France’s favourite naughty tipple (erm, 100 years ago) has given its name to this extremely reputable restaurant. We thought we’d try the place out to see whether it would transport us into an agreeable green haze, or just leave us with a nasty hangover…

Never tasted Absinthe? Neither have we. Looks very complicated too, with its special spoon and ridiculously convoluted preparation, and funnily enough real absinthe is actually still banned in France (the stuff sold here is a slightly weaker variety). However, the imagery and – much exaggerated – reputation of absinthe make it sound edgy and forbidden. How exactly it came to be chosen as the name for this rather cosy restaurant is a mystery. Perhaps it’s because they’ves expressed a desire to try out new, daring dishes, something surprising, perhaps even intoxicating…

The restaurant is not far from the Tuileries gardens (and near Opéra and Place Vendôme), on the place du Marché Saint Honoré which has a certain air of London about it, with cobbles and a large, central glass building that reflects its surroundings on all sides. The restaurant itself has a New York-style décor of bare bricks coupled with some lovely old woodwork (period or fake?) and some other design choices that may or not be to your liking (such as the metalwork and giant clock that dominate the main room).

All of which is to say that some parts of the restaurant are very quaint, and others more contrived. There’s also another room upstairs which is – unfortunately – very, very ordinary indeed. Our advice is to try and get a seat on the ground floor or on the vast (but often packed) terrace.

We were given a comfortable seat at the back of the main room, great for people watching as it’s on a raised step. Be warned that there are two sittings in the evening, so if you come around 8pm you’ll be asked to vacate your table by 10pm. We were eating late and felt free to take our time. We were however quite hungry, and the choice of starters was a priority (together with the wine, obviously!).Three starters were chosen. The first was Romans mini-raviolis in a creamy langoustine sauce, filled with tasty cheese with a slight spicy kick, not too greasy, and a perfectly dosed taste, neither too heavy nor too bland.

The other two first courses were crab-based. One was a crab cake, beautifully presented with rocket and a Yuzu sauce that had hints of a taste somewhere between lemongrass and chervil. The other was a “crunchy crab”, so-called because it has been completely deep-fried in breadcrumbs. Even with a slightly spicy sauce (with chipotle), the crunchy coating tended to dominate the more subtle taste of the crab. However, everyone seemed happy…

After being surprised by the exotic tastes (some of which we had a hard time defining) and the interesting presentation of the dishes, it was time to move on to the main course. First off, guinea fowl marinated in fresh coriander with spicy young onions and a purée of peas cooked with grilled sesame seeds. It was tender, and the sauce seemed to have a hint of sorrel.The squid with mini tagliatelles and broccoli was a new mix to us too, but very well executed, and once again very pretty to look at.The steamed cod came served like an Chinese dish, with its own little egg and vegetables, although the ‘coconut curry’ garlic mayonnaise was nowhere to be found.And the last dish was purely vegetarian (so much so that the waitress felt obliged to warn us that there was absolutely no meat in it!), with beefsteak tomato, avocado and olive oil serve in mini tortilla shells and adorned with a perilla leaf (although we weren’t convinced that this added anything spectacular). The dish was fresh and cool though, just what we were looking for.The main dishes show obvious care is taken over presentation (and it’s stunning), the use of fresh and different ingredients and careful cooking so that each taste can be dissociated and enjoyed. The servings aren’t excessively large, which – for us – was good news. Time for dessert!

The chilled black cherry soup was spectacular and graphic in its cast iron bowl that stayed cool for a while after finishing.The lemon dessert surprised us with its bright green colour, but the zesty lemon taste was very much there.

And the waffle was light and crunchy, bringing back memories of childhood (or perhaps Brussels?).Only the chocolate dessert was a slight disappointment. Grandly billed as “Michel Rostang’s pots of chocolate cream”, we were expecting something more spectacular, or at least two different tastes. In fact, both tiny pots were the same. Delicious, nonetheless…l’Absinthe seems to be well known, as we could hear many different languages being spoken around us. Indeed, when the waiter first sat us down he immediately asked if we wanted menus in English or French, so they must get a fair few tourists as diners. It’s best to book a table a few days in advance, and we think that eating at the second sitting will allow you not to worry about having to free your table. Although it’s not cheap, the service is good and the dishes unusual. We left happy and would gladly return!

l’Absinthe is at 24 place du Marché Saint-Honoré (here). Closed Sundays. Open for lunch and dinner all other days (no lunch Saturdays). Tel. +33 1 49 26 90 04

Official site: www.restaurantabsinthe.com

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