Le Relais Plaza by Jean Imbert and his granny dishes

Alert to the foodosphere, the Relais Plaza has reopened the doors of its brasserie with Jean Imbert at the helm. We're off to rediscover the place with a Top (Chef) menu revisited in Mamie style.

Le Relais Plaza, the 1936 listed art deco Parisian brasserie of theHôtel Plaza Athénée, reopened its doors this Wednesday, September 8, 2021. This eagerly-awaited opening marks the arrival of Top Chef Jean Imbert at the helm. In fact, while awaiting the reopening of the gastronomic restaurant scheduled for the end of the year, it's in the hotel's brasserie that the chef unveils his first menu.

In any case, this new arrival is stirring up a great deal of debate in the world of gastronomy. The Plaza Athénée is a major challenge for this chef, whom we all discovered through the Top Chef TV show, but also through his restaurants, particularly in Paris, such as Acajou and Mamie, which was recently closed. Criticized by the critics and the milieu, he is therefore eagerly awaited on the plate.

One thing's for sure: Jean Imbert 's arrival at the Plaza Athénée marks a desire for renewal, a desire to breathe new life into the restaurants and attract the Tout-Paris.

For Relais Plaza, Jean Imbert takes up Mamie's mantra with dishes inspired by his grandmother. But don't expect gastronomic delights, just franchouillard. We're talking thatched cottage French. You'll find some of the restaurant's flagship dishes, but also a number of new ones.

We start with my grandmother's Terrine to share or Tartine of goat's cheese and beet.

The menu, created with executive chef Jocelyn Herland, also features dishes such as seasoned tartare with Pont Neuf fries,Beaufort and spinach quiche with salad,stuffed tomato with rice pilaf, and one of Jean's signature dishes: gratin de daurade 1962.

The chef relies on good produce from producers whose work he appreciates (Jacky Mercier for tomatoes, salads from Ferme du Perche...). To avoid routine and make you want to come back regularly, the brasserie offers a weekly menu for lunch and dinner. These include dishes such as Mont-Saint-Michel mussels with pommes pailles on Fridays, and saucisson brioché on Thursdays...

Desserts include a selection of shareable classics such as Ïle flottante minute or tarte mirabelles fromAngelo Musa, meilleur ouvrier de France and world pastry champion, and Elisabeth Hot, the new chef who has joined the team.