You may wonder whether Paris really needs another Italian restaurant. Our response would be that Ischia is not your everyday pizza and pasta joint, far from it. Rather, it’s the latest venture from France’s answer to Jamie Oliver, Cyril Lignac, whose southern accent and infectious enthusiasm have made him a staple of TV, and it’s actually rather good…

Lignac (44) is one of a few chefs who prefer the Left Bank for their establishments (five are close to our hotels), and this is perhaps the furthest into the 15th arrondissement we’ve ever ventured to try out a restaurant for you. The area isn’t at all known for its fine eateries, which may explain why Ischia has taken the place of a gastronomic restaurant (also belonging to Cyril Lignac) with a Michelin star and prices to match.

Ischia may be cheaper than the former establishment, but it does seem to want to keep a certain aura of chic (for example, with an ebullient and not entirely convincing welcome). It’s a puzzling choice – while the waiters are genuinely nice and chatty, a quick trip inside to take some photos spawned a comment from the head waiter, “Are you a paparazzi? Ha ha ha!” When you laugh at your own jokes, all is not right.

But these are details. The restaurant has a vast and very agreeable terrace in a pedestrianised and very calm street with the greenery of the André-Citroën park visible at the end. Our journey had not been for nought.

The interior is also rather nice, in a mix of earth / copper tones with lots of wood and rounded corners, giving the place a retro look (which also reminded us of the Hotel Saint-André des Arts). It’s simple but elegant.

We started to peruse the menu while enjoying a crisp glass of white wine, and the prices are high without being outrageous – 24€ for a main course of pasta, around 30€ for a meat dish, 12€ pour a dessert…

And so we start by sharing a pizzette (a ‘mini’ pizza which is actually fairly big) with home-smoked salmon, avocado, sesame seeds and above all a touch of jalapeño, a stroke of genius.

With a very fine crunchy bread base, this mix of melt-in-the-mouth avocado and salmon with a touch of spice was pretty fabulous.

For the main dishes, our first choice was the “Agnolotti del Plin alle vongole”, small parcels of pasta stuffed with ricotta cheese and served with sweetly perfumed clams in a slightly citrus sauce.

Our other dish was the parmigiana (there aren’t many other choices for vegetarians), baked aubergines prettily and generously served, rather greasy because that’s what the dish is (basically aubergines in tomato sauce with loads of cheese) but surprisingly light on the stomach.

Two successful mains!

After two delicious courses, we still wanted to sample the restaurant’s desserts, so we ordered some caramelised Piedmont hazelnut ice cream with (a tiny drizzle of) gianduja sauce, and a tiramisù (the classic Italian restaurant dessert that can sometimes still be a disaster).

We were not disappointed. The ice cream with soft and creamy, and the tiramisù was super rich too, with a surprisingly strong taste of coffee (which is not always the case for many a tiramisù we have tasted). Top marks again!

What a lovely evening we had on the terrace at Ischia! Actually, the restaurant seems to be quite a success, as we had a hard time booking a table. Your best bet is to book online – don’t think about calling them on the phone, as you will just be kept on hold for five minutes before they hang up on you.

The prices seemed OK to us, as the dishes were very good, and the team is efficient and relaxed (for the most part). This is a great spot for summer, and we would even consider going back once the warm weather is over to sample the smart interior and cool vibe 😀

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Ischia by Cyril Lignac (here) is open seven days a week for lunch and dinner (two sittings in the evening, at 7pm and 9.30pm)

Online booking here

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Une publication partagée par Cyril Lignac (@cyril_lignac)