The Rebirth of Pianovins -- Paris 11
The original Pianovins opened, I believe, in the mid- to late-2010s. It was made popular among Americans (and others) through the Paris dining blog of my late friend John Talbot, who initially raved about it. However, by the time of John’s last stay in Paris, just before the pandemic, he told me that although had once been a favorite restaurant of his, he no longer went because of some poor meals. I, too, stopped going because of inconsistency, as well as a wine list that made it difficult for me to find anything I wanted, and at relatively high markups, to boot.
For reasons unknown to me, Pianovins closed, seemingly abruptly, in April of last year. However, a few months later, the team from Chefs à Table, took over the Pianovins space and name. Chefs à Table is just down the street from Pianovins and is a restaurant where I’d had a promising meal shortly after it opened in 2022. I was unaware of their having taken over Pianovins and opening the restaurant anew until a few days ago, but as soon as I found out, I immediately booked to see what’s going on.
Even though the number of seats is quite limited, on a Friday lunch on Valentine’s day the restaurant was not full. In addition to me, there were two Japanese couples and two French couples, all in their thirties or early forties.
The interior layout is the same as it was in the restaurant’s previous incarnation, with perhaps just a little more austerity:
As the first diner to arrive, I snagged a seat by the window looking out onto a small courtyard.
The lunch menu:
There are also five-course and seven-course menus offered both at lunch and dinner:
In contrast to the previous Pianovins, the wine list now is now excellently chosen, and the markups are much more reasonable. The page showing Champagnes and the wines-by-the-glass:
The red Givry 1er Cru from Ragot was no longer in stock, but in its place I was offered, and gladly took, a glass of red Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes de Nuits from Maxime Cheurlin-Noëllat in the outstanding 2017 vintage:
I had tasted this wine from barrel in autumn 2018, and it validated my remarks then: bright and pure with precise red currant and strawberry fruit, a medium-light body, and overall freshness. To which I would add now with 6+ years of age, the wine had developed a silky texture. It served perfectly as an aperitif and throughout the meal.
The first course was poached mussels, a mousse of haddock, and with anise and ouzu:
This was an outstanding dish with lightness and intense flavors that complemented each other.
For the main course, it was initially a difficult choice between the merlu (hake) and the cochon (pork), but the waiter steered me to the hake with a sabayon of vanilla and shallots, black trumpet mushrooms, pork belly, smoked salsify (actually, contrary to what the menu said, I think this was some sort of kale), and a jus of chicken and oysters. There’s a lot going on here, but it all came together in a magnificent unity:
Dessert was Jerusalem mushrooms three ways: chips, crumble with piment pepper, and ice cream along with a chocolate ganache. To my dessert preferences, it was not overly sweet and offered interesting mixtures of textures and flavors; I very much liked it:
The bottom line:
The new Pianovins is doing a sensational job and I can’t wait to go back when I return to Paris after my upcoming five-week hiatus. Check it out!
Pianovins
46 rue Trousseau, 75011 Paris
Tuesday-Saturday lunch and dinner
Telephone: 09 81 68 94 05
website: pianovins.fr
Métro: Ledru-Rollin (line 8), Charonne (line 9)