Semilla — Restaurant in Paris

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The place is located on a busy & lively street/area - really fun to soak in that special Paris atmosphere just walking around & arriving at the glass door entry to this place in casual but hip outfits. Be sure to make reservations as this place is very popular during peak dinner time (7-10 PM). They have bar seating for drop-ins but that gets filled up too. Even though all the seatings were indoor, the place felt airy (lots of windows, simple modern seating & decor) and along with attentive & unpretentious staff created a really comfortable & conducive atmosphere for enjoying their excellent French/Asian fusion using local ingredients. There was no fault note with any of the dishes - everything was simply prepared so that flavor from each ingredient shone through. I loved the refreshing, fruity cocktail to start things off. Then came dishes of prawns, mushrooms, asparagus, anchovies (ordered second helping), fish and surprisingly delicious leek. All capped off with yummy cappuccino & divine chocolate cake with sorbet.

What tipped the experience to five stars was the staff. Not following my own advice, my friend & I decided to crash without a reservation around 7:30 PM (had reservation in another part of town but too lazy to track there - yes, too spoiled for choices). The host first said there's no opening but he was expecting another party that may be a no show. He called them to confirm cancellation & seated us. He did all this with the most professional courtesy without drama. We interacted with various staff during our dinner & everyone was consistently friendly, knowledgable & seemed really to enjoy their work at this place. Kudos & can't wait to...

Semilla gets points already for being open on a Sunday, as a lot of quality places are closed Sunday/Monday. I loved the setting, a mix of cosy Paris of old wooden beams and rough plastered walls, and the industrial elements that one sees in Australia or US, but not so much here. The service could not be faulted, all staff spoke good English, and Camille especially, was very generous with explanations. The food (with exception of poorly executed jus with the perfectly cooked pigeon, which seperated and was too full of oil) was all good. The starter of carpaccio of raw artichoke with lemon jelly, citrus fruits, felt like spring on the plate, so tasty, a great example of restrained, simple, yet elegant kitchen. The main of pigeon, cooked to perfection, was served with barley, green spring asparagus and parsley sauce. As I said the sauce(s) that came with the pigeon were my only gripe. I finished off with frommage brebis served with perfectly seasoned mini green salad. Seasoning throughout was spot on, because unlike a lot of kitchens today, they actually taste stuff, and one can see that seating next to their wonderful open kitchen full of fun, enthusiastic young chefs. If you like to see the magic happen, ask to be seated here. The current chef is departing this month to start his own restaurant, but apparently new 1star Michelin kitchen chef is coming in and there will be proper handover and ongoing support from the current chef. Hopefully they will maintain the current excellent standard of food and service. I shall find out in November I guess, when I am back in...

I usually do not leave bad reviews, but this was the worst meal I’ve ever had at a restaurant of this kind in Paris. Very disappointed by the food. I was a longtime fan, but today came back to a very bland, one dimensional meal.

I started with a butternut squash soup that came with a hazelnut nutmeg cream. Well, that’s not very original - in fact, you can get this flavor combination at any deli. You can get it in a carton. Where is the innovation? Overall it just tasted like... butternut squash. Unseasoned butternut squash.

Then came the royale of céleri. It was just a thick cream with the same flavor note across the board. Overly heavy and bland. This is fine as a base for something, but it definitely can’t stand on its own.

Next came the worst dish of all: the cuttlefish. Cubes of tough cuttlefish sat in a sad broth of (what tasted like) canned tomatoes and boxed salty veggie stock, sprinkled with some boiled, flavorless chickpeas. The main flavor was an overpowering chili powder reminiscent of some cheap Mexican season kit. It was swimming in pools of oil. I couldn’t even finish it - and I’ve never not finished my dish.

With all of the good restaurants in Paris, there’s no way this can survive. Worst meal I have ever had in Paris and a huge wast of...