Les Foodies, a Sea of Flavours

Freshly launched in Le Marais, néo-bistrot Les Foodies is already becoming an unforgettable name! It all began in the prestigious Cordon Bleu cooking school, where Alex Kogan and the chef Davide Galloni first met and came up with a dream to create something original. They decided to run with it. It was going to be an authentic melting pot of influences, with a welcoming and refined décor. Mongolia, Thailand, Italy, Mexico, Australia and even Russia: between the two of them Alex and Davide trace the lines between 5 continents, leading us to culinary discoveries that are surprising and sumptuous. Chef Davide Galloni turns the codes of French Gastronomy completely upside down. At The Foodies, dishes are composed like a painting, in an array of colours, unexpected textures and carefully chosen flavours, all set against a backdrop of wild Pordamsa porcelain dishes. Playfully he leaves little clues to his Thai-Italian roots in the details of his dishes, Scarmoza and Wasabi are placed side by side. The decor, imagined up by Régis Conseil, is a captivating treasure chest of colour. Blue velvet seating, Mondrian style stain-glass windows, and wallpaper designed by Ugo Gattoni, everything is carefully thought-out down to even the tiniest of details.

Les Foodies, 6-8 Square Sainte-Croix de la Bretonnerie – 75004 Paris.

Salle principale restaurant Les Foodies Paris Marais

Salle principale Suspension lampe Chaises velours Restaurant Les Foodies Marais

Plat Restaurant Les Foodies Marais Paris

Salle restaurant verrière verre Les Foodies Marais Paris

Alex, Régis, Davide, could you introduce yourselves?

Alex

I was born in Siberia, but grew up and went to University in USA. I worked in Finance and big infrastructure projects for many years. Three years ago I went and graduated from Le Cordon Bleu. After that I graduated from ALMA, Italy’s best culinary school in Parma.

Régis

I run an Interior Design agency called Studio Janréji. I design bars, restaurants and hotels, mainly in Paris. Maybe you’ve already been to one without knowing?

Davide

My father is from Tuscany and my mom is from Thailand. They both have a great passion for food. My mom is a great Thai chef, so since I was little I liked to help her in the kitchen, where I developed my passion for food and my palate.

How was The Foodies born?

Alex

While studying in Le Cordon Bleu I met many interesting people, who came to Paris to study cuisine and pastry from all over the world. I realized that most of them have a very strong passion for food and they would like to work in Paris after graduation if possible. Here I met Davide Galloni, we became very good friends and decided to open restaurant in Paris.

What was your vision?

Alex

When we decided to open a restaurant, we wanted to create something special. We want to make great food using only fresh seasonal ingredients, utilizing French and Italian techniques with some Asian flavors. As foodies ourselves we travel the world to try different food. We want to share our experience with our guests. It’s also important to us that even though food is of the highest quality it should be affordable for everyone. Our plan is to open more restaurants especially in US.

Table restaurant Les Foodies Paris Marais

Luminaires suspension Plafond violet Verrière Les Foodies Paris Marais

Sol salle principale Adresse Restaurant Les Foodies Paris Marais

Plat Restaurant Les Foodies Adresse Paris Marais

Régis and Davide, how did you get involved in The Foodies project?

Régis

I was contacted by Alex Kogan, several months ago for a renovation project of his restaurant, that actually never got finished, and then for the address 6 square in Sainte-Croix-de-la-Bretonnerie, where we eventually created The Foodies restaurant.

Davide

In Le Cordon Bleu Paris I met many interesting people who are passionate about the food as I am. A few of us decided to open a restaurant in Paris, where we all met, which would reflect our international background and passion for all food. We wanted to make great food, serve it in modern environment and let it be affordable for everyone. And Paris has the best ingredients available anywhere.

Did you have a starting brief for the decoration?

Alex

We believe that since restaurant experience is not only about food but also about decor, service and other things, we wanted to make restaurant a place where guests would enjoy spending time while tasting our food and drinking wine and cocktails. So the place had to be attractive, comfortable, but also a bit classy because we are in Marais and there is certain style here.

Régis

Alex didn’t have a specific brief, it was more an inspiration. It meant we all had a say in its creation, partly in presenting him with a moodboard for the aesthetic and making sure we did not lose sight of the fundamentals that you find in the place: comfort, warmth, light and its positioning within the context of Le Marais.

Could you describe your artistic aesthetic and where you drew inspiration from?

Régis

The kitchen holds a lot of importance – it’s in the DNA of The Foodies – and I wanted to give it as much importance as the dining space. It’s completely open, like an extended bar that serves food as well as drinks, which allows the incredible work of David, the chef and the whole team to shine through. In order to do this, the place had to be totally reconstructed, the original kitchen was completely uprooted. A small, almost unnoticeable side room became part of the restaurant. An open kitchen, bar, dining room, side room: that’s how it all fits together. As for the aesthetic, with a 17^th century building on our hands, I wanted to bring together history and modernity, like I do with most of my projects. So the bare stone walls, the classic clay floor tiles, and the bistrot tables all harmonise with the big retro-style glass structure composed of more than 250 different types of glass. I designed all the furniture (sofas, benches, tables, armchairs, and bar stools,) and had it made to measure in comfortable styles and with the finest materials. I drew inspiration from several different eras, like I always do, from Hoffmann, Louis Barillet and also Berger, with a touch of 1970’s modernism and a finished with Parisian restaurant classics. Lastly I continued using my signature colour ultramarine blue throughout Paris, in designing the front window, which brighten up the old building, and signals to everyone outside that something original is happening here.

Fondateur et décorateur Adresse Restaurant Les Foodies Paris Marais

Salle restaurant Les Foodies Papier peint Ugo Gattoni Table Assise rouge Paris Marais

Papier peint Ugo Gattoni Les Foodies Restaurant Paris Marais

Salle restaurant Papier peint Ugo Gattoni Assie rouge Rideaux verts Les Foodies Paris Marais

Tell us about the wallpaper of the end room ?

Régis

I discovered the illustrator Ugo Gattoni quite a while ago when I offered my wife a Hermes pad, the quality of its design really struck me. Following him on Facebook I saw that Frey had done a wallpaper collaboration with him. I thought it was amazing and I proposed it to my client for the side room, in order to create an atmosphere a little different from the rest of the space. I combined it with the walls and the ceiling in Redesa green (the same colour you’ll find on the nave at the Grand Palais).

You travel a lot, what are the consequences of this in your cooking?

Davide

While travelling I learn about different cultures through their food. I discover different ingredients that exist around the world, different techniques for cooking and different flavour combinations.

What characterises your cooking?

Alex

The signature of my cooking is the inclusion of fresh, seasonal ingredients, combining flavours from all over the world and utilizing traditional and innovative cooking techniques.

Table Salle restaurant Les Foodies Paris Marais

What do you propose – could you give us one or two examples?

Davide

We propose fusion of techniques and flavours. One dish is cod with spinach and Penang sauce. Cod is cooked using traditional French technique combined with spinach and slightly spicy Asian sauce, my grandmother receipt. Another dish is tartare de langoustine with fave beans, pancetta, pecorino cheese and yuzu air. So in this dish we combine traditional tartare of langoustine with fave, which are in season now. Then we add Italian ingredients of pecorino cheese and pancetta, (Italian bacon), and we finish with yuzu air which is Asian ingredient cooked with innovative modern technique.

What is your vision and purpose when you create and imagine recipes?

Davide

My vision when I create a recipe is always to get inspired by the season and by the last destination that I’ve visited, but always being respectful of my root.

Do you have other projects for The Foodies ?

Davide

We plan to open other restaurants in different countries, especially US.