte of poultry, pork, foie gras and hazelnuts (17€) or this purée to die for - we weigh our words - hollowed out by a childlike volcano from which pours a diabolical meat juice, which has nothing to envy to the famous Robuchon purée.
All this can be discovered at lunch, à la carte, with a starter/main course or main course/dessert menu (35€) and a starter/main course/dessert menu (39€). For dinner, expect to pay €44 or €52 for the aforementioned menus, and €60 for the tasting menu (€100 with wine and food pairings), also available at lunchtime.
Together with Anthony Rivière, the restaurant 's owner, Rémi Poulain has put together a wine list combining grand crus and wines from independent winemakers, as well as a selection of some forty rare Scotch, Irish and Japanese whiskies.
A confidential new address that, in these cold times, warms body and soul.
Location
The Escaped
23 Rue Clauzel
75009 Paris 9
Official website
www.levade.fr
