This new spot on Rue des Jeûneurs (which, for the record, was a former patrol path in the Middle Ages) was conceived by Vincent Rae, a lifelong cook and a major figure in the gastronomy and hospitality scene in Oceania and Asia.
It was one evening at the end of July, just after I returned from Singapore (which I will tell you more about on the blog very soon), that my favorite photographer and I met up after a week apart for a romantic and gourmet dinner.
Inside the establishment, parquet floors, wooden tables and chairs, marble and iron, and leather sofas and armchairs create a certain Parisian chic that is both trendy and relaxed. The venue spans two floors, and there is even a tiny interior courtyard for smokers on the ground floor.
On the plates, you can feel the love for Italian cuisine from the owner, who spent a long time in Puglia, mixed with the worldwide travel experiences of Sylvain Ruffenach, the restaurant’s head chef.
The result on the palate is refined and gourmet, and the combinations of flavors and products offer a culinary journey across different continents.
To taste:
- For an appetizer, one of the house signature dishes, the seared Mediterranean octopus, with dried sausage and hummus (€14).
- Another small dish is the ceviche mixto, with leche de tigre and sweet potato (€13).
- For my main, I decided to have a pasta dish, orecchiette with mushroom broth, duck confit, and mascarpone (€20).
- As for the man in the hat (also sometimes referred to here as my favorite photographer), being a good representative of the male gender, he opted for a meat dish with the Milanese veal cutlet, sage and lemon butter (€24), served with parmesan-gratinée polenta (€5).
- For dessert, since we were quite full, we shared the white chocolate semifreddo (€9) with pistachios and Gariguette strawberries (the best in my opinion).
Regarding wine, there is a short selection of wines by the glass ranging from €7 to €9, with a few options from Italy, naturally.
Pro tip: the lunch menus with appetizer + main or main + dessert for €28, or appetizer + main + dessert for €34.
Note, because it’s not that common: you can order dishes until 10:30 PM and tapas until 2 AM.
Rae's Paris
39 Rue des Jeuneurs, 75002 Paris
Open daily from 12 PM to 3 PM and from 6 PM to 1 AM
Update 05/25/2020: the address is now permanently closed...
Find all my restaurant reviews in Paris below:
⇒ All my restaurant reviews in Paris
MAP OF MY FAVORITE FOOD SPOTS IN PARIS AND THE ILE-DE-FRANCE REGION
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Pastry Shop / Bakery 
Tea Room / Coffee Shop
Brunch 
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Photo credits: Nicolas Diolez Photos are not royalty-free, photographer's authorization is mandatory before any use
