Paris -- Restaurant H: An Excellent New Bistro

At the recommendation of one of my partners, we went with friends to H Restaurant, a new néo-bistro located in the fourth arrondissement, near the Bastille. H is named for its owner-chef, Hubert Duchenne, who was sous-chef at the renowned Akrame. H serves very sophisticated modern French cuisine in a simple but elegantly designed space, with an open kitchen and lots of room between tables (a rarity in this part of town).

The five-course menu is just 50 euros, a tremendous bargain for this quality of food. Just look at some images of the food. Unfortunately, I cannot recall what we ate, exactly, and most things are covered with mousses, sabayons or other sauces, so it is hard to tell in retrospect. Indeed, the only criticism that we had was that nearly all the dishes shared that characteristic: while they were all excellent, we would have preferred a dish or two that highlighted the perfectly cooked main element.

Five-course menu at Restaurant H

The menu at H varies with the season, and we are definitely planning to return in the autumn, before the restaurant becomes more widely discovered, to sample the chef's take on that season's products.

Restaurant H, 13 Rue Jean Beausire, Paris 4ème (Métro Bastille).

Bobby Jay