itinéraires in paris

hubs and i decided to do a bit of a last minute weekend to paris a few weeks back.  because of our last-minute-ness (is that a word?), we weren’t able to secure reservations at our usual hang-outs but got to check-out a few joints that mark bittman mentioned in 2009 article “Alive and Evolving: The Paris Bistro.”

first up on the docket was restaurant itinéraires, a restaurant in a very lovely corner of the 5th arrondissement.  it’s a clean and modern sort of bistro in muted shades of gray and dark espresso.

we sat next to some canadians who whole heartedly recommended the 6 course menu, which ran something around 65 euros.  it comes with either 2 desserts or a cheese and a dessert.  yum!

sylvain sendra, the chef that hails from the bresse region of france, has traveled extensively in places like japan. the influence of his travels is apparent in his cooking.  a lot of the dishes exhibited japanese elements — tempura, an appreciation for tea, raw fish, and a certain lightness in touch and flavour.  there are also a few japanese chefs in the kitchen helping out, which may or may not explain the high concentration of japanese diners that night.

foam also shows up throughout the meal. he paired perfect greens of the salad with a bacon flavoured foam, an interesting juxtaposition of texture and taste, no less.

i am a little obsessed with their modern take on the onion tart.  by far, the star of the evening.  it comes ivory and dainty — bits of button mushrooms, sliced thin and arranged just so into shape of a flower.

the caramelised onions and foie are sandwiched in between two crisp and buttery wafers, sitting in their little pond of red wine reduction.

oh my goodness, can we do that again?

we were served a soothing glass of lemongrass and star anise tea at the end of our meal, and asked to choose between a fruit salad dessert or a cheese course.

we were both served a mini berry tart as our 2nd dessert.  it was really more of a butter cookie dressed up with berries, creme legere, vanilla ice cream, and served on a mirrored surface.  c’est bon!

Itinéraires
5 Rue de Pontois
75005 Paris, France
01 46 33 60 11