I first discovered Chef Rob Mendoza’s food when he was over at Le Saint Sébastien, which remains my favorite restaurant in Paris. Since his departure, Mendoza has landed at Vivant 2, whose open kitchen surrounded by bar stools has previously been home to everyone from Pierre Jancou to Sota Atsumi to Pierre Toitou.
I’ve visited Vivant 2 before, but you didn’t miss my review: the somewhat oddly snooty ambiance here (which doesn’t really suit the quartier) led to my being told in no uncertain terms that photos were strictly prohibited, during my last meal. Some scraps of this snobbishness remain in the dining room – including the bizarre (to me, at least) chorus of “Bonsoir, bienvenue!” called out by the whole staff of the tiny restaurant any time a guest passes through the door. What isn’t snobbish is the cuisine Mendoza is now known for: a wholehearted embracing of plants with accents of the Mexican flavors of his background.
The menu on the night of my visit was short and sweet: a trio of appetizers and mains, one hors d’oeuvre, a cheese course playing the role of a second dessert option, and only one option exclusive to the high-rollers at the table (a whole stuffed pigeon at 60 euro) to garnish the otherwise fairly affordable offerings.
We opted to start with the sourdough potato bread spread with thick, black tahini and topped with a paper-thin sheet of kohlrabi. The textural interplay here was on-point, with the crisp vegetable marrying perfectly with the chewy, toothsome bread. A stalwart tahini fan, I was bowled over by the rich flavors here, which paired perfectly with a bright Alsatian sparkling.
As an appetizer, we opted to share a watermelon dish (watermelon and eggplant: the on-trend summer produce for Paris in 2021. You heard it here first.) The watermelon sat in a black vinegar broth and was coated with a heavy dusting of poppy and flax seeds. With a side of simply steamed string beans, it was evocative of all of my favorite things about summer. (If the service here were just a little bit less starched, I would have wasted no time in tipping the rest of that earthy vinegar back. As it was, it returned to the kitchen; somehow, despite the eagle-eyed maitre’d, we never received any bread.)
We shared two mains. The first was a barely-seared bonito tuna with a Korean gochujang-spiked tomato broth and a pile of Swiss chard (which, after a decade of claiming I hate it, I am starting to develop a slight affection for). I was on my second glass of wine at this point and, still breadless, opted to spoon up the rest of the broth with the fervor of a Dickensian orphan. I have no regrets.
The second main was a plate of massive hunks of roasted broccoli topped in a generous, pesto-y green mole sauce: my fave of the night – and, along with the watermelon, it happened to be vegan. While this is definitely something you are seeing more of in Paris, it’s exciting and enticing to have a vegan option that doesn’t feel like an expensive plate of steamed veggies. This was truly a rockstar of a dish.
The only item that didn’t blow me away was dessert – and that’s a shame, as it started with something I love: Brillat-Savarin. Mendoza whips it into an airy mousse – almost more of a meringue – and pairs it with jam. But the unctuous buttery richness of the Brillat gets lost in this approach, and a salty mousse feels somehow… offputting? It wasn’t bad, it just wasn’t great.
Aside from that, however, the flavors were on-point here, and if the service is a little bit too heavy on bravado for my taste, the food more than makes up for it.
Vivant 2 - 43, rue des Petites Écuries, 75010