Today, fermentation has become commonplace in gourmet restaurants. Some starred chefs who succeeded the French pioneers (Yannick Alléno, Marie-Claire Frédéric, etc.) handle the technique with surprising finesse. Bistros that are more accessible, but just as recommendable, also allow you to test lively dishes at low prices.
ferment
Perched above the thirty tables of this neighborhood restaurant, dozens of colorful jars: cabbage waiting to end up in sauerkraut, peppers for seasonings, apricots for coulis… Chef Malika Nguon offers a menu at reasonable prices (18 euros for the lunch formula) where all the dishes are based on fermentation. The fermented soft-boiled egg is marinated in soy and even the chocolate is filled with miso (a Japanese fermented paste). Flavors boosted, treat on arrival!
51, rue Blanche, 75009 Paris
Rascal
In this bistronomic address with affordable lunch formulas (from 21 euros), chef Pauline Séné (candidate of the Top Chef show in 2021) works on plates to which fermentation gives advantageous relief. Crosnes buttered with miso, fermented green pepper coming to awaken a very greedy shredded pork… We give in to the Fripon temptation.
108, rue de Menilmontant, 75020 Paris
Restaurant David Toutain
If he does not make fermentation a commercial argument, the two-star chef David Toutain is integrating it more and more into his colorful dishes. After stints with the greatest (Alain Passard, Pierre Gagnaire, Marc Veyrat), the Norman virtuoso emancipated himself thanks to the jars, offering a shot of kombucha before the meal or adding hop vinegar to his desserts. Fabulously inventive, but always controlled. Menus from 110 euros.
29, rue Surcouf, 75007 Paris
Ardent
Adjoining a 3,000 square meter vegetable garden, this beautiful table is an extraordinary playground for Gaëtan Evrard, starred chef at his other establishment, L’Évidence, in Montbazon (Indre-et-Loire). Here the foie gras is teamed up with smoked miso and the lacto-fermented radish basks on a butter punctuated with fleur de sel. Dish from 22 euros.
1, alley of the Duporterie, 37320 Esvres-sur-Indre
Toya
Sauerkraut, gherkin pickles… from childhood, the Moselle Loïc Villemin was marked by fermentation. Today he is one of the most advanced starred chefs on the subject, and enjoys imprisoning flavors in his jars to play with the seasons. This Japanese enthusiast relies on technique to compose dishes of extreme refinement, such as this pike biscuit with white butter sauce and fermented white asparagus juice. Menu from 57 euros.
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