L'Amic, the friend-made bistro that’s making the 18th arrondissement buzz with its sunlit terrace.

New address in the 18th arrondissement, L’Amic sets up on Rue Letort with a simple promise: to bring together around a convivial table seasonal cooking, natural wines and a circle of friends with complementary backgrounds. A neighborhood bistro designed as a place to live, with a large sun-filled terrace.

In the Jules Joffrin district, a new dining spot is generating buzz. Named L’Amic (“the friend” in Occitan), this freshly opened bistro captures the spirit of a friends’ restaurant, where food, music and sociability go hand in hand.

At the origin of the project, a tight-knit crew of five thirty-somethings: Ivan Koutchoumov, Louis Tarrisse (ex-Loupiotes, he also runs the Hydropathe cocktail bar), Adrien Marie in the dining room and behind the cocktails, Pierre Berthier (ex-Vivant) in the cellar and chef Gabriel Urgese in the kitchen.

With its bistrot-style cuisine blending French tradition and Italian influences, L’Amic embodies a dialogue between Ivan’s path and the culinary identity of Gabriel Urgese, a Milan native. Having trained at several houses in Italy and enriched by a stint with producers across France and Italy, the chef offers a seasonal cuisine built around terroir products and ingredients at their peak.

For lunch, the very short menu evolves from day to day. 4 starters, 4 mains, 2 desserts and very affordable set menus: €16 for the dish of the day, €19 for the starter/main or main/dessert, 22€ le menu entrée/plat/dessert.

During our visit, a perfectly poached egg with smoked herring cream and seasonal peas, followed by pork ribs slow-cooked at low temperature, particularly crispy and cheeky.

In the evening, the menu centers on signature dishes: beet and celery root vegetable tartare, egg pommade with guanciale, cauliflower velouté with smoked haddock, saucisse-purée, vegetarian Milanese risotto vegetarian. Paired with a cocktail or a glass of natural wine!

In the dining area and at the bar, Adrien Marie and sommelier Pierre Berthier take charge of quenching guests’ thirst. If the former crafts classic cocktails classiques by the book (Negroni, Margarita, Espresso Martini, Moscow Mule, from €10), the latter, also a winemaker in Alsace, has curated around fifty of his own references.

Calm and bright at lunchtime, L'Amic becomes more intimate and audiophile in the evening, with a strong emphasis on music.