Manon Fleury's plant-based and inspired table at the Chalet des Îles Daumesnil

The Chalet des Îles Daumesnil is getting a new lease on life with the arrival of the Perchoir team at the helm of this place that was starting to lose its original hype year after year. A true haven of peace in the heart of the Bois de Vincennes, as vast as it is green, the Chalet des Îles unveils a cocktail bar signed by the gin house Anaë within its Victorian lounge.

Outside, a large terrace, half sunny and half shaded, allows relaxation in this bucolic setting facing the lake, while the oyster counter is there to satisfy all iodine cravings. And in the spacious restaurant room, with a beautiful fireplace that warms the atmosphere on rainy days, it is the chef Manon Fleury who takes care of the score for a few months.

At dinner from Thursday to Saturday, and at lunch on weekends, the chef presents what she does best: a plant-based and healthy cuisine, which highlights vegetables, plants and other aromatic herbs in creative, inspired and inspiring recipes. And that's precisely the note on which the dinner begins, with a mesclun of herbs and aromatic plants to be eaten as is.

To enhance these stimulating dishes, it is of course possible to opt for alcoholic pairings, but the originality lies mainly in the non-alcoholic version of the pairings, based on philtres, decoctions, infusions, macerations of all kinds, served by a sobrelier - a nice word.

In fact, asparagus with a cream of roasted sunflower seeds, fermented kiwi condiment, red kiwi, wild garlic and quince flowers is served with roasted pumpkin water and roasted chicory root broth.

Theendive dish, with toasted bread dough, almonds, apple, citrus and seaweed trio - sea lettuce, pepperweed and grateloupia - is savored with an amazing decoction - decocted citrus peel, fermented cardoon artichoke for bitterness, macerated kiwi peel and dried and flamed orange blossom petals, with the idea of finding the aromas of a smoked Riesling.

Next, the chard, used in its entirety: ribs cooked in olive oil, semolina with hazelnut butter, candied lemon, raw chard and herb condiment, and a double service chard leaf roll enclosing a half-cooked and grilled mackerel with a bone juice sauce. To drink, a drink of roasted rice, deglazed with kombucha vinegar, a broth made of celery and pear breadcrumbs, a very powerful infusion of fermented red cabbage, looking for the leathery dimension of a traditional red wine.

The passage between savory and sweet, but also the dessert continues on the same path. On the plate, creamy rice, red bean purée, orange blossom and mushroom broth, and in the glass, kefir grains and tangerine, pumpkin seed reduction and pulp, roasted barley infusion, a nice duo of milky and cereal notes. And to finish, a polenta financier, pansy flowers and candied Buddha's hand.

A delicate experiment, supported by a committed discourse on nature and what it offers, something to please the truly curious and lovers of new cuisines. To be discovered until September at the Chalet des Iles Daumesnil. Afterwards, Manon Fleury will take off and leave her place to chefs' residences.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.