Le Saint Sébastien — Restaurant in Paris

The exterior had the appearance of a cinema with the restaurant name displayed in letters on a lightbox like a coming attraction. Cute. It was almost empty when we got there, and this always makes me feel a bit nervous and conspicuous. We were swiftly seated and given a menu, and we duly interrogated the waiter when he said in good faith ‘feel free to ask if you need any explanations’. Soon the room began to fill up and we started drinking some wine. Again with the American accents. I guess I found out about this place in a Conde Nasty article. But there were plenty of French people there as well. And when we joked around with the waiter in Espanol he warmed to us more. When he found out my partner is Portuguese he wouldn’t stop coming to us every time he remembered a Portuguese word to try it out on us. From quiet and stifled the evening became vibrant and playful. The French guy at the table next to us was dressed casually in Converse All Stars and comfortable clothes and tasted his wine like a connoisseur and gave his food intense attention, but took the chance to chat and laugh with the waiter as well. We started with an appetiser – a tiny pile of tissue-thin prosciutto scrunched in the middle of a plate. It melted on the tongue like sacramental bread. Then an endive leaf was presented with a romesco-like sauce inside. I asked for the steak tartare because I am me, which came with sharply dressed Brussels sprouts leaves (great for scooping the steak into and popping into one’s mouth), a round pink slab of venison loin, perfectly tender, with roasted parsnip and chestnuts. Perfect wintry fare for this late autumn sojourn. After that came mushrooms with sweet potato and a hearty burnished brown thick sauce, and a cheesy walnut empanada that was not at all what we were expecting and not good at all – in hindsight I would have preferred to give it a miss. Dessert was little balls of churro coated in fine sugar, with chocolate dipping sauce and ice cream, and an apple éclair on steroids – fresh slices of apple and crumble sitting atop it like a stegosaurus and sweet caramel oozing everywhere else. The desserts were simply heavenly. I liked this place. I would like to go...

Excellent place all around - the food is delicious and very well thought out, the service is warm and attentive, and the wine list is full of great gems and exciting producers at super good prices.

An ideal wine bar but the food is also so good - creative but every ingredient justified. For example, the beef tartare was hand cut so you could really appreciate the other elements as you chewed - the smoky creaminess of the Padilla chili mayonnaise, nuttiness of the smoked hay oil, quality capers, and the crunchy sunflower seeds and fine shallots. For the hake, a beautifully smooth tangerine hollandaise with just the right amount of acidity to balance the sweetness and umami of the sauce, over sweet white cabbage and sunchokes with natural sweetness. Great with a beautiful bottle of Cordeuil Altitude 350m BDB champagne. Really thoughtful and well-proportioned cooking by a talented chef.

And the service, just great. Tom and company are very friendly and take care of you with a smile and attention even when the place is super packed at peak hour.

For the wine, excellent edit and fantastic prices. The candle holders even are empty bottles of Stephane Bernardeau, L’Anglore, Domaine Nowack, etc.

They are very accommodating of international visitors but it’s also really packed with locals who know.

If I lived around here, I would be weekly. Instead I’ll settle for returning each time I...

Such amazing food and service. Was a brilliant atmosphere. The various people coming to our table throughout the night gave professional service, but very friendly and happy to explain everything on the French only menu. There were a choice of three items for each course - one meat, one fish and one vegetarian. I had the two vegetarian without intention and they were both excellent. Flowers of Chinese cabbage for the first and roasted onions with capers for the second. For dessert there was a mixup with my order and I received walnut cake and brandy ice-cream. I hate walnuts. But I didn't realise it was the wrong dessert until I was half way through. It was so good! My colleague had scallops followed by monkfish and parsnips. And for dessert she had one of the two cheeses offered. The dining area is minimal and looks like the ex interior of an old "tabac" and shop fittings. But comfortable. As the space is divided by a partition wall it wasn't too echoey to speak and felt cosy. A super extensive wine list. We were drinking an exceptional champagne by the glass. Had we been in more of a beer mood tho, we would have drunk beer from the restaurants own brewery. We were offered a taster and it was very refreshing, quite lively and soft foam. Definitely recommend this place. Don't spoil it for everyone else and go in a big group unless you book the whole thing. Ideals for tables of...