Promising young chef William Pradeleix came up through the kitchens of the Saint Regis in Bora Bora and San Francisco, as well as London’s Connaught. He opened Will in 2014, just a block away from the famous Aligre food market in the 12th. If Will first struck us as an elegant Parisian bistro much like any other (with its young clientele, deco furniture and on-trend lighting), the arrival of our starters – fresh, colourful and splendidly presented – signalled something rather more interesting.
From the eclectic Asian-influenced menu, we chose (and adored) green asparagus served with Colonnata lardo in a lemon confit and edamame sauce, and sea bream sashimi, deliciously sweet, with a garnish of crisp radish, avocado and pickles. For mains, a Bluefin tuna en croute, lightly seared, finely breaded and accompanied by carrot confit, fresh celery and a spicy Sriracha emulsion, and an excellent crab and shiitake ravioli dish. For dessert, the apple citrus compote was fantastic, rich and flavourful, served with Matcha sponge cake, crumble and creamy fromage blanc.
Will’s fixed-price menu is concise and carefully crafted, offering four starters at €12, four mains at €24 and four desserts at €9, as well as a tasting menu of four dishes handpicked by Pradeleix (€45). The wine list is exhaustive by comparison (we’d recommend the Sancerre red or the Saint-Joseph). In any case, we’ll definitely be back.