Le Versance

A few steps away from Place de la Bourse in the second arrondissement of Paris, the warm and elegant Le Versance has been wonderfully renewed to its former glory. The upstairs restaurant with its dove grey décor is enlivened with nineteenth century mouldings, stunning stained glass windows and a menu etched on a glass partition featuring courses served at the opening of the Elysee Palace. While sipping an apéritif at the plush lounge area downstairs, diners can prepare themselves to savour innovative French delights.

Chef Samuel Cavagnis, who is an avid globe trotter and voyager, interspersed cooking and adventure before fulfilling his childhood dream to be a chef and open his restaurant. This Georges Blanc protégé does not attempt to include the aromas of the world in his cooking; he prefers to draw inspiration from his own personality, influenced by the desire to share and travel. The menu showcases the depth of his repertoire and may occasionally revolve around certain spices or herbs; these aromatic plants are even found on the tables in miniature pots!

Pasta shells stuffed with salmon rillettes flavoured with dill and pink peppercorns, and île flottante, a meringue in liquorice-spiked custard sauce with pink almond praline shows the fact that the kitchen dares to look beyond the mundane.

Starters of grilled foie gras with artichoke emulsion and truffle oil and avocado and tomato tartare served with salad and basil vinaigrette set the tone for a fine meal. Move on to try roasted lamb tian with cabbage fondant and beetroot puree or John Dory with vegetable tagliatelle and pea and ginger ravioli.

Take time to feel the explosion of flavour in dishes such as fillet of red mullet, pot of monkfish cheeks and saffron shellfish, thigh of rabbit melting in Espelette pepper and polenta with oil ceps. Desserts include short-crusted fig tart with rosemary syrup and violet ice cream and raspberry and fresh strawberries from Fèves with tonka and granita flowers.

So whether it's a bourse investor or a food lover seeking haute cuisine, Samuel and his team at Le Versance truly live up to the motto of this restaurant, which is based on the saying of the famous French politician and epicure, Brillat-Savarin. 'To invite someone in your home implies that you take his happiness into your own hands for the time he spends with you.'