Sinner

Paris, France

A Parisian’s robust appetite for recreation is unrivalled. Feeding locals’ lust for sensual culinary experiences dans le soir, Sinner is a mischievous hotel restaurant that flirts with the 3rd arrondissment’s religious heritage. Gothic candelabras, stained-glass windows and confessional-red velvet pews pay homage to the former 13th-century home of the Knights Templar, while statues of nuns blowing bubblegum and old-school turntables ensure it’s more St Trinian’s School than it is Notre Dame. In complete contrast to the Marais district’s typical French fare, dishes dance their way from the deserts of North Africa to the street-food stalls of Brazil via Peruvian produce markets. Cumin-laced koftes are presented on a hand-held wood-fire grill, bite-sized tacos overflow with chilli con carne, and a bowl of tabbouleh comes piled high with allotment-fresh vegetables – radishes, tomatoes, cucumber – atop the bulgur below. A trio of ceviche is as theatrical as the surrounds, presented on a bed of ice and served with clouds of mist. It’s exotic, unexpected and exactly what Paris needs to satisfy its voracious hunger.

Words by Fleur Rollet-Manus. 00 33 14 27 22 00, sinnerparis.com