Restaurants Chez Loulou, Lenôtre Valentine & Ibu Gallery

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Restaurants Chez Loulou, Lenôtre Valentine & Ibu Gallery
No need to tell you chefs, like their products, come in different shapes, sizes and varieties. Some are only in it for the moolah, most for the passion and then there’s Benoit Chagny, a one-off. Chagny? Sounds familiar, Lameloise, Chagny the Burgundy gourmet destination. No, nothing to do with.  So, where have I heard of him before? When he was just a boy, it was at Le Crillon under the inspirational eyes of Christian Constant, Eric Frechon & Co. You may have seen our boy at Coq Hardi, Bougival, Pavillon Ledoyen, his own addys: Le Bouche à l’Oreille, L’Endroit or Le Bistro du 20th. Then he went off the radar for a while, travelling, visits to Morocco and other exotic locations. Now Bruno’s back in town with a neat little bistro, formerly Cantine des Tontons, chez lui at Chez Loulou, and he’s like a kid with a new toy. Skinny, with piercings, he wears Adidas under his whites, has that cool dude chef look. You’ll like it. “Regard the décor, all my own work”, he grins. “I search flea markets, have you been to La Salle des Ventes, Alesia? It’s a treasure trove. Chez Loulou’s my tradi-bistro re-interpreted by me”. Nothing matches, some of the assiettes have seen better days but it all adds up to an atmosphere where the best market driven products are served with enormous passion and pride. Veg comes from “Ô Comme 3 Pommes” just along the road at No.25. Bruno gives Sandrine a bear hug as she arrives (to write the menu-board) with crusty baguettes from Fournil de Brezen, just round the corner on 23 rue Brezen. “What makes a bon baguette”, I enquire. “La farine, la farine”, grins Sandrine. On the blackboard daily specials but there are signature plats: A freebie sip of pumpkin and carrot soup. Then chive sprinkled, charlotte de pommes de terre au tourteau; crushed comforting tatties combine tastily with cool crab. Foie gras, either en terrine or caramelised with port, fresh herbs. Beg for ten-hour slow-cooked “fondante joue de boeuf”: La cuisse de pintade faҫon blanquette. La côte de cochon noir, both tender and cracklingly crunchy. Ris de veau, pan juices, mushroom, saffron. Saumon rôti, barigoule d’artichauts à l’oriental. Wash down with excellent wines by glass or bottle from Chagny’s winemaker friends, say, Domaine Du Have or Henri Bourgeois. Dessert brioche rôtie tout caramel needs revising, too thick and heavy. Go for fromage du jour or fine tarte aux pommes, glace cannelle, gâteau chocolat and order a strong espresso, served in a glass, something special from Morocco Chagny’s a natural chef, he’s taken the best from the greats he’s worked with/for and created his own story. Qualité prix Loulou’s exceptional, don’t hesitate. Book now. See you there? What time? Bruno’s Black Book: Il Ristorante de Rocco Anfuso, 22 rue Fourcroy, 17th M: Ternes T: 01 47 54 91 48 Open 7/7 Cafe Beaubourg, Le In & Out Bar 241 rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine, 11th M: Faidherbe-Chaligny Shut: Sun-Mon Comptoir de la Vaisselle, 125 rue de Sevres 6th Chez Loulou, 3 rue Mouton Devernet 14th M: Mouton Devernet T: 01 45 42 29 59 Menus: 19€ lunch – Average Spend dinner 35-40€ Shut Sunday No site Lenôtre Valentine Fantasies Guy Krenzer, Chef de la Création chez Lenôtre, and his chefs, have created sublime sucreries for 14 February. Check out Follement Mille-Feuilles: L’Eclair Loukoum d’Amour: Duo de Concerto: Love & Paillettes and Le Coeur à Coeur – pictured here: The perfect match avec? Champagne Lenôtre Rosé (38€). Ashton’ll be hungry for more than love so consider the following: Noix de Saint-Jacques à la croûte de noix et ciboulette Volaille aux morilles et risotto au Comté Le “Coeur à Coeur” Réglette “Love & paillettes” to share 97€ pour 2 lovers. Sigh! Available at all Lenôtre boutiques or order online. Ibu Gallery’s new collection: Craft & Industry collection for Pôilane. The Collection Riedizioni by Luisa Cevese are bags, clothes, bits and pieces for the maison, made from scraps and leftovers. The flagship store’s in Milano, and now showcasing in Paris at Ibu Gallery. Each piece is unique due to the nature of RIEDIZIONI’s production process and the textile used: almost like a craftsman the machine “decides” what to do each time. “I love waste, working with waste”, said Luisa Cevese at the launch of the collection: “I have been a textile designer and researcher for many years. As Head of Research for a major Italian textile company I became aware of the amount and consistency of textile waste. This led me to consider the possibility of a design project using scraps as a basic element. Having gained some understanding of the plastics industry and technology, I started to combine textile waste with plastic of different kinds.  I saw in this new material such tremendous opportunity for development which neither a textile nor plastic producing company could fully exploit, that I decided to take on the challenge and started Riedizioni. At Ibu Gallery, and Pôilane boulangeries there are shopping bags made of hay. Buckwheat and hay tablemats. I-pad and i-phone covers. Prices from 15€-263€. The perfect gift for the Ashton who has everything. “My objective is to find the simplest solution which involves, in the widest possible sense, the minimum of waste”, explained Ms Cevese. “Yes, I suppose it’s fun, but you can’t even smoke it”, sniffed gallery visitor Pierre-Maurice Cayez-Vasse. Until 16th February, 2013 Ibu Gallery, Jardins du Palais Royal, 166 Galerie de Valois, 1st
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Born in Hampton, Middlesex, UK, Margaret Kemp is a lifestyle journalist, based between London, Paris and the world. Intensive cookery courses at The Cordon Bleu, London, a wedding gift from a very astute ex-husband, gave her the base that would take her travelling (leaving the astute one behind) in search of rare food and wine experiences, such as the vineyards of Thailand, 'gator hunting in South Florida, learning to make eye-watering spicy food in Kerala;pasta making in a tiny Tuscany trattoria. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Financial Times Weekend and FT. How To Spend It.com, The Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Travel, and Luxos Magazine. She also advises as consultant to luxury hotels and restaurants. Over the years, Kemp has amassed a faithful following on BonjourParis. If she were a dish she'd be Alain Passard's Millefeuille “Caprice d'Enfant”, as a painting: Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe !