Le Gabriel - La Réserve Paris

Just a block from the Champs-Élysées, this restaurant is set in the elegant and luxurious La Réserve. Refinement is the name of the game in this 19C Napoleon III-style mansion done out in magnificent materials, such as gilt Spanish leather and featuring Versailles parquet flooring, as per Jacques Garcia's redesign. Jérôme Banctel is no stranger to prestigious Parisian restaurants (thanks to stints with Bernard Pacaud and Alain Senderens). He asserts his unique culinary personality with two tasting menus: "Virée", a tribute to his native Brittany, and "Périple", an invitation to travel the world – taking in Japan, as well as Turkey, where the chef discovered the incomparable textures produced by cooking with lime water; there is also a game menu in season. These high-calibre menus conjure up a vast range of sensations and flavours – whether tart or sweet and sour, or drawing on spices or seafood. And his talent as a cosmopolitan alchemist enables him to draw everything together harmoniously. The full-bodied, concentrated sauces are the best way to understand this cuisine, which may be highly technical but it keeps that under wraps. The sand carrot with peppery ginger, and the artichoke heart with cherry blossom vinegar deserve a special mention. An exceptional mealtime.