For many years he was the totem of business Paris. Long owned by billionaire Jimmy Goldsmith and later by his right-hand banker Gilberte Beau, Laurent, with its splendid terrace on Avenue Marigny, set back from the Champs Elysées, was a gathering place for the wealthy and powerful. Martin Bouygues and Alain Dinin (Nexity) have napkin rings. Vincent Bollore celebrated there his new conquests … in business. Laurent Dassault dined diligently there, at least until the sommelier brought the finest Château Dassault wines to his cellar. Until recently, Henri de Castries (ex-Axa) and Édouard Philippe (former prime minister) conversed under the famous chestnut tree that shaded the cutlery outside. The advisers of the microcosm – the banker Mathieu Pigas, the lawyer Antoine Gosse-Grainville, the lobbyist Paul Buri, the decorator François-Joseph Graf… – always have a free table there, even if Laurent has lost a whole lot of his amazing since the pandemic.
The concession of the city of Paris, like its twin across the avenue, Ledoyen, which was completely transformed by chef Yannick Alléno, Laurent began a new life on February 10th. That day, to everyone’s surprise, the Paris Council did not renew its concession to the Partush group that had ruled it for eighteen years. “I must say that nothing has changed since then,” the regular notes. “Even the waiters’ suit is outdated…” The only innovation: the size of the famous delicacies ringing the hour of dessert – at the crossroads of palm trees and kouignamann – was reduced by half. Compliance with the line and the fight against cholesterol oblige …
And so, by offering a complete overhaul of the establishment – an investment of 8 million euros, four times the amount requested by the mayor’s office – the new tandem will rule the fortunes of Parisian elite dining for the next twelve years. . Far from the Partouche project, the main originality of which was to make the ground floor a playroom. sacrilege…
Perrush, on the Grands Boulevards (9th Paris). One of the most gorgeous panoramas of the capital.
(Paris Society/SP R. Ricard/SP)
Accor in the capital
Two partners on the Avenue Marigny – entrepreneur Laurent de Gourcuff (Paris Society) and chef Mathieu Paco – not on the first try. Together they took Apicius to one of the most beautiful mansions in the 8th arrondissement of Paris and gave it new life. The clever Paco makes you forget the signature dishes of the place’s inventor, Jean-Pierre Vigato, while the indefatigable Gourcuff applied his trademark of “taking advantage of exceptional locations” by transforming a garden that served as a car park into one of the most beautiful terraces in the heart of Paris. .
At the head of these two gems (with Mathieu Paco), the Paris Society completes its amazing collection of restaurants with the most beautiful views of the capital: on the Eiffel Tower, with Monsieur Bleu at the Tokyo Palace, Girafe on the Trocadero and Gigi. upstairs is the Champs-Elysees Theatre; on the hill of Montmartre, from its rooftops on the Grands Boulevards (Perruche) or the Champs Elysées (Moon); and towards Notre Dame, with the forthcoming opening of the terraces of the Morland Building (Bonnie) and the Arab World Institute (Mima). Not to mention the 180 seats in the Maison Russe garden, which prolongs the huge success of the Slavonic box of chocolates on the avenue Raymond-Poincaré. “I would never be interested in a restaurant without an outdoor terrace,” Laurent de Gourcuff repeats endlessly. It was this proposal that convinced Sebastien Bazin, CEO of Accor, to invest in the Paris Society. Because the hotel group now owns 48% of the company. And allowed him to keep investing while Covid-related inactivity hit restaurant entrepreneurs hard.
“The best opportunities open up during crises,” Sebastian Bazin whispered to Laurent de Gourcuff, who was still in support, “Fons Laurent.” And this gives half a dozen discoveries made or planned since the end of the imprisonment.
Laurent (Paris VIII). On February 10, Laurent de Gourcuff took over this establishment along with chef Mathieu Paco.
(Paris Society/SP R. Ricard/SP)
Private phone for VIPs
The one that Laurent doesn’t have yet. First, it takes six months of work, redoing the entire terrace, but of course without touching the chestnut tree that gives it its charm. And, above all, accomplish the feat of preserving the magic of the establishment at dinner, but inviting an evening clientele who never attended Laurent’s sad hangings. Bazin believes this: “These are the same people who talk about business at noon, and in the evening fight over a table on the terraces of Parisian society. It’s just not the right time.”
The only one who really knows is Laurent de Gourcuff. Because, in order to make life easier for regulars tired of not being able to find a place on summer evenings, the entrepreneur came up with a very exclusive scarcity management system: a phone number reserved for 1000 privileged people, to whom we promise to find a place to dine in these “fuh places”, as Laurent de Gourcuff describes them. How much perk? Is it a plastic rectangle for 500 or 5000 euros? “He sold the card for 51 thousand euros, but it was in the evening in favor of the Gustave-Roussy Institute,” the businessman smiles. In fact, access to the magic line is free, but reserved solely by the goodwill of the Paris Society. Laurent de Gourcuff’s way to create the perfect dining room. There is no doubt that Bolloré, Bouygues or Dassault will always have their place there.
Monsieur Blue at the Tokyo Palace (Paris XVI). Breathtaking view of the Eiffel Tower.
(Romain Ricard/SP)