Regain

After rubbing shoulders with the finest international chefs at the culinary incubator À la piscine, Benjamin Sanchez dove into the deep end and opened Regain with his sidekick Thomas Rolland – ex-À la piscine as well. The spot in question? A bistro tucked away on a windowed street corner (unfinished walls, globe light fixtures, tonal décor with polished wood and light leather), where the duo can be credited with blowing a light Mediterranean breeze through the space. The night we went, the spellbinding five-course menu featured all of the following: a pissaladière prelude made with grilled onions, anchoiade and slow-roasted bonito in a rich fish head broth; generously portioned and flavorful sushi, with Camargue rice and juniper-smoked white asparagus, plus plenty of mustard and spruce honey sugar; chickpea fritters topped with an incredible hummus paired with panoufle , or lamb crackling; lamb saddle that was pink in the center, paired with chickpeas, nettle pulp and a jus seasoned with Vadouvan Indian spice blend; before a tantalizing blackcurrant sorbet with goat cheese, pain de Gênes and fig leaf oil, followed by a lovely apricot sorbet with a delightful roasted apricot under a hay-infused milk emulsion… // Damien Sorin