Yam'Tcha, 1-star Michelin in Rivoli/Les Halles

[AlexForbes]

I've been trying to do some research on Yam'Tcha, the tiny and hard-to-define restaurant owned by Adeline Grattard (ex-L'Astrance) and I've been surprised by how little info there is about the restaurant here on e-Gullet. Wonder why...

From what I have found online, her cuisine is far from the stereotypical Cantonese fat/calorie bomb, and seems delicate and dainty, the ingredients barely messed with.

Fooding has said "not only does (the food) look like nothing you've known before, but what's more, it sends you straight on a trip to thousands of kilometers away without ever leaving your seat".

Fraçois Simon called his meal there "impeccable", and the restaurant, "one of the hits of this Spring" (he referred to spring '09)

Has anyone been recently? Any photos to share?

thanks!

Yam'Tcha: 4, rue Sauval (01.40.26.08.07). closed Mon and Tue. Set Menus 30 euros at lunch, 45 + 65 at dinner.

[OAKGLEN]

Check out parisbymouth.com today.

[mzimbeck]

They've had a lot of press (mainly in French, see here), and it's pretty difficult to book. I called in late May hoping to book a table for mid-July and was told the first availability was for September. I imagine now that it's October or later.

[boston]

I was there in Feb with my wife and with my son who was visitng on business from Hong Kong where he lives.

It is a a very small unassuming space.

The service is lovely. The meal was excellent. The food is indeed aisian influenced with a Hong Kong style according to my son.

My son spoke in mandarin with the gentleman behind the bar. There is a wide selection of teas.

As mentioned the chef has spent considerable time cooking in Hong Kong.

If you would enjoy a fine meal of french products fusion with Chinese Hong Kong sytle beautifully served you should go.

The resto is so small and so popular suggest asking for a reservation well in advance.

Boston

[AlexForbes]

Meg, I clicked on the link to your Paris by Mouth collaborative site and.... WOW! What a genius idea, and what great content and look! Congrats! The only thing I missed was a search that would allow me simply to type in Yam Tcha...

Boston, thanks for the feedback. The Hong Kong link, if I'm not mistaken, is that chef Grattard's husband is from there.

Now, back to YamTcha: yes, I know it is a pain to book a table there for my own experience, as well as several Brazilian friends'. But hey, that never hurt a restaurant, right? Maybe even adds to the "I want to see this for myself" factor.

Through the Paris by Mouth site I ended up finding an excellent dish-by-dish report with photos, but it's in French. here's the link.

[AlexForbes]

A few hours and two dozen websites later, an "a-ha moment": e-gullet's own John Talbot has also written a few lines about Yam Tcha, posted on his site back in early 09 (meaningful in case of a new restaurant).

I love his economy w words:

"tea pairings (...) are delivered with a mini-lecture by Chiwah Chan, the husband of the chef – one Adeline Grattard who worked at the Aleno-era Scribe + l’Astrance under Barbot.

I’d asked several friends/critics/etc if this was Asian or fusion or world food and been told it was Asian-inspired and it is."

A lesson in apt summarizing!

[Carlovski]

Alexandra, don't often venture onto the french forums, but I was a little confused by your comment in the original post Cantonese fat/calorie bomb - fattiness and calorific are not terms I really associate with cantonese, typically one of the lighter and more delicate Chinese regional styles. Indeed your counter point of delicate and dainty, the ingredients barely messed with sounds more like Cantonese to me (Dare I say it than most french cuisine?), although I am the first to admit I am no expert!

[fresh_a]

Wouldn't call it 'hip' by any means