Changes are afoot at the W Paris-Opera. Since the hotel’s buzzed-about launch two years ago, the Paris hospitality sector has changed, and Starwood wants to reinforce the W’s five-star position. Christophe Mercier (who’s been with Starwood since 1991) has just been appointed as the new director, and he has grand ambitions for doing just that: opening a new conference room, relaunching the suites, and developing a new restaurant concept.
In fact, the new eatery has just been unveiled this month. Called Coquette, the restaurant has been designed to evoke “Parisian chic” and serves up classic French cuisine with a twist. To quote the official website, “Executive Chef Julien Gasperi takes the finest local flavours and remixes them with a unique urban edge and a large serving of humour.” Signature dishes include the ‘Lobster Hangover’, which features fresh lobster marinated in whiskey, and ‘Beef in the Mist’, prime beef filet served in thyme-infused smoke.
Rare for the City of Light, the restaurant will be open 24/7 for breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, dinner and brunch. Noteworthy: Coquette also caters to all types of dietary requirements (like vegan, lactose-intolerant, and gluten-free), and it hosts an event called “Brunch Couture” which showcases fashion designers. The French press notes that Parisians didn’t embrace the previous restaurant concept, called Pica Pica, tapas-style plates from Spanish chef Sergi Arola. Hence relaunching the restaurant as “Coquette” is an effort to reignite the hotel’s “spark.”
W Paris Opera, 4 rue Meyerbeer, 75009 Paris, Tel: +33 (0)1 77 48 94 94, www.wparisopera.com
