‘Les Collections’, the metamorphosis of the Sofitel Paris Le Faubourg restaurant

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Category: Hotel

Created on Wednesday, 16 May 2012 13:12

’Cafe Faubourg’, the hotel’s previous restaurant, is now replaced by ‘Les Collections’ restaurant, reflecting  the famous Faubourg Saint Honoré street where the hotel sits, home to all the major names in fashion and Parisian couture institutions. The motifs, shapes and fabrics have been meticulously chosen, echoing the painstaking process of designing an Haute Couture collection.

The restaurant now features 18th century style pilasters and a huge rug featuring beige and black mosaics, recalling the original design motifs of the hotel. The tranquil nature of the hotel’s stunning landscaped terrace, an oasis in a bustling district of Paris, is continued in the restaurant with the inclusion of garden features throughout. Trompe l’œil panels of ivy extend over the entire height of the walls and the rear walls are lined with mirrors. The potted box trees dotted around the restaurant are a reference to French-style gardens. 

Gold and white shades have been chosen to decorate the area leading from the lobby to the restaurant, with gold leafing and white pilasters that stand out against the dark parquet floor. The ceiling is decorated with the same motif as the specially designed mosaic rug in the lobby.  Two stunning original, dream-like works by the fashion photographer Cathleen Naundorf interlink the worlds of jewellery and gastronomy.

The aim of the re-design was to create a space with soul as well as a convivial place to eat, where the guests are encouraged to sample a selection of dishes created using fine produce presented by our Chef each evening. Seated around the large central table, guests will be treated to these delicious amuses-bouche before moving on to a new menu designed by Chef Keigo Kimura.

Chef Kimura will unveil his culinary collections over the course of each season. Keigo Kimura immerses himself in the characteristics of the product and then builds up a picture of the dish that will truly do it justice. Each dish is constructed gradually and according to two golden rules: first the key ingredient should be recognisable, and second each ingredient is cooked to perfection to enhance the flavour. In short this is creativity without arrogance or superficiality which expresses itself through the originality of the condiments and the expert choice of accompanying sauces, herbs or spices in order to bring out the flavours of the dish. It is an authentic approach to cooking, based on the codes of French gastronomy, but undeniably imprinted with modernity and with the sole aim of ensuring that our guests take pleasure in discovering new taste sensations.

The lobby
Didier Gomez has succeeded in breathing new life into the lobby which has become a dynamic space in its own right, vibrant with the comings and goings of guests who also use it as a place to meet up and relax…  The ivory stone walls are now a light grey, a change which brings added modernity and warmth to the space. All eyes are immediately drawn to the superb photograph by Cathleen Naundorf for Christian Dior. The exquisitely printed rug which sits in the centre of the lobby gives the illusion of reflecting a painted ceiling. The choice of furnishings conveys a harmonious meeting of the 18th and 21st centuries, in gradual shades of white, beige, grey, black and gold.  The classicism which traditionally defines Parisian palaces and fashion houses has been revitalised to create a new, unique and strong identity which places the hotel firmly in the present day.

“I wanted to play around with the codes: the codes of the hotel, of fashion, of classicism, of chic, of elegance, by modernizing them, all with just one thing in mind, to epitomize luxury and harmony," commented Didier Gomez