Jadis

Before I let go with my enthusiasm for brilliant young chef Guillaume Delage’s new bistrot, Jadis, I’d warn you that it’s located on a quiet street in the outermost zone of the 15th arrondissement. I’d quickly insist, however, that you shouldn’t let that be an obstacle to discovering this terrific spot, since there are several métro stations nearby. (With rents in central Paris now prohibitive, it’s no longer surprising to find up-and-coming young chefs in such out-of-the-way locations.) Delage, who previously worked at three-star chef Pierre

Gagnaire’s Left Bank seafood annex Gaya, has done a lovely job doing up a corner cafe in elegant burgundy and gunmetal gray, and the place already has the happy buzzing atmosphere of a galloping word-of-mouth success.

The blackboard menu changes regularly, but always reflects the superb skills he acquired during stints at Michel Bras, Le Pré Catalan and Gaya. He’s a technician with a lot of culinary wit, too, at once capable of turning out a stunning rendition of a classic like a marbré terrine of chicken, foie gras and artichoke hearts, and then nimbly following it up with a teasingly deconstructed blanquette de veau—the veal presented in an Alessi casserole with its perfectly made sauce, meant to be spooned over a soup plate filled with leeks, tiny potatoes, mushrooms and carrots—a charming and delicious dish.

A cream of pumpkin soup and his intriguing French take on a traditional Torinese financiera—a dish from Italy’s Piedmont region that includes cocks’ combs, duck hearts, kidneys and other innards—were both excellent too. Pear poached in spiced red wine and a coffee-flavored pot de crème (cream custard) with a homemade Breton style sablé cookie added up to a wonderful conclusion to an excellent meal, and I’m looking forward to a return engagement here in the very near future.

208 rue de la Croix Nivert, 15th, Métro: Convention, Porte de Versailles. 01.45.57.73.20. €35 per person without wine

Originally published in the February 2009 issue of France Today

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