Restaurant David Toutain

David Toutain is a celebrity in culinary circles. Young, creative and bold, he’s worked with the best – Alain Passard at L’Arpege; Marc Veyrat at La Maison de Marc Veyrat; Andoni Luis Aduriz at Mugaritz – before opening the highly acclaimed Agapé Substance, which he left a year and a half later at the height of its popularity. At 32, the prodigy returned to Paris in December 2013 with his eponymous restaurant. It was an immediate hit – the best new restaurant of the year boasts more than one international press.

The restaurant is on a quiet street neighboring Les Invalides, a wealthy residential enclave that prides itself on its outward simplicity. Similarly, the expansive décor is refined and clean: practical materials like concrete and wood rendered artisanal due to its precision. Once settled in, you notice that it is not just a blank canvas for food, but thoughtful deliberation, from the shade of the wooden tables to the particular curve of the gray ceramic bowl for a certain dish – these small details matter.

Toutain takes carte blanche with his daily offerings. No menu (but you tell him your dietary restrictions). Given his upbringing and education, recalling summer vacations on his grandparents’ farm and, later, tutelage under Passard, vegetables are on high order. They take on unexpected combinations – a dessert of candied artichokes amplified with artichoke ice cream – and excite even as the accompaniment to a protein. The tempo of the meal zigzags from comforting and tempting to unusual and provocative, the variety of each dish building up the expectation of the next. Who knew oyster would express itself so clearly bathed in kiwi foam? These are one-of-a-kid dishes, no gimmicks, just an adventurous pairing of flavors that betters off all ingredients, and the diner involved.