Richard Hesse

Richard Hesse, another long-time Paris resident, is a translator by day and a serial diner by evening. He also likes to lunch. He is joined in these activities by his Scottish terrier, Bertie the Gastrohound, and his girlfriend, Doctor Madame, a London-based freelance historian.

25° Est

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Moonstruck Dining The rooftop terrace overlooking the Bassin de la Villette and the Ledoux building. It wasn’t about the food, which was fine. The magical evening my companion and I spent at 25° Est (25 Degrees East) had (apart from … Read More

Angl’Opéra

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Inspired Kitchen, Wonky Service Inventive chef Gilles Choukroun gets the food right. Dining with a friend the other evening at Louis Vins, I was forcibly reminded how hit-and-miss table service can be. The otherwise delightful young lady serving us managed … Read More

Chez Catherine

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Great value for money at 10 euros less. Pros: Good-quality, well-cooked food; pleasant, quiet atmosphere; no space problems. Cons: Prices a bit high. Chez Catherine has taken a bit of stick from the reviewers in recent weeks, and in a … Read More

Café Artcurial

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Café Artcurial’s new decor is by Gilles et Boissier. When I emerged from the Franklin D. Roosevelt Métro station, the first thing I saw in front of me was a Mirage jet fighter being installed in the forecourt of the … Read More

Alfred

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Life After (Electoral) Death The cheerful dining room has a clubby feel. Q: What do you do when you get bumped off the European Parliament gravy train after losing an election? A: Open your own restaurant. This is exactly what … Read More

Les Saveurs de Flora

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

A Flora by Any Other Name… The decor is unabashedly girly. The best things about Les Saveurs de Flora are the food, the wine list, the decor and the staff. It has its oddities, of which more later, but it’s … Read More

Le Clarisse

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Welcome Aboard A decor designed to impress. As the politicians say (or sometimes neglect to say), I have to confess to a possible conflict of interest. I went to Le Clarisse with a long-time friend who is a distant cousin … Read More

Le Pamphlet

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Le Pamphlet seems to exist in a time warp, and it’s all for the best. THIS RESTAURANT IS NOW CLOSED Remember Back to the Future? The Time Machine? All those “What might happen?” sci-fi stories about the imagined paradoxes of … Read More

Le Petit Marché

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Reflections on Rip-offs Lotte with a spicy pear chutney. I have just been exercised by a grimly entertaining piece in the London Daily Telegraph about the food at Disneyland Resort Paris. The writer had no high expectations of the food … Read More

Spring

February 8, 2010 | By Richard Hesse | Archive

Transplanted Rose Blooms in Paris Daniel Rose at work in his shoebox restaurant.   “Have you heard about this place? It’s the latest buzz, everyone’s talking about it!” was my introduction to Spring a few weeks back from a friend … Read More