Café Restaurant Azzedine Alaïa: Italian couture cuisine in the fashion designer's foundation

The Marais, the emblematic district so popular with shopaholics and art gallery enthusiasts, is bustling day and night with pop-up stores, exhibitions, bars and gourmet addresses. Precisely! Did you know that just astone's throw from the BHV, one of these is hidden away in a courtyard, untouched by the hustle and bustle of Paris? This oasis of tranquility in the heart of Paris is the Café-Restaurant de la Fondation Azzedine Alaïa.

In between fashion or culture razzias, take a break in this chic and relaxed gastro spot. Sitting under the beautiful glass roof, in the cobblestone courtyard hemmed with palm trees, or in the Foundation bookshop, enjoy total immersion in this inspiring place, where the couturier once lived and worked. The address is open every day, and will delight your taste buds from lunch to dinner, including coffee breaks. The menu, designed by chef Ivan Schenatti, combines the delights of Italian gastronomy with the aesthetics of haute couture. It's an opportunity to indulge in a refined yet uncluttered interlude, where every detail is a feast for the eyes.

Azzedine Alaïa was an inveterate collector. It's in an arty landscape of timeless elegance, featuring César's "Sein", concrete lighting by Le Corbusier and graceful chairs by Harry Bertoia, that the magic happens. For lunch, the chef proposes a weekly market menu, where each dish brings you the full flavors of la dolce vita.

During our visit, the ball of taste buds opened with the traditional Bresaola Carpaccio, accompanied by chanterelle mushrooms, arugula and fresh Italian cheese. A veritable palette of vivid colors, revealing the artistic mastery of chef Ivan Schenatti, who has already worked in"fashionable restaurants" such as Armani Caffè in Paris. Vegetarians will opt for dishes such as the herb-breaded Portobello Mushroom, gourmet and generous, lightened by the freshness of spinach shoots and the sweetness of avocado spuma.

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We continue with fried prawns & squid, and delicious Spaghetti with dry ink, made just like in Venice. The iodized flavors are definitely there, caressing (and blackening) your palate with every bite. At last, a Parisian address that honors this typical dish from the Botte!

A dessert to finish on a high note? On the plate, the famous Cannolo Siciliano, stuffed with buffalo ricotta, and its pistachio ice cream definitely made us melt with pleasure, while the famous Tiramisu with coffee and mascarpone, ultra-smooth and not too sweet, gave us the coup de grâce.

So, after or before seeing theexhibition in the site'sgallery-museum, head for the Café-Restaurant de la Fondation Azzedine Alaïa, where the art of fashion meets the art of cuisine, in the spirit of conviviality dear to the emblematic designer.