Oursin Paris
Following the phenomenal success of Café Citron, designer Simon Porte Jaquemus has once again joined forces with the Czars of seafood, Kaviar Caspia, for a restaurant which is already being tipped as the new ‘most fashionable’ table in Paris.
Since its official opening (during the latest Fashion Week), Oursin has become number-one place to go in the city; commanding bookings one month in advance from the first day of opening; and already having hosted some of the biggest french and international celebrities and friends of the Jaquemus brand, including Tina Kunakey, Jeanne Damas and Elsa Hosk.
Located in the same Galeries Lafayette as its swanky predecessor (on the Champs Elysées), Oursin coaxes diners to the second floor with a white-washed décor and pastel highlights which perfectly reflect the sunlight which streams into the space — a gentle reminder of the summer we are already missing, and a warm, welcome flashback of better days past while savouring the delicacies on offer.
Inspired by the theme of the Mediterranean and based "on the idea of endless summer evenings", the entire restaurant is reminiscent of the lime-coated houses which are typical in Greece, with the furniture (ecru benches and woven rattan chairs) and snaking vines which sprout up through the floors, adding a touch of green and a natural, sun-kissed vacation vibe.
Adding a signature touch, the designer has also tasked an Athens-based ceramicist to create the decorative plates which are placed on all the tables, and punctuated the walls with small niches carved into shapes which cradle artisanal objects and deep-sea treasures which he bargain-hunted himself — giving the room an ‘up-scale taverna’ atmosphere, and a refined edge which is unmistakably his.
The menu follows suit with sea-inspired dishes and seafood spiced with Mediterranean flavours created by Erica Archambault (of the iconic Septime) and staged by Groupe Caviar Kaspia team — an exquisite medley of perfectly executed plates such as: sea urchin taramasalata (a nod to the spot’s namesake which translates as sea urchin in French), clam linguine and Sicilian salsa, red mullet escabeche, flounder cooked on the bone, and Baeri caviar and whipped cream, to name just a few.
Perfect for: A dressed-up lunch or dinner with your fashion-loving, pescatarian friends.
What to order: The sea urchin taramasalata, homard lobster salad, and some fresh figs for dessert.
Address: 60 avenue des Champs-Elysées 75008 Paris // 2nd floor (Google Maps)
Trading hours: Tuesday - Saturday: 12pm-11pm // Sunday and Monday 12pm-10pm
Website: oursinparis.com
Insta: @oursinparis
