Leriche: A Gastronomic Celebration of Caribbean Flavors

There’s no shortage of places to get Caribbean food in Paris, from cheerful, casual joints to the accras de morue (cod fritters) you can buy at open-air street markets (best devoured steaming hot from the paper bag). But it’s been difficult — downright impossible — to find a gastronomic spot showing off Caribbean cooking and flavors. Until now.

Chef Jean-Rony Leriche, born in Guadeloupe to Haitian parents, is on a mission to bring la gastronomie antillaise to Paris with his restaurant Leriche, which he opened in 2023 just a cobblestone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe and the place des Ternes in the 17th arrondissement. Here he’s showing off distinctive Caribbean produce (think okra, giraumon squash, soursop fruit, plantains) in terroir-driven cuisine that’s as much a delight for the eyes as for the tastebuds.

It’s a lively and elegant space with an upbeat soundtrack and an open kitchen with a flame oven (the boucanage cooking method was developed as a smoking technique to preserve fish and meat).

While at university in Toulouse, he played high-level basketball, before deciding to pursue his passion for cooking with professional culinary school. He opened his first restaurant, Leriche de saveurs, in 2014, and was later recognized by Gault et Millau as a “young talent.” He’s also published a book, Ma cuisine antillaise, and serves as a consulting chef for Air Caraïbes in designing the in-flight menus. At Leriche, he works alongside his wife Christine who is the directrice de salle.

Kick off your meal with a rum tasting as an aperitif — Leriche boasts a superb collection of rums, and plant- and fruit-infused spirits made in-house. The seven-course Discovery Menu starts with a plate of appetizer bites (possibly the best accra you’ll ever eat) and proceeds with conch mousse amuse-bouche, Ouassou bisque, a smoked chicken or fish main, and just-as-delicious desserts including a coconut cake with soursop sorbet. The dishes take you on a tour of the Caribbean, with recipes reflecting different island destinations, such as the Djon Djon rice with black mushrooms from Haiti.

The meal is punctuated with all kinds of surprises, including a “trou antillais” (a twist on the “trou gourmand” to facilitate digestion) and a marvelous array of homemade chili sauces, infused with flavors like vanilla, hibiscus, and passionfruit.

DETAILS
Restaurant Leriche
16 rue Brey, 17th
Open Tue-Sat from 12:30 to 2 pm, and from 7:30 pm to 9 pm
Lunch: entrée / plat ou plat / dessert for 39 € or entrée / plat / dessert for 49 €
Kids menu: 29 €
Dinner Discovery Menu: 69 €
Kids discovery menu: 39 €