Time has been kind to Septime, Théophile Pourriat and Bertrand Grébaut’s Michelin-starred London-style gastropub. The décor – with its thick patinated wooden tables, industrial-style light fittings, and polished concrete floor – remains unchanged since its opening in 2011, and has not aged a day. The cuisine, which had set the stage for adventurous bistronomy (now somewhat clichéd), remains sharp with a seven-course menu (€135) that's largely plant-based, that can be seen as a controlled crescendo, with the less surprising dishes serving as tasty stepping stones to truly extraordinary plates.
When we visit, we start with a small dish of beets cooked in hay and acidified with currants, followed by a decent truffle potato velouté with brioche, before soaring to greater heights: first with a dish of meltingly tender sucrine lettuce and watercress draped in a slice of wafer-thin house-cured bacon, then a pairing of tender scallops, a slice of bone marrow, and buttery spinach. We then reach a Mediterranean climax, with a brilliant dish of grilled veal sweetbreads with harissa, accompanied by a couscous broth – a reminder of how underutilised Maghrebi cuisine is in our region.
For a sweet finish, there is a delightful porcini mushroom cream under a blood orange granita and a plump Japanese flan with a Savagnin sabayon. To fully experience the potential of these delicate dishes, opt for the erudite, well-traveled, and perfectly calibrated wine pairing; a journey through artisanal sake, natural wine from Arbois, rosé from Champagne, and Slovenian white. It may inflate the bill, but it undoubtedly elevates the experience.
Discover more of the city's best eateries with our guide to the best restaurants in Paris.
Translated by Olivia Simpson