RESTAURANTS • First Word
The Skinny: After winning a Michelin star for inventive (but very polished) contemporary French cooking at his eponymous restaurant in Les Halles, young chef Omar Dhiab cooks from the heart at this minimalist space in the 10th. The resulting comfort food dishes at Elbi reflect his identity growing up in France as the son of an Egyptian father and a Tunisian mother.
The Vibe: The sprawling space with Formica booths, tables, and a big table d’hôtes immediately pulled an eclectic crowd of Parisian creatives, along with Egyptian and other North African expats proud to see their childhood comfort foods rendered by a chef trained in classical French haute cuisine.
The Food & Drink: Start off with a Karkadé cocktail, named for Karkadé, the delicious spiced hibiscus juice and citrus drink served at Egyptian weddings. After that, plan on two or three small-plate dishes per person. The menu is divided up into sections by cooking method — room temperature, steamed, fried, grilled, and roasted — so set up your table with the chopped tomato, onion, and cucumber salad and some homemade harissa. Then, tuck into dishes like succulent octopus-stuffed ravioli in a creamy sauce seasoned with couscous jus; an Egyptian-style Scotch egg (soft-boiled, wrapped in falafel, and deep fried); tempura grape leaves with a spicy chickpea condiment; hawawchi, a flaky grilled flatbread stuffed with ground beef; and maybe the lacquered pigeon with fried almonds and an apricot-and-pepper condiment. There’s an ambitious and pricey list of natural and organic wines.
The Verdict: A poignantly delicious ode to the multicultural childhood of a talented young chef, Elbi shows off just how cosmopolitan modern French cooking has become. –Alexander Lobrano
→ Elbi (10th arr) • 54 Rue de Paradis • Mon-Fri 18h30h-0h; Sat-Sun 12h-14h30; 19h-0h • Call to reserve: (33) 01-42-26-40-14.