France’s youngest Michelin-starred chef in 2016, Julia Sedefdjian continues her meteoric rise with her first restaurant, Baieta, open since 2018, which has just been given a facelift to highlight the owner’s Nice origins, offering inventive, precise and meticulous cuisine.
The décor is sober and friendly, with stone walls, parquet flooring, black and gold designer hanging lights, oak wood, and a glass partition that lets you see the kitchen at work without intruding on the secrets of production. The welcome is professional and relaxed, which is appreciated in these gastronomic establishments where the star can sometimes dehumanise the teams. On the contrary, the young chef and her brigade want you to have a wonderful time, and we felt it from the moment we arrived.
The “Baieta” adventure is a wonderful one, because it is first and foremost the fruit of a meeting and friendship between people who are passionate about fine products. Julia has teamed up with Sébastien Jean-Joseph and Grégory Anelka, who met in the kitchens of Les Fables de la Fontaine.
The amuse-bouches arrive, delicately presented in a wooden box. Their flavours quickly take us away from winter and bring us closer to the perfumes of the South.
A refined Panisse, a revisited pissaladière, a melting heart wrapped in a delicious crunchy pastry, and finally, a little forest bonbon with a tartelette, shortbread pastry and deliciously seasoned mushrooms. An appetiser that makes you want to discover the rest of our tasting experience.
I’d heard about a signature dish that I couldn’t wait to discover: crispy egg yolk, whiting and haddock, leeks in seaweed vinaigrette, red onion pickles. A superb job, meticulous and perfectly balanced. A skilful blend of sweetness, depth and power in the same plate – a delight.
Then comes another Provençal speciality revisited and magnified by Chef Julia Sedefdjian: bouillabaisse “bouillabaieta 2.0” in three stages: perfectly cooked fish, original rouille bread, powerful bouillabaisse juice, fennel spaghetti and octopus in parsley sauce.
A rarely reinterpreted speciality that the chef recomposes with precision and character.
Another dish tasted: beef cheek ravioli, consommé, pointed cabbage, nice condiments. A fine job on the broth, the condiments tease out the dish’s sweetness with finesse and comfort. I’ll stop there, as I don’t want to give away the whole tasting menu.
Finally, lest we forget that baieta means “kiss” in the Niçois dialect, we end our tasting menu with the feuille à feuille, noisette au sumac, crème et glace noisette, marmelade d’agrumes aux épices. An elegant and refreshing dish, boosted by the hand of Buddha, which brings this dinner to a sweetly regressive close. The chef began her career in pastry-making, a powerful asset in gastronomy.
As for the wines, the Maison offers a very fine cellar, featuring both natural wines and a fine selection of Burgundies – the pinot noir from domaine Georges Joillot (2021) never left my side from start to finish. But a Fixin “Vieilles vignes” from domaine Mortet and a Vosne-romanée 1er cru “Les Suchots” (2021) from François Confuron-Gindre caught my eye behind the glass cellar in the room.
The entire Baieta team invites us to enjoy a real gastronomic experience in a friendly, relaxed atmosphere. And that’s just what we like about it: impeccable, friendly service, masterfully prepared dishes with lots of character, and an infinite love of Niçoise cuisine that’s evident in every dish.
Baieta
France – Paris
5, rue de Pontoise, Paris 5e