Mischief, Erica Paredes’ Parisian revelation
We all know: travel is good for you. Good for the mind, good for the heart and, as far as I’m concerned, good for the stomach, probably a little less so for my liver, but existence sometimes demands sacrifices, and those that bring pleasure are the most acceptable. One gets the impression that only the big cities are home to addresses that know how to break codes, places that dare to emancipate themselves from a hexagonal bistronomy that is too anchored in its values. Geneva and Switzerland hold their own, but sometimes you have to escape, walk, search and push open doors to rediscover the joy of discovery.
Autumn colors
That’s how I found myself wandering around the third arrondissement of Paris, guided by a long digital quest and the instincts of a gourmet traveler. And it was there, almost by chance, that I came across the name of MischiefErica Paredes’ table, and a presentiment, an intuition told me that I was about to experience a rare moment. It lived up to my expectations: this restaurant is not just an address, but a sweet upheaval!
As soon as you enter, you realize that nothing here has been left to chance. Every nook and cranny, every curve, every perspective seems to have been meticulously thought out, as if the space itself were telling a story. The room’s ochre and rust hues weave a warm cocoon where the eye wanders with satisfaction. This is the realm of beauty, but a beauty that is incarnate, alive, that crushes nothing and magnifies everything.
“Fried chicken
In the open kitchen, the chef and her all-female team perform a silent, precise ballet. You only have to look at them for a few seconds to realize that every dish that comes out of the oven is guided by a steady hand and an inhabited creativity. Right from the start, the menu, divided into three sections, reveals a clear culinary vision. We’re carried away by the first small bursts of gourmandise with fried oyster baos, gochujang remoulade and capers. A plump, round, deeply gourmet mouthful that heralds a score without false notes.
Then come the scallops in their shells, bathed in dashi and miso butter, before being lightly flambéed in front of us, like a theatrical nod to the art of fire. The Mexican street-food style corn salad, with homemade totopos and burnt truffle, plays on an irresistible liveliness, even if the truffle could fade without damage. As for the roasted cauliflower, it will have to wait for another visit: the fried chicken, topped with a butter chicken sauce, accompanied by pickles and basmati rice, won out in the end, buoyed by its already well-established reputation.
Basque dessert
We continue with the house black linguini, cuttlefish ragout, aioli and fried cuttlefish, a dense, deep dish that envelops the senses in an almost Mediterranean elegance. The wine list is very natural, perhaps too much so, and we would have welcomed a few more classic references, but nothing detracts from the generosity of the moment. Especially since the dessert puts everyone in agreement: a Basque cheesecake with peanut butter sauce and grape-muscat jam, whose concentrated sweetness reminds us that pleasure can be the beginning of a revelation.
Erica Paredes has created a restaurant rooted in its time, but with a profoundly contemporary, almost timeless base. Her cuisine is a language of textures, cooking and seasonings that are just right, thoughtful and balanced, speaking to the heart as well as the mind. Mischief is not just a place to dine: it’s a place to be seduced, surprised and carried away.
