Les Résidents is a unique restaurant, in that it doesn’t have a chef.
Or rather, it doesn’t have one chef.
The concept, alluded to in the restaurant’s name, is that a chef will take up residence in the small dining room for a period of weeks, adding a unique flavor to plates every few weeks. Until the end of March, that person is Kirsten Shaw, sous-chef of Atelier Crenn, who marries influences from her South African background and time spent living and working in France to create dishes that marry French products with spices and flavors from her native land.
After a bit of a wait for two glasses of Alexandre Bain’s 68, a delightful natural blend of his native Loire Valley Sauvignon Blanc and Alsatian Sylvaner, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc, we were served a mise en bouche:
this tasty samosa with a fruity chutney and tons of fresh herbs.
The dinner menu is made up of a prix fixe of two appetizers, two mains, two desserts, and a few chef suggestions. This mullet sashimi with sweet potato, avocado, and mango was fresh and bright, made with exquisite ingredients at the peak of their perfection. The combination of flavors could easily have been overwhelming, but they were dosed with perfect care, providing the opportunity for each bite to be slightly different.
Mains were more copious than I’m used to in the current minimalist Paris dining scene. Normandy scallops were offered as part of the menu (albeit with a slight supplement) and came in a rich sunchoke cream sauce with mushrooms and chestnuts. A small glass of scallop jus and rooibos was served alongside to cut some of the richness of this luxurious dish.
It’s always incredibly hard for me to say no to ris de veau (veal sweetbreads), and I’m particularly glad I didn’t here. Served with multicolored carrots roasted to perfection, a butternut purée, and small slices of kumquat that offered a welcome touch of acidity, this dish may have looked a bit overwhelming on the plate, but it was pure perfection on the palate.
After learning that the pineapple dessert had been replaced by rhubarb (which scarred me about twenty years ago), we opted to forego dessert entirely, though we did enjoy these mignardises: banana bread, mini meringues, and the most melt-in-your-mouth pâte de fruit I’ve ever had the joy of tasting (and I’m a regular at Jacques Genin).
I’m excited to see what the next resident will bring to the table.
Les Résidents - 78, rue de Lévis, 75017