Le Passage 53

It's THE food buzz of the moment ! This totally unusual bistrot, nestled in an old Parisian passageway, has just won its second Michelin star. The promise ? An unpretentious and at the same time down to earth design venue, oozing with charm, featuring Art-Deco tiling, vintage furniture.

Its great asset ? A highly gastronomic and very Parisian enclave where one can laugh very hard or show up in jeans, relax laugh and enjoy a delightful meal without snobby attitude...

Super light ! Even twigs will love it here. Like a gourmet fashion show, here designer plates are featured one after the other like pieces of a collection: graphic, colorful, fresh, all at in rather light and ultra-refined style.

Top chef... A Japanese chef, Sako, who knows his meat musts (Hugo Desnoyers, the rock-star of butchers) and who rustles up veggies with a real touch of genius. Result ? A little dish that looks like a Japanese garden served by laid-back waiters.

On the table... Like a gourmet gift, the menu, is a surprise ! Translation : each dish arrives like a little gift to discover. And each haute couture plate becomes a graphic silhouette.

The musts. Under a Japanese daikon sheet, a fresh and sensual scallop. An ode to the topinambour, aka as a Jerusalem artichoke, a "forgotten" vegetable that is making a comeback : mashed and slightly sweet topped off by a topinambour biscuit filled with truffle. Sublime ! Oysters under a fluffy mouse of apples and haddock is smothered with beluga caviar.

And the desserts... They arrive all at once, like a deluxe café gourmand. On the program ? A chocolate tart with salty butter caramel, a mini tatin apple pie, a little pot of milk chocolate, passion fruit and blown rice, crunch palace style.

We also like ! Its vintage wines such as a Gevrey Chambertin (18 EUR per glass).

The prices ? 55 EUR for a 5-course lunch menu. 95 EUR for the lunch and evening tasting menus.