Fancy ceiling mouldings, plush armchairs, lustrous crystal chandeliers and classical paintings… Le Clarence is an old-school Parisian mansion, revamped in 2015 to look like something from the extravagant era of Napoleon III. As you wander through the lavish salons, feel free to pretend you’re the Prince of Luxembourg. (Yep, he owns this place.)
It’s in this impeccably OTT setting that Christophe Pelé – a true eccentric and culinary artiste – serves up his radical, free-spirited and fascinating dishes. A meal at Le Clarence is like going on a wild journey without leaving your seat: be prepared to spend a good three hours at the table, as you forget about the present day and toss aside any preconceptions about haute cuisine.
From his kitchen, Pelé keeps French cooking traditions alive while dismantling the whole Michelin-starred scene – and he does it all without any pretentious theatrics. On my visit, a four-course lunch menu with plenty of side dishes (priced at €180) turned out to be a daredevil tightrope performance balancing land and sea, France and Asia. Along the way we encountered whole prawns in tempura, baby eels snuggling up with brain, grilled red mullet in a ménage à trois with marrow and ginger, a yin-yang of veal sweetbread gyoza with ink and cuttlefish tartare, a poached oyster and a beef consommé.
But your meal could be completely different, because you won’t ever eat the same thing twice here – the chef improvises based on whatever comes in that morning. The only thing that’s guaranteed is that everything will be on-point and thrillingly delicious. And after the meal, it’s time to retire to the fireside and blissfully sip coffee to the strains of an electric piano.
Oh, and one more thing: Le Clarence has an incredible wine list. I marvelled at my 2016 ‘bellet’ white from Clos Saint-Vincent in the hills of Nice 2016 (€20 a glass). Definitely ask to check out their amazing vaulted wine cellar, stacked with thousands of bottles: it’s as much a feast for the eyes as the restaurant is for the belly.
