Yves Camdeborde's new hotel Relais Saint-Germain

Another congratulations is in order today in Paris, where the most anticipated openning of the year finally took place. Yves Camdeborde, of La Régalade fame finally opens his pensione de famille in the 6th. The hotel is called Relais Saint-Germain.

He also took over the annex brasserie Le Comptoir du Relais which will be open every day from 12h00 until 23h30 pm, beginning April 1st. Camdeborde reportedly claimed that the cuisine would be nothing like La Régalade, because he disliked "reheated dishes" !! because he disliked rehashing old ideas. (Thanks Clotilde for pointing out my language inaptitude.)

I must say I am quite surprised to see that the hotel is right smack in the middle of touristy madness in Saint Germain. I had expected him to open in a low key arrondissement like the 17th, to attract both tourists and locals, or perhaps in the ever popular Marais, but certainly not at the corner of St.Germain and Odéon!

Here is the website for the hotel, which seems to have been inherited from the previous ownership. I expect them to add more information about the restaurant and how the pricing of the rooms ties into the dinner at the Brasserie. Early reports of Camdeborde's plan for this hotel said that the restaurant would serve dinner only to hotel guests. So, either that plan has now been abandoned or the new website should be up explaining the deal shortly.

Thanks Adrian for the email tip.

Comments

[haddock]

Thanks for this if for no other reason than I've been racking my brain trying to think of La Regalade. Had been there a while ago and couldn't remember what it was called.

[Seine]

Hello Pim,
I love your website!!! And truly enjoy reading about your passion for eating! And you live in a city where I really want to be, San Francisco!
Seine

[jimmy-in-seattle]

More tourist visit Paris than anywhere else. It is the number one tourist destination. There are tourist like yourself everywhere in Paris. So don't you really mean your are suprised that this palce is in such a 'busy' part of town? That brings to mind an old saying about restaurants..there is nothing more important for a restaurant than location, location, and location. It seems this man knew exactly what he was doing! There is tons of foot traffic right there. A perfect location for a retail business. The 17th can't come close. You just like the 17th for other, more personal reasons.......

[adrian]

I agree with Pim (although I knew Yves would relocate in the 6th) that this is not the type of neighborhood one would expect him to relocate in, the Régalade having been located at the end of the world in the far 14th, and not exactly a restaurant aimed at typical tourists.

[adrian]

Oh, and I forgot to ad, Jimmy-in-seattle- , according to you , there are lots of tourists like Pim in Paris, and here I must point out, that here you are wrong. There are not lots of tourists like Pim because , numero uno, she is not a typical tourist, more of a cultural adventureuse, and two, she is unique, not part of the hoards that invade the City of Lights by the millions. And three, her personal shouldn't really concern the world-at-large, but then again, she can defend herself very well...

[Barbara]

Thanks for this info Pim. We ate at La Regalade on a visit to Paris a couple of years ago. It was so difficult to make a booking there (from here) a contact in Paris visited the restaurant to book our table. We loved the food but the service left a lot to be desired. We will certainly visit his new venture on our next trip.

[Pim]

Jimmy,

Did I say he didn't know what he was doing? I simply said that this was out of character for him, knowing that two other places he had been involved in like La Régalade in the 14th and L'Ourcine in the 13th are both pretty much out of the way.

Adrian,

Thanks for being a good friend, but you know what, I think Jimmy-the-curmudgeon is rather more fun than Jimmy-the-adoring-fan. Don't mind him. ;-)

Barbara,

Thanks for the comment. I can't wait to see the new version of the website which I think should be up soon, to see what the deal is with the room/board thing that had been reported before.

cheers,
Pim

[adrian]

Funny how little interest this is generating on egullet and OA. They've been talking about it for months, and when the info goes up, everyone ignores it...

[clotilde]

Hello Pim,
Just a little language note: Camdeborde told the AFP that the food would have nothing to do with La Régalade "car je n'aime pas le réchauffé". But I don't think he meant that La Régalade served reheated dishes!
The literal meaning of "réchauffé" is indeed reheated, but it is also an idiom that means you've recycled an idea you'd already used or repeated a thing you'd already done (and it is usually used in a disparaging way).
Just thought I would clarify because the quote must sound a little puzzling for those who don't know the expression...
Hope you are well!
Clotilde.

[adrian]

The website has gone offline...

[Niki Buchen]

Thank you for this nice description. My french is very poor (school days are long time over) but I think this should not stop me by trying delicous french food. Last summer I spended my holidays in the Provence (Cannes) and enjoyed lovely seafood. Greetings, Niki