La Riviera. Just to read the name of this new restaurant in the Lafayette quarter is enough to transport you 800 kms away. Menton, Madrague, Juan-Les-Pins-Saint-Tropez: all these names on the menu help us to imagine where we could be eating. A promise of Southern sunshine… but on the borders of Paris’ 9th and 10th arrondissements. A promise fulfilled by this establishment, which serves its own take on Southern France specialities. More than just another food outlet concept, La Riviera instantly transports us away. And it does so as soon as you go through the door, taking you far from the rush of the road used daily by thousands of Parisians. For this exceptional transformation, which hugely enhances the sunny and generous dishes prepared by the chef Aurélien Jame, La Riviera has a pair of female interior designers to thank. Take note of their names: Virginie Friedmann and Delphine Versace. Founders of the Friedmann & Versace studio, the two partners, who both learned their craft under Michael Malapert, each drew from their personal experience to bring life to La Riviera. Mental pictures of a childhood spent at the seaside for one, and of big tables laid out under parasol pines for the other. A perfect picture postcard into which we are immersed thanks to the unique harmony of materials, colours, furniture and decorative objects created by the interior designers. This place is genuinely immersive; here, it’s Summer all year round and La Riviera celebrates pleasure in all its forms. The real achievement is that there is something for everyone. Whether you love the fine detail of a piece of furniture discovered at auction, or the finesse of a dish of fresh pasta with lobster.
La Riviera, 118 rue Lafayette, 75010 Paris. Opening times: Sunday – Thursday, from 11am to midnight. Friday – Saturday, from 11am to 1am. Contact: bonjour@lariviera.paris.com. Phone: 01.42.63.06.05.
Photography: Valerio Geraci – Text: Caroline Balvay @thesocialitefamily
What is this chair with the round wicker back? I must know.