While I was waiting for an Australian journalist at the bar of Bistro Paul Bert, my buddy Bertrand Aboyneau – the owner – opened a bottle and shared a little ham as he showed me ten pages of future plans designed by French rock star architect Jean-Michel Wilmotte who has created the Paul Bert’s latest project, La Vie en Rouge.
Only a few steps away from the flagship, the open room sans walls concept is a stunner of a wine & tapas bar, wine shop and grocery store.
La Vie en Rouge will be a long rectangular 120-140 m2 corner space with warm wood tones, lots of natural light via street level windows, 20+ red leather banquette seats across from a stainless steel open kitchen and several chairs at the end of the bar counter. Upon entering, he’ll have an epicerie selling everything that Bistro Paul serves (right down to the produce, jambon, fromage and sarawak pepper), hundreds of natural wines to go (hello Antoine Arena, Jean Foillard, Pierre Breton and Thierry Puzelat!) and of course, tapas plates to nibble through.
Since this is France (hello red tape) there are lots of hoops to jump through first, but this will be one heck of a tapas bar not to miss once they are ready to roll! Coming soon…
Hi Wendy,
Do you think La Vie en Rouge will be be opened by early Feb 2012? Well, Breton, Puzelat & Foillard got me hyperventilating! And I will be in Paris by then! I bumped into you at Les Pipos the last time I was in Paris. Perhaps, I will bump into you at Bistro Paul Bert or La Vie en Rouge this time.
Cheers,
Brian, Racine Wine Imports in Vancouver Canada
Brian, most likely not, but Paul Bert is a great place to eat and have any (and all) of those great wines. Let me know when your dates are set!