Quietly avant-garde
Prévelle, Poissonnerie Viot, Casa Bini, Shopu, 2nd arr listings, best London saunas, MORE
RESTAURANTS • First Word
Funky & feral
The Skinny: After almost 20 years as a loyal lieutenant to legendary chef Alain Ducasse everywhere from the Plaza Athénée to Doha, Romain Meder has gone solo, spreading his wings in one of the Left Bank’s silk-stocking neighborhoods at Prévelle.
The Vibe: The restaurant occupies an improbably brutalist duplex formerly home to La Garance. If La Garance was a favorite of mostly male politicians in ill-fitting suits, the early days crowd at Prévelle — where the snug second-floor dining room has exposed cement floors, with oak parquet and paneling — is noticeably hipper. Two men with elaborate dragon tattoos sat across from us, and there were courting creatives on our left and right, with New York chef Dan Barber — Meder’s closest American culinary counterpart — seated at a round table in the corner with two French friends. Service features friendly young servers in wheat-colored linen tunics, sharing their enthusiasm for the healthy New Age French haute cuisine that Meder pioneers here.
The Food: Sustainability and a zero-waste ethos are the compass points of Meder’s quietly avant-garde cooking, which surprises with a stealthy sensuality. His flavor constellations and texture juxtapositions are sly, shrewd, funky, and sometimes feral, a perfect example being his dish of chicken in a glossy black sauce of squid ink with shaved fennel and crunchy ribbons of raw squid. Roasted cabbage with caviar and fig-leaf gelée from our dinner tasting menu was another nervy example of the succulence accomplished with a certain kind of gastronomic austerity, which (caviar notwithstanding) mostly eschews traditional luxury ingredients like foie gras and lobster.
The Drink: An outstanding list of natural and organic wines, with an especially alluring and impressive selection from the Loire Valley, where the sommelier hails from.
The Verdict: By discreetly eschewing the virtue-claiming hair-shirtedness of so much sustainable 21st-century cooking, Meder looks set to have a major impact on the direction of French haute cuisine. –Alexander Lobrano
→ Prévelle (7th arr) • 34 Rue Saint-Dominique • Dinner Mon-Fri 19h30-22h, Lunch Tue-Fri 12h15-14h • Book.
Photo: Maki Manoukian
PARIS WORK & PLAY LINKS: 5 takeaways from Paris Fashion Week Men’s… and what else went down (besides the heat) • Heatwave shuts top of Eiffel Tower • A Parisian lexicon.
GOODS & SERVICES • FOUND Shop
Fish tales
When Arthur and Marie-Victoire Viot, barely in their thirties, left behind careers in law and engineering to become fishmongers, their parents were baffled. But the couple had a clear vision: to reinvent the craft from the scales up. At their stall inside the Marché Saint-Germain, Poissonnerie Viot brings a near-scientific rigor to freshness, delivering some of the best fish in Paris.
The most striking difference? There’s no crushed ice in sight. Instead, the catch is gutted and cleaned at dawn, then displayed in custom vitrines that maintain precise temperature and humidity — a system Arthur helped design. The result: gleaming turbot, red mullet, Cherbourg salmon, Bélon oysters, spider crab, langoustines. The sourcing is just as meticulous, favoring line-caught, ikéjimé-treated fish from small French boats in Brittany, Vendée, and Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
A few tables stretch along the stand for those who want to linger. You’ll find roasted whole fish with olive oil, red tuna gravlax, Marie-Victoire’s fish soup and tarama, as well as sashimi. Even the soy sauce is best-in-class. –Victoire Loup
→ Shop: Poissonnerie Viot (6th arr) • 4/6 rue Lobineau • Tue-Fri 8h-13h & 16h-20h, Sat 8h-20h, Sun 8h-13h.
REAL ESTATE • On the Market
Three properties currently on offer in the 2nd arr:
→ Place Vendôme (metro Opéra) • 1BR/1BA, 69 m2 • Ask: $1.72M € • classic pied-à-terre on fifth floor of former Hotel Mirabeau • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 4536 € • Agent: Pierre Michelet, Engel & Völkers.
→ Place des Victoires (metro Bourse) • 2BR/2BA, 101 m2 • Ask: $2.29M € • renovated apartment with exposed wood beam ceilings • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 4536 € • Agent: Jérôme Brunet, Daniel Feau.
