Au Père Lapin

160 YEARS OLD AND VERY MUCH OF ITS TIME

At the gates of Paris, a few minutes from the Arc de Triomphe, in this beautiful house, clinging to the hills of Suresnes, overlooking the Eiffel Tower, the Père Lapin team officiates. This true institution, born in 1861, is celebrating its 160th anniversary this year, without having lost the enthusiasm of its youth. The owners take great care of it. Johann Caillot with his warm welcome and his vigilant eye in the dining room, and the chef Guillaume Delage, ready to celebrate, as always with the same care, this gourmet and creative cuisine that knows its classics.

A PLACE ATTACHED TO THE HISTORY OF PARIS AND SURESNES

The day that Paris decreed a tax on the consumption of wine on its territory, the clientele crossed the Seine on Sundays to go to Suresnes and the surrounding area to taste the rustic petit blanc from the Suresnes vineyards, which continues to this day. The Auberge du Père Lapin was born. It owes its name to the construction of the Mont Valérien fort, which required a large number of diggers, often from the Creuse region, who were known as "rabbits", “lapins” in French. As a tribute, the rabbit gibelotte made its appearance there, never to leave the map.

BRAS, ANTON, GAGNAIRE IN HERITAGE

This restaurant, which has all the makings of a contemporary inn, still celebrates with the same care, this gourmet cuisine, which knows how to compose creative dishes that are well in tune with the times, is led by Guillaume Delage, a chef who has worked in the greatest restaurants (Bras, Anton, Gagnaire, and the Jadis bistro that he created...). The chef has no equal when it comes to offering "canaille" dishes that he has managed to revive. Calf sweetbreads? He barbecues them beforehand to leave a delicate smoky taste in the mouth. The octopus: it is whipped with a dense black rouille with an intense flavour, the crepinette of grouse stuffed with foie gras? its sauce is finely fruity with the acidity of the blackcurrant...

FIREPLACE OR GARDEN ? YOU FEEL GOOD HERE, WINTER AND SUMMER ALIKE

Johann Caillot, the owner, has drawn on the restaurant's history and its formidable assets to create a place that is both attractive and engaging. A neat and warm setting, fresh, seasonal products that favour local produce, friendly staff... an experience to be lived and relived, in front of the fireplace in winter and between the terrace and the garden as soon as the fine weather arrives.

A CUISINE OF HAIR AND FEATHERS IN SEASON

The chef is delighted with the autumn season when game can make its entrance into the kitchen. He is known for his tourtière of Mallard duck and foie gras, cabbage and boulangère patatoes, as well as for his crepinette of roasted grouse, which he is currently accompanying with chard and black trumpets. As for his very personal recipe for hare à la royale, it reconciles Senator Couteaux and Antoine Carême.