The story
Le Cheval d'Or is a Chinese bistro at 21 rue de la Villette in Paris's 19th arrondissement, and Le Fooding named it Best feast in 2024. The Asian-leaning menu comes out of an open kitchen in the Belleville heights.
Hanz Gueco, formerly of Verjus, and Luis Andrade, from Clown Bar and Fripon, cook the menu. The Le Fooding review singled out a red tuna tartare with watermelon and black beans, topped with egg yolk and crispy wonton chips. A pork belly tatin with red pepper and rhubarb also stood out, as did cockles under Provençal-style XO sauce on a vermicelli cake. The meal ends with a floating island in black tea, tapioca pearls and candied almonds.
The room keeps the decor from earlier years, with raw plaster walls and tables lining a narrow alley. Nadim Smair, who trained under David Toutain, took the reins with his partners, and Crislaine Medina handles the wine service. Michelin lists the restaurant as Recommended for 2026, and the house offers a notable sake list.
Recognition
Details
History
Revive the tarnished shine of a cherished address? One golden quartet have certainly risen to the challenge, that being the dazzling Hanz Gueco (ex-Verjus) and Luis Andrade (Clown Bar and Fripon) in the kitchen, with Crislaine Medina wielding the corkscrew (also ex-Fripon) and their partner Nadim Smair (who trained under David Toutain), who took the reins of Cheval d’Or with panache in the heights of Belleville. While the decor hasn’t changed since the days of Florent Ciccoli and Taku Sekine, the narrow alley with raw plaster walls lined with tables acts like a launch pad for the procession of Chinese bistro dishes flying from the open kitchen. Like the remarkable stuffed ducks, stamping the ground, or, our order of heady red tuna tartare with watermelon and black beans, topped with egg yolk and crispy wonton chips; an umami-esque pork belly tatin with red pepper and rhubarb, dotted with crunchy pearl onions glazed with a sweet and sour sauce; titillating cockles doused in Provençal-style XO sauce atop a vermicelli cake – just like you’d get in Taiwan; and for the cheats-free finish, a fabulous floating island in black tea, with tapioca pearls and candied almonds. In other words, you’d be wrong not to bet on this Cheval d’Or! // Henriette Ma
Revive the tarnished shine of a cherished address? One golden quartet have certainly risen to the challenge, that being the dazzling Hanz Gueco (ex-Verjus) and Luis Andrade (Clown Bar and Fripon) in the kitchen, with Crislaine Medina wielding the corkscrew (also ex-Fripon) and their partner Nadim Smair (who trained under David Toutain), who took the reins of Cheval d’Or with panache in the heights of Belleville. While the decor hasn’t changed since the days of Florent Ciccoli and Taku Sekine, the narrow alley with raw plaster walls lined with tables acts like a launch pad for the procession of Chinese bistro dishes flying from the open kitchen. Like the remarkable stuffed ducks, stamping the ground, or, our order of heady red tuna tartare with watermelon and black beans, topped with egg yolk and crispy wonton chips; an umami-esque pork belly tatin with red pepper and rhubarb, dotted with crunchy pearl onions glazed with a sweet and sour sauce; titillating cockles doused in Provençal-style XO sauce atop a vermicelli cake – just like you’d get in Taiwan; and for the cheats-free finish, a fabulous floating island in black tea, with tapioca pearls and candied almonds. In other words, you’d be wrong not to bet on this Cheval d’Or! // Henriette Ma
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