Did you like Hébé? You loved Ya Bayté? Wait until you discover Didon, the new address designed by Carole and Imad Kanaan and opened a few weeks ago in the heart of Saint-Germain-des-Prés.
This new bistronomic restaurant is reminiscent of its little sisters in the generosity of its menu, again imagined by Michelin-starred chef Michel Portos and executed in the kitchen by chef Francesco Cianfanelli . But here, the cuisine, always tinged with Lebanese flavors, has the added bonus of being cooked mainly over charcoal, giving the dishes such a distinctive, distinctive touch.
Named in homage to the legendary founder and first queen of Carthage, Didon reveals itself through a menu of dishes to share - or not, depending on your taste, both options are offered à la carte. Start with these escargots petits-gris (15€), served pan-fried and accompanied by a cream of garlic, parsley, orange supremes and celeriac. A great way to get started.
Or the perfectly delicious artichokes barigoule (14€), with roasted seasonal vegetables - especially turnips and onions - delicately placed on an artichoke cream. We can't get enough!
The generosity continues with two enchanting dishes (or rather, three, you'll understand). On the one hand, one of the dishes of the day, Iberian pork pluma, thinly sliced and served with mashed potatoes - and a small crater of meat juice; on the other,lamb shoulder, cooked very slowly and very long, if the tenderness of the meat is anything to go by (€20), then seared over a flame, and a host of elements to underline and perfect the whole - kumquat, thyme, coriander, capers and honey. We travel.
As a side dish, and that's why we mentioned a third course above, we opt for the braised cauliflower (9€) - yes, the garnishes also go up in flames! We thought we were dealing with a small side dish, but to our great delight, we end up with a cauliflower served whole, which could have been a dish in itself. But we didn't leave a single crumb; the beast was cooked all the way through and accompanied by roasted hazelnuts, pomegranate seeds, tarragon and pomegranate molasses!
In the end, we may have run out of room for dessert- which is a shame, because we were really looking forward to the French toast - but at least we had the opportunity to taste some good bottles, selected by artisan winemaker Stéphane Derenoncourt, and oriented towards nature and biodynamics. Above all, and this is rare enough in restaurants to be worth mentioning, all the wines on the menu are offered by the glass, allowing us to make a few discoveries beyond the grape varieties.
Carole and Imad Kanaan's newborn wine, ascendant braise, has already proved its worth to our taste buds.
This test was conducted as part of a professional invitation. If your experience differs from ours, please mention it in the comments.
Location
Didon
8 Rue du Dragon
75006 Paris 6
Official website
didonrestaurant.com
