It’s been a busy year for the Parisian restaurant Hémicycle. Not only has the Parisian restaurant been awarded its first star by the Michelin Guide inspectors, its young chef-pastry chef Aurora Storari has also been awarded the “Passionate Pastry Award”. The creative talent from Rome has always been committed to developing original cuisine, which fits perfectly with her partner Flavio Lucarini at the helm of the Hémicycle kitchen. Recently, she decided to go a step further and take on a new challenge: opening Aura, a seven-seater bar-restaurant on the ground floor of Hémicycle, where she will serve a full menu of her own creations from this summer. It’s an unusual, exciting and delicious experience.
A unique pastry chef
Aurora is not a professional pastry chef. Perhaps that’s why her work is so surprising. Her background is quite unusual: she started out as a chef in Italy, notably at Cracco in Milan, and then at Mirazur in France, where she gradually got into pastry making. After a stint at Le Clarence, she opened Hémicycle with Flavio Lucarini, also a Roman chef who had also worked at Le Gabriel and Le Bistrot Flaubert. The couple, who met while cooking, enthusiastically embraced the project of owner Stéphane Manigold, who gave the chef carte blanche. This freedom allowed the two to collaborate on the menu and gave Aurora room to fly.
Space for Creativity
Aurora Storari hates following a routine. For her, cooking must be a perpetual improvisation. She wants to imagine, experiment, have fun… and never get bored. Opening her own space on the upper level of Hémicycle fulfills this desire. She serves a menu consisting entirely of “desserts” to the seven patrons seated at the bar, and personally makes some of them in front of the patrons before serving them to the table. This provides an intimate, private space for patrons to chat with Aurora and get to know her craft. This “dessert dinner” experience is becoming increasingly popular in the dining world, as a departure from the traditional ordering method.
Not sweet, not savory
While the concept may confuse some, you’ll soon be drawn to this free-flowing 10-course gastronomic journey that changes with the seasons and is much more than a “dessert” meal. You’ll start with a sugar-frosted brioche with chili sauce and whipped cream, followed by peas with horseradish, jasmine and sour grape juice. Aurora even turns pasta cooked in green tomato water into a true pastry chef dish, paired with sea lettuce or toasted almonds. Frozen parfait with squid juice, coconut and coriander is another unique creation, while artichoke sauce, cherry sauce, hay ice cream and bourbon harken back to Aurora’s Roman heritage. To go with this fascinating experience, Aurora and Hémicycle’s sommeliers have designed bold wine and cocktail pairings, just in case you want more surprises.
Useful Information
Aura only accepts dinner reservations from Wednesday to Saturday. There is a single service at 8pm. The 10-course menu is priced at €115.
Related topics: