Of the restaurants I went to my last trip to Paris, David Toutain is the one that I want to go back to and the one that I have no hesitation in recommending. While the restaurants of Paris’ well known chefs – Joel Robuchon, Alain Ducasse, etc. – remain highlights of any trip to Paris, I find I have an increasing preference for eating food by the younger set. I think it’s partly due to the more casual ambience and less costly menus, but in many ways, I think the food holds a little more surprise.
I was here for lunch in May 2014 and although the restaurant was just five months old, it had already garnered positive press (David Toutain has since gone on to attain a Michelin Star), making reservations a must. Part of the difficulty in getting a table is also because it’s a relatively small restaurant serving probably not more than 40 per sitting.
As with the trend of some of the newer fine dining restaurants these days, only degustation or perhaps more apt – omakase – menus are offered (David calls these Carte Blanche menus). There is no a la carte. There was a choice of the lighter or the full degustation. We went for the full hog, which is now priced at EUR105. David Toutain also offers a smaller three course lunch for just EUR45.
The notable aspect of David’s food is that there is a fair bit of international influence. For instance, smoked eel was served in a thick black sesame sauce. I think this reflects his two year stint traveling and cooking around the world. Incidentally, his wife’s family is originally from Singapore so he did spend a bit of time here. I also really enjoyed the variety of vegetable based courses as well, which according to the press harks back to the time he spent in Michelin three-starred Arpege.
For dessert lovers, David Toutain offers a few rounds of dessert and they were all very good. I’m not a big dessert person but I appreciated that the offerings offered some surprising combinations (see pics below).
The restaurant is located on the left bank, just two streets over from the west side of Invalides. This means that it’s an ideal lunch or dinner spot after a morning or late afternoon visit to the Musee d’Orsay, which is less than 20 minutes walk away.
David Toutain website: http://davidtoutain.com. Call or make reservations via email, best done weeks in advance.
Food Pics Below
