This article has been published in Turkish on Gasterea Mag on 09.08.2018
Although I didn’t realize it at the time, my story with Fichon goes back to 2011. It all began on a very busy work night in Lokanta Maya, our precious restaurant with Didem, when a gentleman, whose occupation I had no idea about, agreed to sit on the most uncomfortable barstool in the world and tasted most of our dishes. About 3 months later, in June, we found out that this gentleman was actually a very renown food writer who writes for Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, Bon Appetit, Food & Wine, Saveur, Travel & Leisure, Conde Nast Traveler, and had published an article in New York Times Magazine solely about Lokanta Maya. His name is Alexander Lobrano and he in turn introduced me to Fichon 6 years later in another one of his articles. Now, wherever I travel to, I always check his blog after my initial research about the destination. For me, his blog is kind of a guarantor of the restaurant choices I make.
Last year, when Ayca accepted a job offer, we came to Paris for house hunting. We had only 2 nights, and naturally we wouldn’t choose a restaurant without first consulting Master Alexander. When I logged in, the first article that caught my eye was about Fichon, and luckily fish and sea food was exactly what we were craving. We made a reservation right away to guarantee our table and took an Uber from our hotel to the restaurant. We really loved Fichon that night and daydreamed about how we could keep coming back when we moved to Paris.
The restaurant is located at the corner of two streets, in a triangular space. The tables are not crammed together like most of the other French restaurants. Yes, you do get tired of no elbow space after a while. Anyway, when you enter, the decor and the lighting makes you feel right away that this is a cosy and intimate place. Wooden tables are matched with silver painted chairs. The drinks bar designed after a fisherman’s stall is a cute decor trick. Charles du Pouget, who has designed the restaurant, was inspired by the journey the fish makes from the sea to our plates. The sea blue back wall, backs of chairs designed after fishnets, chandeliers, herringbone patterned marble fish bar, the fish man’s stall inspired bar and sand colored raw columns are all a part of this journey. During the day, an amazing daylight fills the space from huge windows on both sides of the triangular space.
Before Lokanta Maya I had no clue about cooking or restaurant management (Sadly but truly, I’m still clueless about cooking) Therefore when we were setting up the managerial side of Maya with Didem and Okan, I decided to strengthen my previous business management experience by taking a restaurant management course in MSA. Unfortunately, both because it was a very busy time at work, and because I’ve never been a particularly good student, I didn’t utilize the course as much as I should have. However one thing dear Osman Serim has told us from day one has stuck with me. He told us that, when opening a restaurant, one should always concentrate on the type of food one likes to eat the most. He said that, this is why small scale places always reflect the character of their owners. And this is what I have always observed afterwards in restaurants that I find successful. And Fichon is the perfect example of this theory.
Matthieu Dewilde runs the restaurant. We went there at least 6 or 7 times and he was always there, on top of his game. He attended to all his customers with care, he was always a part of the service. I think he is a bit of a workaholic. His careful attention to customers almost makes you think he might not be French after all. Matthieu is actually a sommelier and has been in business for more than 10 years. His restaurant has been open since 2016. He has a master’s degree from INSEEC Bordeaux Wine Marketing and of course, his restaurant has an amazing wine list. He buys directly from producers. 90% of his wines are biodynamic (Please refer to Levon Bagis if you have any questions about biodynamic wines :) ) Two thirds of his wines are white. And if you are already asking ‘Do I have to drink wine?’ Matthieu has cocktails and amazing beer options as well. In short, you will not have a problem with drinks. I would mention my favorites white wine here, but I’m afraid Levon will make me carry bottles of it my luggage to Turkey, so I’ll refrain.
And on a more serious note, I always believe that impossibilities push for creativity. This is exactly what happened here as well. Because of the structure of the building, it is impossible to put in a sufficiently strong and large ventilation system, it is impossible to fry anything in the kitchen. Therefore everything is served grilled, steamed, raw or smoked. Which means you actually eat a quite healthy meal. The whole menu is about fish and shellfish where freshness is a must and when you order an oyster or a shrimp it comes still smelling of the sea. I have never seen them compromise on this. When the food arrives, you realize a certain elegance in the presentation which is owed to the Japanese chef Katsuhiko Sato. The menu changes with the seasons so there is always something new every time you go. The grilled octopus has been my favorites for the past 2 years, however I still have my eye on the smoked salmon that Ayca orders (maybe the time has come for another visit to Fichon).
Paris is filled with so many good restaurants that the idea of becoming a regular of a place seemed almost impossible. Hundreds of food writers and publications keep servicing reviews on new places, on top of which new places you discover and want to try while roaming the streets. There are infinite choices available. You cannot imagine how many lists I’ve created and recreated already. Fichon has actually succeeded in making loyals out of us within this huge pool of choices. It is the first place we think of when we want to eat incredibly delicious seafood, paired with a very good wine, careful service and calm atmosphere.