There are heaps of decent restaurants in the 10th arrondissement, but thankfully all that competition hasn’t put exciting newcomers off from settling in the area. Opening its doors in June 2016, Palissade is a bar-restaurant serving cocktails and an inventive fusion menu that echoes the diverse make-up of the staff, which features a Japanese head chef, a Breton sous-chef, a Polish owner and a Mexican waitress. Essentially, it’s a real melting pot here, right down to the swaying Latino music that soundtracks the evening.
The menu, which changes daily, draws on a variety of contrasting influences. We start with some particularly sumptuous aperitifs, like the octopus served with olives, gouda cheese with truffle, and the gorgeous house pâté, all incredibly well done. The real excitement, however, comes with the mains, which contain a wealth of ingredients we’ve never even heard of, like the tartare with alfonsino (a small deepsea fish), Salicornia (a plant found on beaches) and daikon (a winter radish), which is a real treat. Dishes like the cuttlefish with chorizo and a seaweed coulis and the marrowbone strips encrusted in cheese take fundamental culinary risks, but are so exquisitely done that we can’t find any faults.
And if it all sounds a bit too adventurous, then the cocktails are a pretty safe bet: the Jamaican Jerk comes with a very pleasing double ration of rum (€14), while the El Verde (lemon, fresh pineapple juice, coriander and spicy house syrup, €12) is an equally delectable choice. Come back at the weekend for a scrumptious Breton-style brunch.
TRANSLATION: FLORA HUDSON