Last night I returned to one of my favourite Paris restaurants - Frederic Simonin and the food was, if anything, better than ever. Frederic Simonin is a restaurant you may well not have heard of, even if you’re a regular visitor to Paris. Established in 2010 and currently with one Michelin rosette to its name, hidden away on the Rue Bayen in the 17th Arrondissement you may well be drawn to better known restaurants nearer to the center. But don’t be, as this is a secret for now but bound not to be for very much longer.
This is becoming one of my all time favourites in Paris and last night they had changed the menu quite a bit from before, however as usual everything was delicious. I had quite prepared myself for a return to their wonderful vegetable salad however and was sorry it wasn't there. Hopefully it will return.
Simonin, whose mentor was Joel Robuchon (and launched his eponymous restaurant, L’atelier de Joel Robuchon in London) is not one of those chefs who comes out to greet you and pass the time of day. He stays firmly in the kitchen and it shows in the quality of the food – no handing over the reins here.
The idea of the modern black white and silver restaurant which has been divided into three separate rooms, was created by Maud Lesur, ex fashion editor at Madame Figaro with the thought that you should feel like a ‘guest in a private home’. You notice immediately also that most of the diners are French, which is always a good sign.
If you can get here, do, for when this restaurant starts to be better known and gets, almost inevitably, further professional recognition, it will be much harder to book a table and will also, as they do, become more expensive. What you will find if you dine here is the quality and flavour of a 3* restaurant, but not the prices. Enjoy it while it lasts. This chef is undoubtedly on the way up and as one food blogger wrote in a short but excited post about this must-visit restaurant ‘Frederic Simonin – OMG!’.I was lucky enough to pay a second visit to this restaurant on another trip to Paris and the food just went on getting better. Not inexpensive, but then nothing in Paris is, but if you want somewhere really special, undiscovered by most at this point, and perfect for a celebration, then this is well worth a visit. There's also a lunch menu at 39Euros at time of writing, so if you're visiting just for the day you can really treat yourself.
Frederic Simonin Restaurant 25 RUE BAYEN 75017 PARIS - FRANCE Tel : +33 1 45 74 74 74
