So there’s good news and bad news.

The bad news is that one of our favourite restaurants close to our hotels closed its doors last summer.

The good news is that it reopened a month later with a new name – Oktobre – sharp new interior design (by Studio Bateaumagne), but exactly the same team including genius chef Martin Maumet, formerly associate chef and now the owner despite only being in his early thirties.

So of course we had to go down there and check – is this change a change for the better?

Closing our beloved Ze Kitchen Galerie Bis and reopening as Oktobre seemed to be a perilous venture, especially as the former was always full and the food invariably great. No-one really wanted that to change.

However, life is change, and chef Martin Maumet apparently wanted emancipation from his associate (and the name that came with him) in order to open a space that was 100% his own.

Bid welcome then to Oktobre and its new interior design featuring panels of dried flowers, ceramic tiles that are equal parts retro and bang up-to-date (very much like those at the Hotel Saint-André des Arts, two minutes away) and vast mirrors, an ensemble that gives the place a new feeling of freshness and space, despite actually being quite small and divided into two long rooms.

Forget the old white walls and loud contemporary art – the new design is much more harmonious. Even the graphic design and new logo are great, with autumnal colours that go perfectly with the new name.

Oktobre still has the old team then, and even keeps the popular fixed-price lunch menus that were such a hit previously, with three courses costing a resolutely reasonable 39€, and two courses at 32€ (although those wanting to splurge can still choose the five-course menu découverte with wine pairings for 105€ per person).

We decided to stick with three courses!

The first starter (for carnivores, but a vegetarian version is also available) was presented in three little bowls with a list of so many ingredients, sauces and seasonings that we were unable to grasp all of them, but each serving was obviously carefully-prepared and fresh, presenting us with an interesting challenge to guess how it was made up.

The second starter was pasta with cuttlefish, in a surprisingly large serving. The cuttlefish was excellent, but we felt the spices were a bit overpowering. If you’re not used to spicy food you might like to try a different option.

Whatever your preference, the presentation of both starters was impeccable.

For the main course we chose a vegetarian option that seemed to be no problem (some restaurants are not som accommodating) even in the fixed menu where no changes as generally accepted (thanks Martin!), whcih included a Jerusalem artichoke puree, pleurotus mushrooms and little crunchy cubes of other vegetables. A very tasty production, right down to the jus it was served in.

The other main was pollock with carrots, marrow puree and other crunchy vegetables. This was perfectly cooked, colourful and very prettily presented. Each detail of the dish seemed to have been carefully thought out and executed.

And now it was time to force ourselves(!) to eat a dessert.

The pear was visually quite spectacular (and delicious) with the poached fruit hidden beneath a layer of broken meringue pieces, served with ‘diplomat cream’ ans small pieces of yuzu that gave a light and welcome bitterness.

And the butternut ice cream was surrounded by a very light whipped cream mousse, while at the bottom of the bowl we found a pumpkin seed praline and a touch of bitter hazelnut wine syrup, such a great juxtaposition with the reste.

The espresso coffee was the perfect finish, especially thanks to the two little chocolaty cubes served with it. Very cute.

So, to summarise, Oktobre isn’t a huge leap forward compared to Ze Kitchen Galerie Bis, and that’s fine. Indeed, it would have been difficult to do better, and maintaining the previous excellence is already quite the achievement.

The menu format and style hasn’t changed a lot, and we’re not made about it, but the space is much prettier (although once it fills up it remains as noisy as before) and the team really know their food and wine.

Frankly, we feel lucky to have Oktobre close to our hotels, and think you should get down there to try it for yourselves!

---

Oktobre (here) is open for lunch and dinner Tuesday-Saturday

Online booking here

Website / Instagram

What3Words ///mammal.trees.race

Voir cette publication sur Instagram

Une publication partagée par Restaurant Oktobre (@restaurant.oktobre)