Meet Two Sisters, Their Parisian Bistro And Their Delicious Food Art!

This beautifully constructed dish is just one of many being served at one of the best new bistros in Paris!

Meet The Levha Sisters!

When I was in Paris recently a good friend told me I HAD to eat at Le Servan, a small Paris bistro in the 11th Arrondissement.

As Conde Nast Traveler reported about the restaurant:

Le Servan is a sibling-focused family affair. Katia Levha, 28, selects the wines at this buzzy 40-seat bistro, and sister Tatiana Levha, 30, is the chef. Both were born in Manila, in the Philippines, and grew up in Paris, with stints in Bangkok and Hong Kong. Food pairings, unsurprisingly, are illustrative of this multicultural upbringing: Fried duck hearts come with chili sauce, and tête de veau rests on a bed of braised leeks. Cockles are served in a sweet basil broth, and cuttlefish floats in blank ink, paired with magenta-hued spicy cabbage. “Asian food is our comfort food,” says Tatiana. “[But] it’s still very much a French bistro.”

Tatiana Levha was formerly at L’Arpège and L’Astrance, two of Paris’s best restaurants, and Le Servan’s short list of offerings changes each day – you can expect seasonally driven cuisine inflected with international touches – and that’s exactly what I got when I stopped in for lunch!

Le Servan is close to the Chemin Vert Metro stop, and I got there 15 minutes before they opened, since I had no reservation…so I got an early look at that day’s menu, PLUS a “selfie reflection” as well:

They opened promptly at noon, were incredibly nice, and asked if I had a reservation….oops! No problem, they said , seating me at a counter overlooking the kitchen.

I want to reinforce just how nice they were to seat me, because within ten minutes they were packed and people were being turned away!

Lucky to make it in, I looked at the menu and made my selection – let the tasting begin!

“Wonton de boudin noir, sweet chili”

First up was a delicious, crispy wonton of boudin noir – you see, these are overcooked, they are “black pudding” or “blood sausage”!

As Conde Nast said, Asian food is their comfort food, and they brought that to each dish. I dipped each wonton in the sweet and spicy sauce, and they crunched on the outside and melted in my mouth – the richness of the “boudin noir” proved it was indeed “black pudding!”

Of course, a glass of crisp Sancerre and some water were also served before the dish, and as soon as I polished it off, my entree arrived:

“Ventreche de thon rouge de ligne crue, toast de brioche et piquillo”

Take a moment. Look at it again.

Translated, it’s a “Raw Bluefin Tuna Brioche with Smoked Piquillo Peppers” – and some chopped nuts sprinkled about as well – I shared this on Instagram the second I finished eating it, because it was incredible!

Whatever was in the creamy white mayonnaise that was slathered on the bottom of the brioche toast teamed up quite well with the rich tuna and the bright flavor of the peppers…it’s aa dish I could have eaten over and over again…but it was time for the Plat!

“Poulet croustillant au gingembre, legumes verts, sauce aigre douce”

Again, you can see the influence of world flavors in this dish, translated as:

“Crispy ginger chicken, green vegetables, sweet and sour sauce”

While the outside of the chicken was crispy AND infused with ginger, the meat itself was incredibly moist and flavorful and the sweet and sour sauce brought both together perfectly…

The Bok Choy was crisp and light, making the entire dish delicate yet full of flavor.

As I said at the beginning, each dish is presented as an edible work of art – and the staff was incredibly friendly and welcoming as well…Alex wasn’t able to join me at this meal, but when we return to Paris we are getting a reservation and diving in again!

Bravo to Chef Levha and her Sister for the outstanding food and friendliness of the restaurant…as I said, she had previously worked at one of the most acclaimed restaurants in Paris:

Chef Alain Passard and L’Arpege!

Alex and I ate at this 3 Michelin-starred restaurant a few years back – a menu filled with vegetables and incredibly inventive dishes like this:

If you are intrigued, I posted a story that takes you thought his incredible dining experience course by course, and you can see it here:

https://johnrieber.com/2016/01/09/bite-into-paris-7-days-10-michelin-stars-an-amazingly-tasty-adventure/

Bravo to Le Servan – I can’t wait to return and see what works of edible art are next!

Categories: Exotic Travel, Food, food blog, Food Review, Memoirs, Paris, Pop Culture, Recipes, Restaurants, Travel, Travel Adventures, Travel Memoir, Uncategorized, Wacky Food

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