Some restaurants catch your eye by chance as you walk past, drawn in by wide windows opening onto the street and the aromas drifting out. L'Ascension, at 67 rue de Clichy, is one of those places — and it is just 3 minutes on foot from the Hôtel R de Paris. Since 2018, chef Amar Chalal has been serving an instinctive yet highly polished modern bistro cuisine here, in an industrial-chic setting unlike anywhere else in the neighbourhood.
Chef Amar Chalal: from Yannick Alléno to a journey around the world
Amar Chalal’s path is unusual, and that is what makes his cooking so distinctive. Born in Kabylia and trained in Parisian brasseries before studying at Lycée Belliard, he crossed paths with Yannick Alléno, alongside whom he cooked for more than four years at Terroir Parisien, Pavillon Ledoyen and private events. It was there that he refined the art of sauces and emulsions, a lasting signature of his cuisine.
In 2016, he left everything behind. Backpack, plane ticket, 14 months on the road: Argentina, Patagonia, Chile, Brazil, the Amazon, Australia, India and Nepal. He cooked for the people who hosted him, absorbed spices, local produce and simple techniques. Back in Paris in 2017, and now a member of the Toques Blanches, he opened L'Ascension in June 2018. The name says it all: a cuisine that keeps progressing, from a chef whose appetite for discovery never stops.
The food: prime ingredients, exceptional sauces and a market-driven instinct
Amar Chalal’s philosophy is simple: elevate raw ingredients through subtle creations, with cooking and sauce as the common thread. The menu is short — 4 starters, 4 mains and 4 desserts — and changes with the market. You will find dishes rooted in the French tradition yet lifted by the influences the chef brought back from his travels: sea bass ceviche with bright acidity, beetroot baked in a salt crust with fresh herb cheese, slow-cooked lamb shoulder with sage polenta, or a cut of beef served with Grand Veneur sauce.
The small wine list, chosen with care, is a real surprise: rare and collector bottles, from Chablis to Burgundy pinot noir, selected by an expert who truly knows his field.
