A Casaluna, a Corsican restaurant unlike any other

There are those addresses where the human encounter is as strong as the gustatory pleasure, and A Casaluna is one of them. Tucked away on a side street adjacent to the Palais-Royal, in the former stables of Cardinal de Richelieu, this Corsican restaurant has been a neighborhood institution for two decades.

It's even rumored that a certain Alain D. has a habit of dining there. A well-founded rumor that bodes well for the future, given the good taste of Chef Ducasse, whose starred achievements are no longer in evidence. It's here that chef Jean Costantini has been writing his own history of Corsican cuisine for over 15 years , distilling the best-kept culinary secrets of the island's families.

A Casaluna is a family affair, owned until 2010 by the aunt of this eminently Corsican chef. But it's also an ode to the finest products from the Isle of Beauty, found on the tables (the crockery), in the furniture (chestnut wood), in the walls (stone imported directly from there, forming majestic and impressive vaults reminiscent of ancient Corsican sheepfolds).

Steeped in a genuine love of cooking (and also a love of genuine cuisine), Jean Costantini has had this dream of becoming a chef since his earliest childhood. At A Casaluna, the man who trained at L'Atelier Joël Robuchon has created a score of infinite sincerity, carefully crafting the contours of raw, authentic Corsican cuisine, without ever lapsing into folklore.

Seeking to honor the gastronomy of his island, and thus his childhood memories, he weaves an incandescent link between past and present through bold, sometimes radical creations that redefine the codes of Corsican cuisine, in a restaurant that is almost more culinary laboratory than simple table.

Placing beauty and good produce at the center of the plate in its purest form, in a quest for essence and sensory retranscription, the chef with the lilting accent plays with traditions to imagine a sensitive and elegant cuisine that exceeds expectations. His fiery, passionate and enthralling dishes celebrate emblematic products from local producers who respect their terroir. The dishes arrive on the table escorted by a thousand and one stories and anecdotes.

A deceptively simple cuisine from a chef who keeps repeating "The hardest thing is to keep it simple", and we can't disagree. The unique tasting menu (€49.50 starter/main course or main course/dessert, €59.50 starter/main course/dessert, €69.50 amuse-bouche/starter/main course/dessert) will be remembered for a long time to come:

The terrine de figatellu, whose reputation extends beyond the island, is made from the island's emblematic black pig liver sausage, produced here by Bastien Agostini, a breeder from generation to generation on the land of his childhood. Traditionally rich, Jean Costantini takes it into another dimension, with grace and lightness: the terrine is placed in an earthenware pot, then barbecued, before being served still hot on the table.

Another must-try dish is stufatu de veau aux olives, made with fat-free veal walnuts and accompanied by a creamy polenta and a savory tomato sauce, which we sauce down to the last drop with a generous piece of flaky bread made with homemade chestnut flour, which took months of research to achieve this level of crunchiness and softness. The loup à la calvaise and the chickpea salad are also top-of-the-range.

Lunch ends on a high note, with an airy lemon fiadone, also brilliantly modernized, a cup of tangy coffee (a special blend from Café Alain Ducasse) and a small glass of clementine liqueur that explodes on the palate as if you'd bitten into a ripe fruit.

• To be read
• Corsican restaurants in Paris, our best addresses
• Mediterranean restaurants in Paris, our best addresses
• Mediterranean and Middle Eastern street food restaurants in Paris, our best addresses

A magnificent discovery, both human and culinary.

This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please let us know.