Asia as imagined by William Ledeuil (Ze Kitchen Galerie, Paris)

Georges Rouzeau-2008-06-16

 

At number 7 rue des Grands-Augustins, a plaque reminds people that the author Balzac set the studio of the painter Frenhofer, a character in his short story The Unknown Masterpiece, in this building. In the eyes of some art historians, this painter character is considered to have “discovered” abstract painting. Fascinated by this short story, Picasso took a studio at the same address, which he occupied from the 1930s until the end of the war…

 

 

 

 

Two words, for once the order of the day, define William Ledeuil’s cuisine: “refinement” (Far Eastern) and “freshness” (absolute). The chef composes his dishes with the same graphic attention as a Japanese woodblock painter. His cuisine plays on harmony of colours, the yin and yang of flavours, air and sea. Although colours and textures take precedence, taste is never sacrificed on the altar of chic, fake culinary aesthetics.

 

Here the word “fusion” takes on its full meaning, that of a cuisine that “merges” influences and the five senses. The dish catches your eye from afar by its highly pictorial elegance; the shapes and textures make you want to touch it. The chef has seemingly even matched his palette to that of the paintings that adorn the walls of his restaurant.

 

As for freshness, it is not just a question, here as elsewhere, of the sacrosanct “freshness” of the produce that is endlessly discussed time after time. William Ledeuil is above all concerned about the freshness of the flavours on the palate. He achieves this thanks to the few tart notes with which he skilfully sprinkles his dishes. Citronella is one of the mainstays of his cuisine, as are ginger, galanga (also known as Thai ginger) or fresh herbs and roots from southeast Asia. The spices and certain herbs or tubers are excellent natural flavour enhancers.

 

When we dropped in, the menu offered mainly seafood and fish, with the exception of a young rabbit and a pigeon treated like Peking duck… The crustaceans (sometimes imported directly), shellfish and fish are combined in a base of coconut milk, cucurma, ginger, wasabi or mango, not forgetting a few French spring baby vegetables such as asparagus (whose paleness must certainly delight William Ledeuil) or garden peas to compose a colourful, tangy haiku.

 

 

 

 

4, rue des Grands-Augustins

75006 Paris

Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 32 00 32

Metro station: Saint-Michel
From 12.15pm to 2.15pm (except Saturdays) and from 7.30pm to 10.15pm.

Closed Sundays.