DFS welcomes guests to its La Samaritaine table
‘Art de vivre’ in French translates easily as the ‘art of living’ in English and DFS encourages its guests to experience just that through 12 dining options which are designed to cater for all tastes.
DFS has gone to considerable lengths to ensure the food and beverage options at La Samaritaine appeal not only to local Parisians but also to French and foreign visitors.
Its 12 dining options are designed to suit all tastes: from a salad-to-go or creative cuisine, a coffee, cake or croissant (made on site) to a memorable dinner based on vintage and other fine Champagnes.
Each space, according to DFS, is the result of exclusive concepts imagined by starred chefs, talented pastry chefs, bakers and top-rated partners including Dalloyau, Maison Plisson, La Brûlerie des Gobelins, Bogato and others.
Pâtisserie l’exclusive by Dalloyau is a haute-pâtisserie featuring cakes and other sweet temptations designed by Jérémy Del Val, Chef Création Pâtisserie Dalloyau and French Dessert Champion {Photo: Ajouts}
The Voyage – the Samaritaine ‘jewel’ – is located in a 1,000sq m space under the magnificent Art Nouveau glass roof. This is where, DFS says, “gastronomy, art and experiences come together with a new chef in residence each season, young guest chefs, and an immersive table of Krug Champagnes”.
The Voyage aims to combine a restaurant, bakery, café, tearoom and take-away with what DFS describes as “emotional experiences”.
In this constantly moving space, starred chefs mingle with the new vanguards to not only create a “mosaic of tastes” but also to shape the revival of international cuisine. The Voyage menu is presented in the form of a magazine, complete with stories of famous travellers and portraits of chefs in residence. Cocktails – available with or without alcohol – are created by legendary mixologist Matthias Giroud, inspired by a large library of wines and spirits from the Moët Hennessy collection.
Voyage is an eclectic 100sq m space that blurs boundaries as fine dining, mixology, art, poetry and music converge. {Photo: Ajouts}
Taking center stage beneath the art nouveau glass roof on the fifth floor, with the peacock fresco as a backdrop, Voyage, Samaritaine Paris Pont-Neuf is an eclectic 100sq m space that blurs boundaries as fine dining, mixology, art, poetry and music converge. {Photo: Ajouts}
The entire menu is available in three different locations, depending on whether the Voyage customer prefers just a cocktail, dishes to share or a more formal meal. On the Monnaie side, the atmosphere is convivial, a ‘share and sip’ approach with guests seated on bar stools or around a table.
The Voyager’s Seine side is ideal for informal meetings and private parties and features modular sofas and a virtual glass wall of 4k screens live-broadcasting a panorama of the Seine. Formal dining is favoured on the Louvre side, in an area popular for lunch and dinner, with an outstanding view over the roofs of the St Germain l’Auxerrois church.
Sweet Corner by Bogato, a Parisian pastry shop by Chez Bogato, was created exclusively for Samaritaine {Photo: Ajouts}
An artistic programming committee – bringing together Jean-Michel Wilmotte, Frédéric Beigbeder, René Martin, Adel Abdessemed, Artur Reversade and many other personalities – will forecast trends and invite artists, creators, DJs and musicians to Voyage. For its inauguration, the work of street artist Jordane Saget featured on the bay windows.
Voyage has teamed up with Bang & Olufsen for its sound system and TBC for creative furniture while Lacoste has added a preppy touch to teams’ clothing.
Source by JOIE offers a menu crafted by nature, featuring a delicious and nourishing offering of vegetarian food using only 100% organic and seasonal produce {Photo: Ajouts}
12 ways to taste Samaritaine
On the top floor guest chefs reimagine great culinary classics for lunch and dinner, a Heritage 1905 menu which includes mini tasting dishes while at the Voyage Chef’s Table, which is located near the kitchen, chefs concoct gastronomic moments centred on the best Moët Hennessy Champagnes.
The Voyage also offers a cocktail and tapas bar and a Sweet Corner by Bogato which features customised shortbread and festive cakes from creative teams of Parisian pastry chef Anaïs Olmer.
Top Chef Season 4 winner and starred chef Naoëlle d’Hainaut heads the contemporary cuisine at the Ernest brasserie where the décor is by Constance Guisset. ‘Pastry jewels’ – presented in jewellery-style drawers – are prepared by Jérémy Del Val, Dalloyau’s pastry chef and French Dessert Champion.
Maison Plisson Fouder Delphine Plisson caters for epicureans, vegetarians and flexitarians with seasonal, healthy and gourmet dishes and Dînette offers sweet and savoury classics from Dalloyau, revisited in a dollhouse format.
Zinc by Brûlerie des Gobelins has four new colourful and natural latte recipes. Discover the delicacy of a violet and forest fruits latte or a pistachio latte, available hot or iced. And for those who like it hot, try the Samaritaine cappuccino. {Photo: Stephane Sby Balmy}
On the Rivoli ground floor, Zinc offers a Brûlerie des Gobelins coffee break (including a sustainably produced ethical espresso, latte or filter coffee) in a retro 50s décor of rattan and formica.
Samaritaine boasts its own basement oven, used by Ernest to produce croissants, breads and pastries on offer from 7am. After 7pm, the same space transforms into a wine and tapas bar until midnight.
Shots of freshly-pressed ginger and other juices are available at the Source bar, along with a miso-roasted vegetable bowl, buckwheat brownies and the dark chocolate Tigré cookie.
Street Caviar partners with Maison Prunier to offer an exclusive caviar baguette, inspired by the idea of offering French caviar in a street food style. Warm baguettes, hot croque-monsieur ham and cheese sandwiches and salads are also available.
This stylish space is an extension of the Brûlerie des Gobelins, a revered Parisian roastery since 1957 {Photo: Ajouts}
This stylish space is an extension of the Brûlerie des Gobelins, a revered Parisian roastery since 1957 {Photo: Ajouts}