Bloom Garden, chef Olivier Streiff's restaurant in the Bloom House hotel

The Bloom Househotel from the Forstyle Hôtels Collection group has just opened its doors between the Gare de l'Est and Gare du Nord stations, further accelerating the transformation - La Caserne having already made a good start on the job - of this neighborhood, which until now has been neglected by choice hotels and restaurants.

At the heart of this 91-room hotel, with its lushly decorated interior patio, pampering spa and beautiful common room combining warm colors, woven lighting and book-lined shelves, is the hotel 's Bloom Garden restaurant.

Heading up the kitchen is Olivier Streiff, a chef we'd been hoping to see again one of these days. It has to be said that his appearance on Top Chef season 2015 (old-timers will remember) had left a lasting impression, as much for his Robert Smith-esque look as for his bold, creative ideas that had won over the jury chefs - the chef candidate had made it all the way to the semi-finals.

Now he's back in the capital, with an added Hercule Poirot moustache, but the creativity remains unchanged. The Lorrain-born chef is also committed to good produce and short supply chains, concepts he already championed at his restaurant Le Relais de Saulx in Beaune - opened with his wife and closing in 2021.

With this new address, Olivier Streiff wishes to highlight his apprenticeship in the Mediterranean, cradled by his experience in the palaces, where he cut his teeth at Fouquet's, among other places. The result is a menu of sharing plates, which we think are even more original than the starters themselves: eggplant caviar and banana (7€), sweetbread samossas (10€) or breaded beef cheek cubes with coffee vinaigrette (10€).

The dishes, too, surprise with their intrepid combinations, like the pavé de maigre married to green anise (26€), the tournedos de veau, pan-fried polenta and licorice (30€), or the roasted cauliflower, Ugandan vanilla and argan (21€).

Initially open for dinner only, Tuesday to Saturday, Bloom Garden unveils a menu of carefully crafted cocktails (16€) and mocktails (11€), imagined by world cocktail champion and barista Victor Delpierre. Produced according to the seasonality of the produce, they won over our palates, particularly the Green Spritz cocktail, all plant vibes, with verjuice, coriander, dill, mint and champagne.

When it comes to desserts, originality is always the order of the day, as with the coulant chocolat Pérou 65% (12€) with candied peppers, the sablé breton with figs (14€) and fromage blanc sorbet, or the panna cotta with reine des prés (12€) and tonka. There's no doubt about it,Olivier Streiff 's return is doing the capital a world of good.

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