Hébé: a kitchen for sharing, close to Notre-Dame
Located just a stone’s throw from Notre-Dame church, Hébé enjoys a prime location in Paris’ historic district. Created in September 2018, Hébé reserves a warm welcome and a cuisine based on sharing with its French cuisine with Mediterranean accents.
Sharing
Hébé appeals above all for its convivial approach to cooking. The concept is based on tasting menus for 2 or 3 people, which can be fully customized. In fact, customers choose the contents themselves, drawing directly from the menu, with no restrictions. Each portion is identical to those on the à la carte menu. And there’s something for everyone, whether you’re a lover of fine meats, fine fish or vegetarian.
For this fresh, seasonal cuisine, the restaurant is open every day for lunch and dinner, except Monday lunchtime. At the helm? Ramzi Samar, formerly an apprentice at the Ferrandi school, joined Carole and Imad six years ago. Today, he is Hébé’s chef. Backed by the expertise of Michel Portos, two-time Michelin star and former Gault&Millau chef of the year, he regularly renews the menu.
During our visit, we were seduced by the pastrami-style beef tongue with carrot hummus, chimichurri and red cabbage pickles. For main courses, the grilled fillet of sea bream with green cabbage, rocket, pomelo gel, anchovy paste and grapefruit was absolutely divine, and the turbot lacquered in white miso with mushrooms, ginger, broccoli root and wakame sauce blew us away. For dessert, we can’t recommend enough the crisp vanilla flan with fresh blackberries, speculoos crunch and vanilla ice cream, or the dark chocolate dessert with sesame praline, fleur de sel shortbread and dark sesame ice cream.
A thoughtful wine list
The wine list, created by Imad in collaboration with Stéphane Derenoncourt, the famous consultant winemaker, is another highlight of Hébé. Thanks to the Coravin system, customers can enjoy a wide selection of wines by the glass, allowing them to discover a variety of flavors without having to order an entire bottle. This carefully considered choice highlights wines that go perfectly with the dishes on offer. What’s more, the wine list changes with the seasons.
Careful decoration
In addition to the kitchen, Hébé also features a cosy, elegant ambience. The furniture, designed by Houssam Kanaan, Imad’s brother and founder of KANN Design, reflects the refined aesthetic of the place. Lighting by DCW completes the warm atmosphere. Every detail contributes to creating a cocoon of conviviality where you immediately feel at ease.
Also read: Didon: the charcoal kitchen of the 6ᵉ
