Oktobre

Oktobre sits on the same Saint-Germain-des-Prés street where Picasso lived and worked for nearly two decades. Behind a simple dark facade veiled with linen curtains, the dining room is broken into a few intimate sections, including two main rooms and a small private area. The whole space is done in an autumnal palette of beige, brown, and bordeaux, with tables of smoked oak, caramel-colored ceramic tiles, and banquettes upholstered in a graphic striped fabric. Mirrored panels and dried flower arrangements soften the room, which is kept dimly lit at night. This is chef-owner Martin Maumet’s first solo project, though he’s familiar with the address – he was the associate chef here when it was Kitchen Galerie Bis. The restaurant's name, with its deliberate "K," is a nod to that history, and Maumet kept much of the former team, including sommelier and dining room manager Romane Laignel. His cooking uses classical French technique as a foundation for flavors pulled from Asia, with a heavy reliance on spices, vinegars, and complex sauces. The menu changes constantly with the market, but the main format for dinner is a five or six-course tasting menu. A meal almost always begins with a trio of small, inventive amuse-bouches – maybe a bonito ceviche with crispy rice or beef tartare with puffed rice and horseradish. From there, you might find suckling pig with crackling, guinea fowl with a pear-miso condiment, or shellfish in a yuzu kosho-perfumed blanquette sauce. The wine list follows suit with a focus on biodynamic bottles. Reservations are recommended, and service is handled in both French and English.