Lé Là

Let's get this out of the way right now: when we talk about fusion cuisine, we tend to want to turn a blind eye, or even turn our backs. But it would be a mistake to snub this restaurant, which is built on smiles and love for two countries that are so far apart, at least on paper. Lynda Jumel is from Réunion, loves Normandy, and brings together two culinary identities with an almost disconcerting naturalness. The spices of the former, the very ones that once arrived here by boat and contributed greatly to the city's fortune, enrich the products of a rich terroir. And the chef enjoys challenging preconceived ideas, shaking up minds, and inventing a new grammar. A butter cream is adorned with vanilla, and you find yourself dipping your bread in it again and again; diced apples are flambéed with rum and leave you wanting more; oysters are dressed with coconut milk and take on a surprising twist. The chef makes her way around the tables to explain, recount, and reassure. And we're swept away, carried away as much by her laughter as by the freshness she distills in her cuisine.