Vivant 2 — Restaurant in Paris

It would be great if they provided any information online, that way both the restaurant staff and potential customers can avoid a miserable transaction if their severely limited, niche offerings aren’t worth the time or the money. I would argue they’re not worth it for anyone, but at least if their niche offerings don’t align with your personal taste, you’ll know enough to avoid the place.

Initially it only struck me as strange that I had to confirm the reservation several times via text. Then the evening of the reservation I got an international phone call (like it was the 1990s) asking if I was able to come to the restaurant up to an hour before my reservation. We ended up arriving on time and waited about 10 minutes for a bar seat. I was glad not to have shown up early if they could not accommodate my party showing up on time. I wasn’t sure how they had some much time to communicate with me (more than I had for them and to the point that it became annoying) but couldn’t get around to uploading any information about what they offer onto their website.

If I had known that the bar only served natural wine and did not have anything in the way of cocktails (or even a gin offering on the spirit menu?) and that the menu is nowhere near as vegetarian/vegan friendly as assorted internet reviews suggest, I would never have made the reservation. But they don’t provide any information about what they offer until after you’re already in the restaurant, at which point it’s already too late if they aren’t offering anything that appeals to you or if they aren’t offering anything a person in your party can eat with their dietary restrictions.

So if you’re only in Paris for a few days especially, I would steer clear of this place. It ended up ruining dinner for us when we have precious little time in the city. 1 of the 5 dishes my party ordered was good, so credit where due. The check came to about 150 euros, and we really didn’t receive much that we enjoyed and certainly did not receive an experience worth the money. Again, this is all completely avoidable. If there were any information about what the restaurant offers on their website, I would not have booked it. It seems like they believe they are a fancy enough establishment that one should just trust them. I would strongly advise against that.

Further, the staff is pretty rude if you come in and point out that they seem to have been blindsided by the party arriving at the restaurant at the time of the reservation, the lack of alcoholic drink options, and the mediocre quality of the banal dishes.

I recommend skipping this place entirely, especially if you don’t have much time in the city. It is not worth the money, or more importantly, the evening spent in the company of such miserable snobs who are not really good at what they do. Maybe that’s why they don’t provide any information publicly - deep down they’re embarrassed?

• on an ancillary note, we stopped by the falafel shop on the way home after a deeply unsatisfying experience at Vivant 2. A staff member from Vivant happened to walk by us as we were eating and made a snarky comment, instead of being embarrassed that we spent 150 euro at his establishment and were so dissatisfied that we stopped for street food on the way home. The arrogance of the gesture was almost impressive. Only because the restaurant failed so miserably at the one and only function it serves, were we at the the falafel spot...

A week ago while traveling to Paris my wife and I have invited our nephew living in Paris for a dinner in Vivant. I have read an article in Bon Appétit praising chef Pierre Touitou for his innovative approach of mixing French and Japanese cooking styles. Pictures by Adrianna Glaviano were more than convincing. Getting to the restaurant made us thinking “how come in the neighbourhood with so little grace BA was able to find restaurant worth their recommendation?”

After arrival we were greeted kindly and settled close to the entrance door by the chef’s bar. First impression; this place was packed, way too many people for small space like this. Little table set by the door to the small restroom looked like a bad joke. But we are in Paris... Before we were able to place our orders two gentlemen entered the premises. They gave the name to the staff members under which the reservation was made. Little war erupted soon after. It turned out there is no table reservation under this name and since the restaurant was fully booked they won’t be accommodated. Not this again, I thought. I have seen similar stories in the restaurant reviews. All that was happening just behind my back, not a nice beginning of Friday family gathering... Let’s start eating, maybe initial sour taste will melt away in the first dishes. It did, the prelude to the dinner was promising. Each of us enjoyed the first course. Wine, Dolia Syrah 2014 by Philippe Veret was nice but cheesy CD and music story accompanying the bottle wasn’t impressive. Second course felt a bit short of the expectations to most of us. All felt flat with the arrival of our deserts. Oh well, at least the coffee was good afterwards. It was the time to leave. And it was the moment that the biggest shocker of the night presented itself. It turned out that my messenger bag was stolen while I was in the restaurant. Looking back at the evening I am convinced that two angry customers were there not for the dinner but for something far more sinister. Restaurant sommelier Clément Jeannin contacted the police department. We were told the police will not come and were advised to file the report at the nearest police station. Only in Paris... I have left my business card with Clément Jeannin and was promised to be contacted soon to follow up on the unlucky event. A week has passed, no call from Clément or the owners of the Vivant restaurant. I guess it is much easier to learn how to cook decent meals than master the art of servicing the customers. Long way to go to achieve satisfactory level in this department... Don’t go to this restaurant. For the money they charge (in my case stolen property added extra thousands of dollars) you can have nicer meal in much prettier neighbourhoods of City of Lights. Unless you like to be squeezed like sardines, exposed to unappealing restaurant surroundings and presented with good but not great food. In that case, it’s your place, just watch your back...

I came to this place this Thursday (17.04.2025), during my first trip to Paris, I had already put it on my list for a while and the initial plan was to go there one of the last evenings, but I found myself in one of the neighbouring streets, really badly frequented and trying to get as far away as possible, between anxiety and the desire to get into a safe place I found myself in front of it, even though it was not in the evening's plans but I just wanted to go there slowly.

Initially I must have looked quite dazed and bewildered, still a little taken aback and trying to concentrate and get into the right mood for the restaurant. The exceptional staff 'took me by the hand' and guided me to start and fully enjoy the experience, I was followed in particular by a girl, whose name I don't know, with infinite patience, especially in the first moments of the evening when it seemed I had fallen from the clouds.

Once I had freshened up and set about analysing the moment and studying my surroundings, I began the journey, I won't make any spoilers, I will only leave a suggestion, rely completely on yourself, let yourself be guided, it is not a place to go to eat something, it is an experience, which is not just about food. The concept shines through in every detail, attitude, music, service, everything.

At the end of my week in Paris I can say with certainty that it was the best place I have ever been to, I am a very aesthetic person and I work in the creative field so I am already very open to anything in any field, especially the culinary one, I tested all the mainly vegetable proposals, impeccable and not easy to deal with in the kitchen, such as cervella, I have already tasted several of them being from northern Italy and I can say with absolute certainty that this proposal was the best...