L'Inconnu Awards

L'Inconnu Restaurant Review:

This Italian restaurant takes its originality from being helmed by a Japanese chef. Koji Higaki, who worked for five years at Passage 53, decided to open his own establishment with his wife in the slick 7th arrondissement. Uncluttered décor may look cold with its stark and white walls, but this impression is offset by the subtlety and inventiveness of the cuisine. The lunch menu in particular is a sure bet. Top-notch products, impeccable seasonings and addictive sauces are showcased in dishes such as the raw scallops with salsify, spinach and horseradish cream and the spaghetti alla chitarra, a variety of egg pasta from Abruzzo, with lamb ragoût and fried celeriac. Squid ink risotto with breadcrumb-coated cod is faultlessly cooked, and the roasted guinea fowl is astutely combined with mussel tartare and watercress oil. Dessert gives a nod to originality as well, spicy and roasted chestnuts with meringue and vanilla ice cream. To match the fare, choose from a hundred Italian items on the wine list, like the palatable Chianti Classico Isole e Olena from Tuscany.