→ Bourse (metro Grands Boulevards) • 3BR/1BA, 176 m2 • Ask: $2.8M € • building built in 1770, apartment recently updated by an interior designer • Annual maintenance/condo fees: 3300 € • Agent: Caroline Baudry, Barnes.
CULTURE & LEISURE • Radioactive
Branford Marsalis • New Morning (Porte-Saint-Denis) • Fri @ 21h45 • plein tarif, 36 € per
Youn Sun Nah & Bojan Z • Casino Barrière (Enghien-Les-Bains) • Fri @ 20h30 • carré or, 59 € per
Imagine Dragons • Stade de France (Saint-Denis) • Sat @ 19h • cat 1, 122.5 € per
WORK • Friday Routine
Summer Fridays
ALICE BUREAU • founder • Conservatoire des Hémisphères
Neighborhood you live & work in: 5th arr
It’s Friday morning. What’s the scene at your workplace?
Every Friday, I give myself the luxury of taking the afternoon off and indulging in all the little selfish pleasures I love — exhibitions, strolling through Paris, and doing all the things I won’t have time for over the weekend with my two kids.
What’s on the agenda this weekend?
Our weekends follow a well-loved routine. Saturday mornings start with a long, lazy family lie-in, followed by lunch out with the kids and an afternoon of parks, walks, or exhibitions — whatever will keep them entertained. Sundays are for long walks and the movies. My husband goes all out introducing our kids to cinema through silent films and black-and-white classics. When you’ve never seen anything else, it all feels magical!
Any restaurant plans today, tonight, this weekend?
Friday nights are usually for dinner with friends. My go-to spots: Casa Bini, Le Duc, Le Voltaire, Takara, Localino, and Le Grand Bain. With the kids on the weekend, we love: Coffee Parisien, Casa Bini, Livio, Kunitoraya, and Bread & Roses.
How about a little leisure or culture?
I love the Bourdelle Museum and strolling through the Rodin Museum’s garden. But as a design enthusiast, I spend more time at flea markets and design galleries than in museums. Another passion of mine? Bookstores. Librairie 7L is a treasure, made even more special by the gentleman who has been running it for 20 years.
Any weekend getaways?
I often escape to my mother’s place near Fontainebleau, or head to Étretat, Deauville, and Trouville to breathe in the sea air. But my ultimate favorite, even for just 48 hours, is Provence.
What was your last great vacation?
Provence for Christmas! It was stunning — winter colors, a deep navy-blue sky, and hikes that feel suffocating in the summer suddenly become the ultimate breath of fresh air.
What’s a recent big-ticket purchase you love?
A vintage Eames chair, an absolute gem.
What store or service do you always recommend?
Shopu: the most curated Japanese selection in Paris.
Iné: hands down the best bento in the city.
Fromagerie Barthélemy: a Proustian memory, as I grew up right across from it.
Garvey’s massages: a Californian with hands of steel and fingers of gold. (+33 7 69 85 68 94)
GETAWAYS • The Nines
Saunas, London
This item first appeared in a recent issue of FOUND LDN. Seeking more London in your life? Subscribe to FOUND LDN, with new issues dropping each Wednesday.
ARC Community Sauna (Canary Wharf), polished, clubby retreat w/ daily classes, weekly DJs
Revitalise Urban Spa (Hackney Downs, above), infrared saunas for deep recovery, hand-crafted copper ice baths
Hackney Community Sauna (Hackney Wick), casual, open-air setup great for spontaneous conversations
Sauna Social Club (Peckham), event-based sauna, music, good company
Sweat Lounge (Chiswick), minimal, modern, wellness-driven vibe, nestled in one of London’s prettiest neighborhoods
Rooftop Saunas (London Fields), skyline views, post-sauna plunge, and golden-hour magic make for dreamy date spot
Banya No.1 (Hoxton), real deal for Russian banya lovers; authentic steam, invigorating treatments, and best bowl of borscht in town
Sweheat Sauna (Docklands), Nordic-inspired, all-season outdoor sauna w/ warm, welcoming atmosphere
Sauna & Plunge (Old Street), private, exclusive setup in heart of city for workday breaks
GETAWAYS LINKS: France asks airlines to reduce flights to Paris airports due to impending air traffic controller strike • Edinburgh tasting menu restaurant Aizle closing 21/09 after 11-year run • Inside new cocktail lab Fedi at Hotel Balestri in Florence • Ruby Group plans first hotel in Greece.
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