Usagi

When sitting in Usagi it becomes quickly evident that there is a large elephant in the room. No, not the fact that everyone is too polite to mention that the chairs are somewhat uncomfortable. That is, if you are lucky enough to get a chair: you might be made to perch uneasily for the entire duration of the meal on the edge of a single bed that doubles as a shared banquette. Nor is it the fact that the room is unnervingly hot, despite the fact that there is at least one door open to some kind of back stairwell area behind the serving bench.

No, when I say an elephant, I really do mean an elephant. Or rather, a bunny. It's a huge, white lumping thing in the corner, one that sits rather like a child that has behaved poorly and is thus serving its punishment, unmoving, facing the wall in the hope that no-one will notice it. Uh, not quite.

The monolithic carrot-munching quadruped makes more sense when you learn that 'Usagi' is in fact the Japanese word for rabbit. And the rabbit makes more sense when you are searching for the bathroom, only to discover that the animal is in fact an extremely clever housing for said bathroom, one that is inoffensive and very effectively separates the loo from the dining room in a rather small space.

Usagi is peppered with rabbits throughout, both as decorative elements to the decor and the meal (see the photos for the tiny white rabbits carved out of radish), and I suspect that perhaps the menu is designed with rabbit-food in mind, too. What we ordered - the fois gras and duck for entrée, the mullet and tuna tartare for mains - were lovely. The individual dishes were imaginative, inventive and cohesive, and the palate was perfectly appropriate for the warmer months: clean, definitive (except maybe the foie gras in rice paper rolls - a little on the delicate side) and moorish. But that is where the problem lies: after finishing our meals (including a banana and green tea cake and a bottle of wine) we were left hankering for côte de boeuf.

It feels a little as though the menu has been designed with the fashion crowd in mind: small portions, no fat, few carbohydrates. Which is all very well if that is the kind of thing that you are looking for - some place cool to see and been seen at, where the food is interesting and uses really fresh ingredients but won't break your Atkins regime.

Perfect for the models and wannabes who habituate the Marais area, Usagi quite epitomises the notion of form over function. But at 99 euro for 2 courses, one dessert and the cheapest bottle of white on the menu, don't expect to feel full: something that is a little surprising considering what else is available in Paris at this price.

Usagi looks fantastic, the host and owner Shinsuké Kawahara is very sincere in his desire to please (his previous career was as a designer, something that is echoed throughout the space), though at the end of the day it left us wanting, and expecting slightly more. However, next time you are feeling a little guilty from last night's libations, want to go somewhere that has nailed the 'supercool Japanese interior design' genre or are entertaining a visiting supermodel, Usagi is your place of choice.


58, rue de Santonge / 75003 Paris / Ph: (+33) 01.48.87.28.85 / Hours: 12 - 2:30 pm and 19:30 - 10: 30 pm Monday - Saturday / Metro: Filles du Calvaire / http://www.usagi.fr/

La Galerie Végétale

The first time you walk past La Galerie Végétale, you find yourself staring in the window thinking "...what on earth..?". Asides from being completely intrigued about what exactly is going on in there, you are immediately captured by the surreal beauty of the space. But what is it, precisely? A florist? An interior design studio? A gallery? Well yes, actually - it is all of those things, and that is what makes it so beguiling.

Michel Lebroton and Solveig Kuffer have created an extraordinary space, something that they like to think of as a love letter to "Mother Nature". Set in an immense atelier-like room that was once a woodwork studio, La Galerie Végétale houses a florist/workshop area to one side and a gallery to the other - the influence of one lapping at the corners of the other as a dialogue between form and colour is created.

Yes, you can go in and buy a bunch of seasonal flowers (starting at around 20 euro), but do be sure to linger. The collection of artworks changes every month or so (I could not take photos of the art for copy write reasons, naturally) and the thematic of the 'florist' is then built around the art. The collection of flowers and greenery is offset by an intellectual yet aesthetically pleasing approach to lighting, space and decoration that contrasts texture with colour and form. Everything in La Galerie Végétale is honed around the notion of nature as installation art: it is a very successful homage to Mother Nature indeed.


La Galerie Végétale / 29 rue des Vinaigriers / Ph: (+33) 01.40.37.07.16 / 75010 PARIS / Metro: Gare de l'Est / Hours: 10am - 12pm, then 5pm - 7:30pm Tuesday to Thursday, 10am - 2pm and 3pm - 8pm Friday and Saturday, 10am - 2pm and 3pm - 6pm Sunday / lagalerievegetale@free.fr