Food and shellfish lovers will be happy to note chef Stephanie Le Quellec and her husband, David, have transformed the former Brasserie Rech into Vive, an ultra-modern, bright, sometimes funky restaurant on avenue des Ternes in the 17th arrondissement. She already has the Michelin two-star restaurant, La Scène in the 8th, and the épicerie MAM, in the 17th.
I have rarely seen a seafood menu that excited me more, both in terms of the amazing variety, detail, and originality of the dishes. Almost everything I ate had me wanting to head straight to my kitchen to try to recreate it. A favorite, for sure is their ultra-fresh raw red tuna, thickly sliced and super-tasty, topped with a bright and brilliant pesto of coriander and mint. A little salad side of tender spinach leaves topped with a vinaigrette of ponzu (a Japanese sauce of soy, citrus, and vinegar) and showered with paper-thin slices of bonite (dried and smoked tuna) was a brilliant and perfectly executed idea. A dish of freshly cooked crab topped with a cream made from the crab coral again had made me wanting to return to my kitchen.
One dish just did not deliver what I had imagined, though it had some reason for applause. A trio of langoustines cooked in a court-bouillon not only seemed skimpy but also a tad under-cooked. But the homemade mayonnaise with lime zest that accompanied it helped to redeem it.
The wine list offers a great variety of wines, including a favorite white, the Austrian Gruner Veltliner.
The two-floor totally updated, mostly white-walled restaurant is bright and airy, offset with mustard velvet chairs and banquettes and a carpeted floor in vibrant autumn colors. The décor with its gorgeous fish plates that decorate the walls and a splash of kitsch is at once amazingly beautiful and at times a bit much. The staff however were consistently attentive, warm and friendly and I will be sure to return, again and again. Vive la Vive!
Vive | 62 avenues des Ternes, Paris 17 | Métro: Ternes, Charles de Gaulle-Étoile and Argentine | +33 1 42 94 07 90 | Open Tuesday – Sunday, closed Monday | À la carte: 50-100€ | Reservations