Les Grands Enfants

160 Boulevard de Charonne, Paris, France

Following the success of the original Les Grands Enfants, the legendary restaurant in Megève’s Hotel Mont-Blanc, style mavens Jocelyne and Jean-Louis Sibuet have launched a Paris branch, located off the Champs Elysées, in the former 18th-century townhouse that was formerly ‘rue Balzac’ singer Johnny Hallyday’s brasserie. The walls are punctuated with dramatic urban murals and paintings; colours are harmonies of taupe, mauve, brushed-gold and brown. Faux-leather, cookie-cutter curtains frame the inside windows, outside herbs and plants tumble in profusion. The wellspaced tables are dressed with crisp white cloths; number 24 on the sofa has the best view of the beautiful people. The giant stateof- the-art rotisserie is the same as Megève; from it order organic golden chicken served with cooking juices and tiny roast potatoes, rack of thyme-roasted lamb or rotisserie of the day with pomme purée, hand-cut chips and green salad. Heading the kitchens is chef Francois Martin, who is passionate about organic produce. His starters include, alone or to share, potimarron (a chestnut-flavoured squash) and gourd soup, a tin of tiny ‘Ramon Peña’ sardines and seasonal vegetables cooked in a consommé. Of the mains, the highlights are the sea bass with tomato tartare, pigeon joint with pears and turnips and the fillet of beef cooked in the Enfants Terribles style. Old favourites from Megève include a tender rib of veal with girolles. To finish, be sure to try the magnificent riz au lait caramélisé, it’s nothing like we had at school. Margaret Kemp