Restaurant at Hôtel Cinq Codet: organic bistronomy with a twist

Who still thinks that bistros and luxury have nothing in common? Not many, in fact, least of all the restaurant at the five-star Le Cinq Codet hotel in Paris's 7th arrondissement, which has decided to change its concept and transform itself into a bistro. Gone are the long menus. From now on, you can choose what you're going to eat from an uncluttered slate of just 4 starters, 4 main courses and 4 desserts. The menu changes daily, depending on meat and fish arrivals, seasonal fruit and vegetables, and the chef's whims.

Chef Antoine K'ros, who has been at the helm of the restaurant's kitchens for the past year (after a stint at the Grand Palais underAlain Ducasse), has decided to give pride of place to organic, Label Rouge and short-run fresh produce. Organic bistronomy just the way we like it - and all homemade, of course!

As soon as you step onto the restaurant's patio, the magic happens. Here, the chirping of birds takes precedence over the noise of cars and the city (which we can't hear at all!). It's bliss in a way, and our choice quickly turns to a crunchy goat's cheese and honey appetizer, both sweet and strong on the palate, to accompany this perfect moment.

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For the main course, it's ricotta-spinach tortellini, accompanied by a tomato cream, marinated cherry tomatoes and ultra-fresh basil leaves. A tasty return trip to Italy. But we're also tempted by the sweet-spiced salmon, hot-smoked. This highly original cooking process gives the salmon a pleasant half-cooked, half-raw appearance.

For dessert, the choice was a tough one (Tiramisu? Baba au rhum?), but it was the originality of the appellation that made us turn to the"Citron et Amande Douce en tongue": a thin layer of almond shortcrust pastry topped with lemon sorbet, sweet almond ice cream and a marshmallow leaf in the shape of... a tongue! tongue! A small step towards the vacations in our plate.

Please note that it's been over 4 years since our last visit, so the place and experience may have changed.