Blanc

Rating: 16
Author: Gault&Millau

52 Rue de Longchamp, 75116 Paris, France

16/20
Remarkable Restaurant

BOOK

4 PHOTOS

Location: Paris
Chef: Shinichi Sato
Cooking: French | Gastronomic | Signature cuisine
Services: Privatization
Style: Elegant, Romantic

Budget (€)

Indicative price per person (excl. drinks)

180 to 450

Gault&Millau's review 2026

16/20

Remarkable Restaurant

Renowned architect Kengo Kuma has designed a spectacular, nearly circular space, wrapped in slender, curved white ash slats that give the room the look of a contemporary nest—both warm and meticulously crafted. The first impression is striking enough to make its nomination for the 2024 Versailles Prize for the World’s Most Beautiful New Restaurants seem perfectly justified. Round tables, impeccable table linens, red arum lilies, sculptures by Massimo Lunardon: nothing is left to chance. One might imagine a Japanese-style atmosphere—subdued, almost meditative—but the fairly prominent jazz piano music and the distinctly Parisian hospitality quickly dispel that expectation. The service staff, numerous and precise down to the smallest detail, would sometimes benefit from allowing the meal to unfold at a more leisurely pace and better preserving the table’s privacy. Fortunately, Édouard Pierard brings a natural warmth, and a very young sommelier intelligently showcases a remarkable wine cellar, dominated by champagnes and Burgundies, notably featuring fine older vintages served by the glass. Another unique feature: the menu remains a secret, right down to the number of courses. This approach is intriguing but leaves the impression of a set menu, whereas one would prefer to retain at least some control over the course of the meal. In the kitchen, Shinichi Sato—who has worked at L’Astrance and Pierre Gagnaire, among others—delivers a highly personal take on French cuisine, though the most noticeable influence seems to stem from his time at Mugaritz in the Spanish Basque Country. The appetizers set the tone: a carrot tube combining sweetness, crunch, and lemony freshness; a raw spring onion complemented by a salty poultry gel. The eggplant, prepared like noodles, surrounded by cucumber juice and enlivened by a yogurt-basil granita, makes for an opening course of supreme freshness. The langoustines, silky and perfectly cooked, find in the fava beans, dashi, and sage flowers a vegetal, briny, and delicately bitter depth that is perfectly balanced. The tempura whiting, paired with Parma ham, shiso, and mascarpone, offers a playful “land and sea” concept, though the frying here seems to mask the fish rather than highlight it. The pigeon from the Renard farm—roasted, then seared over binchotan charcoal, wrapped in cecina, and served with Padrón peppers and a powerfully reduced sauce—is the most personal, profound, and compelling dish of the entire experience. Takuro’s pastry takes yet another turn: intense strawberry, yogurt, pine, and bay leaf panna cotta come together to form a beautifully crafted pre-dessert, followed by a fluted rum baba trompe-l’œil and two interpretations of Colombian cacao of remarkable depth—lightly sweetened and never heavy. Chocolates and madeleines with lychee honey bring a meal to a brilliant close—one that leaves a lasting impression of the beauty of the venue, the extreme professionalism of the service, the wine selection, and, on the plate, a personal take on French cuisine where the Japanese influence remains very subtle.