Nomos by Guillaume Sanchez

 

 

 

 

It goes without saying that I am not part of Nomos' target demographic. I couldn't care less for Enter Shikari or Kitsuné, but I feel like Taylor Swift really gets me. My dream interior is filled with kittens and pastels, whereas the Nomos crowd favors exposed brick, concrete, and Monsieur Chat. Even before the restaurant opened, it was clear I was overdressed and under-tattooed. This is not the kind of place where people wear color, or supportive lingerie. A car burst into flames right in front of the restaurant and all nine tables still filled up- that's the kind of place this is. 

Guillaume Sanchez, a two-time Meilleurs apprentis de France winner, is a year younger than me and has over a decade of experience under his belt, including Pierre Hermé, Dalloyau, Delmontel, Fauchon, and Ladurée. The Bordelais isn't your typical pâtissier. He doesn't particularly like sweets. His immaculate, minimalist restaurant serves up, not cloying confections, but experimental, performative courses.  According to Sanchez, the Nomos menu changed 39 times in 39 days, a testament to limitless creativity.

My husband plays football with the chef, so we tried his restaurant and were completely impressed. The staff made sure everything I ate was completely gluten-free, from a coffee and avocado starter with opaque Spanish rosé, to nori in sherry vinegar creme followed by vanilla eggplant. They asked if I was allergic to anything even before they knew I was celiac. That never happens in Paris!

After dinner, Sanchez treated us to a round of maracuja-coffee cocktails topped with pink peppercorns. The service was perfect and surprisingly zero-waste. Place settings come wrapped in real linen napkins tied with twine. Metal stirrers whip frothy egg whites on cocktails. Apart from beautiful tables and courses, something about the sleek black kitchen and mix of Sanchez's friends and neighbors engenders conversation. Halfway through the night, I teetered over to a group of tattooed girls sitting in the corner. They all smiled at me right away, told me where they bought their dresses, and laughed when I said I was American. Like they didn't already know.

My husband agrees this was the best meal we've ever had. All meals should begin and end with ice cream! Though I could be intimidated by the inimitably Parisian crowd, I never felt out of place or excluded. The atmosphere was welcoming, unpretentious, and fun, and Guillaume seems very nice, greeting every diner personally. Don't be fooled by the pretty plating- each sequence will fill you up in a way I previously thought only Chipotle bowls could.

Nomos

15 Rue André del Sarte

Métro: Chateau-Rouge, Barbés, Anvers
Reserve online here

Nomos is in the greatest neighborhood, around the corner from our old apartment in Montmartre, across from the APC Surplus shop (I hate APC). As for dress code, all the guys wore jeans. Women wore mini-dresses, jumpsuits, or t-shirts and shorts with heels. True to my inability to pick up on social cues, I wore an overly formal, completely thrifted outfit.