Mallory Gabsi

The story

Mallory Gabsi: Michelin-Starred Belgian Modern Cuisine in Paris

Rue des Acacias, steps from the Arc de Triomphe. Here, Chef Mallory Gabsi has opened his own restaurant, a place where the cooking is described as “gourmand, pétillant, acidulé” — indulgent, sparkling, and sharp. The kitchen builds plates on deep sauces, bright acidity, and contrasting textures: crunchy against melting, powerful next to delicate, warm meeting lively.

Gabsi’s story traces a clear line from childhood to now. Born in 1996 in Ixelles, near Brussels, he watched his grandmother cook daily dishes and his Tunisian grandfather prepare enormous couscous for the family. That early influence — direct, generous, unpretentious — anchors his style. He trained at the École d’Hôtellerie et de Tourisme Spermalie in Bruges, then at the Institut Libre de Technique in Louvain, before interning in renowned kitchens. He worked two years with chef Yves Mattagne at the Sea Grill in Brussels, cooked at the triple-starred Hertog Jan in Flanders, and later returned to the Sea Grill as a relief chef. In 2014, he won the “Jeunes Talents Disciples d’Auguste Escoffier” competition with Danièle Soru; in 2015, he finished fourth in the Young European Restaurateurs Cooking Cup.

Public recognition came through television — he reached the semi-finals of season 11 of Top Chef and co-hosts Cauchemar en Cuisine alongside Philippe Etchebest — but the restaurant on Rue des Acacias is the realization of a long-held dream. Here, his cuisine lives in a productive tension: French rigor in its stocks and reductions, Belgian soul in its frankness and generosity. The result is a modern cuisine that surprises without unsettling.

The menu changes, but the approach is consistent. A lunch menu offers three sequences; the “Les Sens” menu stretches to four, and the “Turquoise” menu to seven. Dishes evolve, but they share a logic: eel with herbs and shallot, turbot with courgette and mussels, Mara des Bois strawberries with brousse and jalapeño. The cooking is designed to be eaten with appetite, not analyzed.

In 2025, the restaurant earned a Michelin star — recognition that aligns with Gabsi’s own values: “We are highly committed to our values based around the shared conviviality of quality gastronomy. My aim is to continue making people happy with my cuisine and most of all to stay true to myself.” The dining room is open Monday through Friday, for lunch and dinner.