Frédéric Simonin – precision learned under Robuchon in the 17th

On a quiet street in the 17th arrondissement, a few minutes' walk from Place des Ternes, Frédéric Simonin has run his eponymous restaurant since April 2010, in premises that once housed the starred Bath's. It is a house built on apprenticeship: the chef trained under Ghislaine Arabian at Pavillon Ledoyen, under Marc Marchand at Le Meurice, and under Philippe Legendre at Taillevent and Le Cinq, before Joël Robuchon entrusted him with opening La Table de Joël Robuchon in Paris and later the kitchens of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon in London. That pedigree shows in cooking built on patience rather than spectacle, on sauces reduced with care and produce chosen for its season and its source. Frédéric Simonin won his own MICHELIN Star in 2011 and was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France in 2019, a title that marks him among the elite of French craftsmen. It holds one MICHELIN Star.

01The room and the setting

Behind a sober façade on rue Bayen, the dining room now wears what the house calls its 'Terre d'Argile' palette, clay-toned colours used with restraint rather than flourish. Parquet floors, white walls and bevelled mirrors give the room the feel of a Parisian apartment rather than a formal dining hall, an effect cultivated through more than one renovation since the restaurant opened in 2010.

The kitchen stands open to the room, so the quiet choreography behind each plate is visible from the tables. Thirty-six covers fill the space, intimate rather than grand, and the restaurant keeps private parking for guests arriving by car, a practical nod to a quarter built for long, unhurried meals.

02The chef

Born on 31 July 1975 in Issy-les-Moulineaux to a military family, Frédéric Simonin entered a military boarding school at thirteen before choosing an apprenticeship in Saint-Brieuc at fifteen. He was named Best Apprentice of Brittany at eighteen, took his CAP in 1993 and moved to Paris as a commis at Pavillon Ledoyen under Ghislaine Arabian, then rose through Le Meurice under Marc Marchand, Taillevent under Philippe Legendre, and Le Cinq at the George V, also under Legendre.

Insider tip

Open Monday to Friday, lunch and dinner; closed weekends. Tasting menus 145€–225€, lunch from 65€.

He later returned to Ghislaine Arabian's own restaurant as second-in-command, taking over as chef in 2002 when she left and renaming the address Seize au Seize, where he won his first MICHELIN Star at 27. In 2004 Joël Robuchon entrusted him with opening La Table de Joël Robuchon in Paris; two years later he became Executive Chef of L'Atelier de Joël Robuchon and La Cuisine de Joël Robuchon in London, holding two stars there. He opened his own restaurant on rue Bayen in April 2010, won his MICHELIN Star the following year, and in 2019 was named Meilleur Ouvrier de France.

03The cooking

Simple and sophisticated is the motto Frédéric Simonin applies to his own cookbook of 80 recipes, each built around a single ambition: to sublimate one product. The volume carries portraits of twelve producers, many of them Bleu Blanc Cœur farmers, a reflection of the sustainable sourcing that runs through the kitchen itself.

The tasting menus move with the seasons and the morning's deliveries rather than sitting still on a fixed card. The team behind the pass has stayed remarkably settled: sous-chef Quentin Dutry works alongside pastry chef Guillaume Levasseur, who has signed the dessert course here for more than fifteen years.

04What to order

The weekday lunch runs to three courses for 85€ or two for 65€: a choice between autumn mushrooms on a crisp tartlet with toasted almond pesto and cep marmalade, or bouchot mussels served three ways, as a marinière-style royale, smoked, and with celery, apple and lemon. Mains follow with pearly-cooked whiting glazed in parsley juice with a black garlic condiment, or Poitou pigeon cooked pink with a red berry and juniper jus, before a daily, seasonal dessert called simply L'instant sucre.

In the evening the choice moves to the tasting menus: Signature at 145€, Tentation at 185€, and the eight-course Dégustation at 225€. Guillaume Levasseur's pastry work extends to a hot yuzu soufflé and an Iranian pistachio parfait that regulars have been known to order by name.

05Wine and drinks

The wine list is built on three pillars the house states plainly: discovery, dependable names, and a promising young generation of winemakers, curated by the restaurant's own wine specialist. It favours breadth over size, with a strong by-the-glass selection for guests who want variety across a tasting menu.

Pairings scale with the meal, from two glasses at lunch for 32€ to seven glasses alongside the full Dégustation menu for 98€, giving diners a route through the cellar without committing to full bottles.

06When to go and booking

The restaurant keeps a disciplined weekday rhythm: lunch from noon to 2pm and dinner from 7:30 to 10pm, Monday to Friday, with the room closed on Saturdays and Sundays. Reservations run through the restaurant's own website, and private parking is available for guests arriving by car.

For a weekend. For a lifetime.