An eggplant served like a fish, trout prepared Japanese dashi-style, a lamb neck bao… At Eskal, the new fine-dining restaurant in Paris’s 8th arrondissement, chef Alexandre Chambat and Ken Nanaumi (Akabeko) serve up precise, inventive cuisine that loves to push ingredients to their limits: fermentation, smoking, ageing, condiments and unexpected combinations.
The ingredient in every possible form
Located opposite the gardens of the Chapelle Expiatoire in the peaceful 8th arrondissement, Eskal first impresses with its stunning interior inspired by Japanese forest landscapes, designed by architect Régis Botta and combining stone, wood, beige and verdigris tones. The best spot? The ten-seat counter facing the open kitchen, where you can watch the dishes being prepared and pick up a few tips from the team.
After working at Pavillon Ledoyen with Yannick Alléno, and then at L’Astrance with Pascal Barbot, whose work continues to guide him, Alexandre Chambat builds his cuisine around one obsession: understanding each ingredient and, above all, wasting nothing. At Eskal, he works with vegetable growers, fishermen, farmers and artisans, while developing a genuine “culinary library” of fermentations and preparations designed to expand his aromatic palette throughout the seasons.
At the table, this translates into truly personal combinations. Eggplant is treated like a fish, marinated in a leche de tigre sauce and served with corn and oat milk. Freshly picked beans from local growers come with a sauce made from lacto-fermented mirabelle plums, walnut paste and hogweed. Trout is then served in several different preparations: smoked dashi-style, belly-meat tacos, confit trout and tarragon espuma.
The culinary demonstration continues with a Noirmoutier mussel prepared marinière-style, potato chips and mussel emulsion, followed by lamb served as a bao, chop and shoulder, paired with Swiss chard, black olive and mint consommé. For dessert, nectarine-chilli sorbet with sweet cicely-infused raw cream, or fig and grape with bread miso, extend this cuisine, which embraces acidity as much as vegetal and fermented notes. A Michelin star in sight? Place your bets!
Open Tuesday to Saturday, lunch 12pm–1:30pm, dinner 7pm–9:30pm. Lunch menus: Parenthèse, 3 courses, €69; Échappée, 5 courses, €89. Eskal menu, €130.
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