These are not my usual associations with the word “Office.”
But the moment I stepped into L’Office from the busy streets of Paris, I exhaled in relief.
Charles Nikitits, the restaurateur who bought and renovated the ninth arrondissement restaurant to its current liveliness and alluring aesthetics, was warm and welcoming. He has a background practicing as a lawyer in London, an experience that propelled him to pursue his real passion: food, starting at Le Royal Monceau then continuing on to La Maison de la Truffe in Paris and Bangkok, until he took the reigns of his own restaurant two years ago.
Together with his head chef, Charley Breuvart, from the Park Hyatt Paris, Charles spotlights fresh ingredients, which he plucks from his home garden in Normandy, and a well-thought out menu. Customers, loyal and new, savor this combination each weekday on dreamy artisanal place settings Charles selected from ceramicist, Judith Lasry.
My highlights that night, in reverse chronological order (because I always think of dessert first) include:
– Cheesecake, whipped up just before serving, topped with passion fruit and mango coulis and slivers of coconut
– Beef Wellington baked to tender perfection (a customer favorite)
– Delicate ravioli with sheep’s cheese and watercress coulis
L’Office is a space for attention to detail, but not to the usual associations of the word — instead to seductive flavors and a beautifully soothing interior. It was easy to luxuriate over each morsel surrounded by conversation, the hum of music, and the gleaming white-tiled bar in the background.
Merci, to Charles Nikitits, for the only “Office” in which one can be guaranteed to happily spend hours.
L’Office
3 Rue Richer
75009 Paris
*Open Monday – Friday (lunch and dinner)
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