At the helm of Espadon, the legendary restaurant at the Ritz Paris, a new chef is shaking up the codes of haute cuisine. And sails proudly between past and present, land and sea, here and elsewhere.
With his energetic teenage figure and determined gaze, Evgeny Beziat is like a fish in water at the Espadon restaurant. The first head of this institution located at the Ritz (previously headed by Nicholas Sale, Michel Roth, Guy Legay, etc.) was not afraid to reinvent this table, to take it concretely out of its scope. He not only redesigned the menu, but also moved the room. Now it is from the view of the copper and glass ovens and the palace garden that we taste plates that stir memories of his childhood in Africa, more precisely in Gabon, where he was born, in the Congo and the Ivory Coast, countries where he went to France after his B.A. , and his family’s Mediterranean origins.
So it breathes the vibrant spirit of the times into this space, which is good. “When I got a phone call from the Ritz one day in October 2021 at 11am, just before service, it was a great joy. The reward for all my work, Yevgeny remembers. Then I took over in April 2022 and I had a big year to put everything in place. It was a lot and a little, because my plan was to rebuild everything. We put the Espadon back where it was originally until the 1990s. Therefore, it was necessary to create a new kitchen. The idea was to pay homage to the intimate spirit of the dining room originally desired by Cesar Ritz, who wanted to entertain like at home. The word openness also guided this project. the opening of this kitchen, which allows the teams to see, to open to the outside…” And perhaps open-mindedness. Because dishes, like tableware, eschew existing codes in luxury.
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Tribute to Auguste Escoffier
At Espadon we now eat on fine Astier de Villatte plates under a crystal herbarium. Before settling in, you must follow a mysterious corridor decorated with a wax bas-relief depicting giant rhubarb leaves. “It’s a tribute to Auguste Escoffier, who revolutionized the organization of kitchens here,” emphasizes Evgeny Bezia. He was, less famously, passionate about wax flowers and actually wrote a book on the subject.” Before moving to the Ritz Paris, Evgeni had already crossed the mind of Auguste Escoffier. In fact, in his hometown of Villeneuve-Loubet (Alpes-Maritimes), he won his first star in 2020. He was then a chef at La Flibuste restaurant, which he joined in 2018.
“When I got there, it was really a traditional beach restaurant. But the owner, Roger Martins, gave me carte blanche to change things.” A godsend to this determined enthusiast who, after a BTS stint in cooking at Le Sept in Toulouse, studied with Michel Gérard at Brasserie du Stade Toulousein, his two-star restaurant with Michel Saran, before joining Jan Skavarek. La Roya, Corsica. It was then that, mastering the gestures of French gastronomy, he spread his wings as an assistant before the flight of La Flibuste. There, he will finally allow himself to indulge his taste in smoked foods, specialties and ingredients that remind him of Africa. Proust’s madeleines, which took him to the Ritz in Paris without wasting time. Madeleines, which we obviously find on the Espadon menu.
Components with history
Spectacular No. 1 Mediterranean oysters are grilled here, combined with Para Cress, a species endemic to Madagascar that grows very well in the Ritz vegetable garden in Saint-Nome-la-Bretche, 25 kilometers from Paris, and has a lot of spiciness. reminiscent of Sichuan pepper. Moreover, the oyster is not just a beautiful product. That’s a nod to Helen Daroze. In fact, it was at his restaurant, tasting an oyster whose iodine echoed the tartness of a Granny Smith apple, in his 20s, while he was studying literature, that Eugene, completely moved, decided to change course. Like this case, each of the components he uses has a story to tell. Under his leadership, the breeding of poultry in Houdan, for example, an almost extinct species, was revived. Its flavor is enhanced by roasted notes inspired by the Senegalese yasa chicken. The lobster of the Breton coast does not shy away from the touches of fire and the play of contrasts, accompanied by the marriage of samphire and hibiscus infused in a ginger drink.
When I received a phone call from the Ritz one day in October 2021, at 11 am, just before service, it was a great joy.
Yevgeny Beziat
This is where the art of Eugène Béziat lies, skilfully combining the classics of great French gastronomy, from the French region and especially the Île-de-France, with the unexpected from his taste memory. He also creates effective dialogues with iconic personalities of the Ritz Paris, such as François Perret. The pastry chef creates desserts, including a crunchy chocolate soufflé that features Ethiopian kororima seed, which evokes green cardamom and adds a camphor freshness to dark chocolate. Eugenie Bezia invents a new language that feels natural, where technique goes hand in hand with unbridled creativity, as evidenced by the three recipes he envisioned for Madame Figaro, which give pride of place to plants, seasonal delights, with surprising chords. It combines squash and orange blossom, oyster and parmesan, scallion and cauliflower… creating an unfathomable harmony. Without a doubt, Eugénie is the new gem of Place Vendôme.
Restaurant Espadon at the Ritz Paris, 15, Vendome, 75001 Paris. sites.ritzparis.com/espadon
Source: Le Figaro
