Dining out in Paris may be put on hold at the moment, but the French capital remains one of the few places on the planet where to engage in the most extraordinary culinary experiences. Behold Papi, a newly opened eatery situated a few blocks northeast of the ornate Palais Garnier. The restaurant has proven to be a hit with the city’s young and savvy, but that’s not really surprising. Its founder, hospitality entrepreneur Etienne Ryckeboer, isn’t only part of this demographic, but previously gained the culinary limelight when opening popular oyster bar and sister establishment Bulot Bulot. Papi occupies a 50 sqm. (560 sq.ft.) space on the ground floor of a 19th-century Haussmann-style building and features an interior design by acclaimed Shanghai-based practice Neri & Hu. Previously accommodating a home appliances store and a slew of other tenants, the space has been entirely gutted, revealing segments of old bricks and limestone which are incorporated in the new setting. A large part of the interior is now visible thanks to a cut-out in the façade. Newly installed windows, which are fully opened when weather permits, reveal two seemingly inserted and stacked near-oval shapes, captured by thin white tiles and light timber. The tiling extends onto the floor and a service counter, while part of the carpentry forms an integral part of the restaurant’s seating. Additional furnishings comprise of one collective wooden table and six smaller tables, all paired with matching chairs. The cuisine at Papi is Italian-inspired with slight Japanese touches, and supervised by Akira Sugiura, a renowned chef from the Land of the Rising Sun who honed his skills at renowned eateries around the world. Needless to say, this is an informal diner, but one with a sophisticated approach to both food and drink, as the wine list with French and Italian options also effortlessly testifies.
Papi
46 rue Richer (Opéra)
75009 Paris
Telephone: +33 1 71277765
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.
