Septime (Paris, France)

We decided already where we wanted to eat our first dinner back in Paris...Septime. A friend of ours tweeted that he just ate at Septime and that it was one of the best meals he has ever had in Paris. Our friend is a very trusted foodie, so with a 'tweet' like that...we had to try Septime.

There's plenty of buzz around this new restaurant from young chef Bertrand Grébault, who climbed the ranks at L'Arpège before going on to earn a star at his own at Agapé at the tender age of 27. He was awarded a 10,000 euro grant from Evian-Badoi to realize his vision for Septime, where he hopes to "democratize" haute cusine (parisbymouth.com).

The decor was post industrial ambiance with a simple bistro flare. Wooden tables and chairs with strategic mood lighting but candles on each table added warmth to the room.

We chose the 5 course menu at 55 euros.

The first dish was Tuna from St. Jean de Luze with mousse of cucumber and capers with lemon. The tuna was so fresh and had a vibrant red colour, at first I thought it looked like watermelon slices. The tuna had such a lovely texture and the mousse of cucumber added the sweetness and capers with lemon added the acidity, sourness and saltiness to the tuna. Just lovely.

The second dish was Squid with leeks in squid ink and grilled chorizo. The squid was so fresh and tender. The leeks added a slight bitterness and the chorizo added saltiness. A great combination of flavours.

The third dish was Merlu with broccoli and mousse of pumpkin. The merlu was cooked perfectly. It had a great texture and taste. Such a simple dish but the seasonal flavours & colours really stood out.

The fourth dish was Poularde jaune cooked two different ways with cream of corn, radish balls and grilled bell pepper. The two different cooking ways made this dish very interesting. The poularde was so tender & juicy. The accompanying sides were light in texture but amazingly powerful in flavour.

I had the dessert which was Chocolate fondant with vanilla ice cream. Back to simplicity...no over clever dessert here. The chocolate was of very good quality and the fondant was cooked just perfectly. With the slight touch of my spoon, the melted chocolate oozed slowly onto the plate. A great sight to behold...and taste.

My friend had the special cheese selection. The cheeses were of very good quality, texture and taste. I did forget to ask from which region the cheeses came from.

Even though the restaurant was full...the open kitchen which was amazingly quiet & calm...for all that delicious food coming out it. Very zen!

Overall; this indeed was one of the great meals we have had in Paris. Septime is one of the leaders of a new movement in Paris that focuses on the ingredients and the soul of the food itself. With the culinary genius and an approach to cooking that breathes life into traditional French cooking, chef Grébault is already a favourite of many foodies.

On top of the food, the service of the highest standards. It is rare to come across service that is a total combination of professionalism yet genuine, helpful, friendly, knowledgeable (of the food and especially of the wines) and finally even have a sense of humour...very rare indeed.

The total combination of the most delicious food, reasonable prices, great ambiance and superb service...Septime is now on our regular 'to eat' list!

Address: 80, rue de Charonne, Paris 75011

Telephone: +33 1 43 67 38 29
Métro : Charonne