Traditionally, the City of Light has had its fair share of sophisticated dining establishments, and being a global culinary hub of sorts, the dining scene here is in a constant flux. Needless to say, the French capital pulls the best talent from across the planet to its doorstep, and Japanese chef Terumitsu Saito is no exception. Hailing from Okayama, he first honed his skills at a number of renowned Michelin-starred restaurants across Tokyo before moving on to Paris in 2007. And now, fifteen years on, Saito has upped his game, opening a restaurant of his own in the city’s plush 16th arrondissement. Dubbed Ortensia, it’s tucked away in a quiet side street of bustling avenue de New York and the Seine river, the restaurant occupies a ground floor unit of a residential building with an ornate classic façade which was erected in 1890. The interior design, created by Paris-based practice CUT architectures, aims to reflect the top chef’s sophisticated fusion skills.
This has resulted in a setting that effortlessly blends neutral yet warm tones, Shoji screens, oak furniture and plaster from textured clay. A wooden screen subtly obscures the mezzanine floor whose flowy contours and the clean lines of the ground floor walls are paired with large-sized mirror panels that amplify its elegance. At the same time, intimate nooks are created that further heighten Ortensia‘s alluring charm. The eye for detail is arguably best captured by bench seats crafted from supple leather, quilted carpeting, and a sphere-shaped coat check and china cabinet created from thin blades and brushed stainless steel. The newly opened Ortensia seats a total of just 20 guests, and as said, serves French cuisine (both lunch and dinner) with Japanese touches and other influences that he picked up at various places in his stellar culinary career.
Ortensia
4 rue Beethoven
75016 Paris
Online bookings only
Wed-Sat 12.30pm-13.30pm (lunch)
Tue-Sat 7.30pm-9pm (dinner)
Publishers Note
Just to be clear – superfuture® is a design blog and not a political commentator. No surprise there. The scope of our content has always been global and borderless, however that can often mean covering projects in countries where we will not agree with the politics or actions of those countries. In a world that’s as screwed up as ever right now, the focus of our support is to those designers, architects and other creatives who aim to make the world a more liveable one – as opposed to people that try their hardest to destroy it. So if a project hits our desk and we like it based on its design credentials, we may choose to publish regardless of its location or creators nationality. superfuture® has always been inclusive and hopes for all current wars, aggression, violence, hate and extremism to end.
