5.5 Les Gourmands Disent, 235 bis rue Saint Charles in the 15th, 01.45.54.05.31, closed weekends (Metro: Balard) has been open in its new format, best as I can tell from its Facebook feed, for only about a year. It's chef Pascal Champ is well-travelled, having been in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, New Caledonia, Indonesia, Malasia, Thailand, Argentina and the Carribean. But he's put in his time here at the Plaza Athénée, Righi, la Coupole, Boeuf sur le Toit and his own eponymous resto in the 14th. This place has the feel of his dream decor with ultramodern furniture, upside-down plants and an open kitchen.
A look at the menu and you'd say "Pretty average fare." But it's anything but. I started with the cabbage stuffed with Alaska crab with an almost curry sauce and went on to veal kidneys (done to perfection) with a sauce whose ingredients I couldn't pin down. I finished up with a cafe gourmand which as quite nice.
My bill, with a half-bottle of wine and no bottled water, was 46 E. dB level 84.4.
Go? I think this guy is cooking interesting stuff not usually seen in 99% of places and I'd be interested to see how he develops. I wasn't in love with his sauces but theu sure got my attention.
