We tested the menu of the new chef at the Hôtel de Sers, Champs-Elysées hotel

The pitch? Originally from Perugia in Umbria, Italy, Stefano Stafie trained at the Assisi Hotel School before moving to Paris, where he worked with Massimo Mori at the Mori Venice Bar. His career then took him to Thomas Keller's Per Se in New York, then to Alan Taudon's L'Orangerie du George V, one of the finest hotels on the Champs-Élysées, where he became sous-chef.

In the Hôtel de Sers, this restaurant in the 8th arrondissement of Paris now offers bright Mediterranean cuisine, organized around a limited menu: three starters, five main courses, three desserts and a few daily suggestions.

The setting? After strolling along the Galerie des Portraits, you discover the restaurant of this Champs-Élysées hotel almost by surprise, sheltered from the hustle and bustle of the world's most beautiful avenue. The intimate, sunny main dining room alternates contemporary elegance with a cosy feel, while the glass-roofed patio offers a welcome interlude of greenery in the heart of Paris. A setting that augurs well for the quality of the cuisine to be served and the time spent at table.

What's on your plate? We kick off our Mediterranean journey with a delicious arancini, a joyous Sicilian speciality made with risotto rice. It's warm, it's spun with mozzarella - just what you need to whet your appetite! Then comes a sweet vitello tonnato. The only Italian land/sea dish to have actually crossed the French border finds itself interpreted here in a wise and slightly different way.

Where tradition suggests slices of boiled veal, the chef prefers to serve it rosé, like a cold roast beef. The tuna sauce, laid on top rather than underneath, is ultra-thin, and a few pickles elegantly spice things up. Less Italian but just as tasty is a salmon gravlax served like a bouquet of flowers, thanks to the red meat radishes. The jalapeño sauce, sour cream and red tobiko roe subtly balance out the greasiness of the fish.

Stefano Stafie's signature dish: linguine with langoustine bisque. A full-bodied sauce, wonderfully pearly langoustines the likes of which we'd love to see more of, and a few cherry tomatoes that add a touch of acidity, this is truly a very successful dish. Italianophiles like us will certainly find that the linguine is a little overcooked, but this is a hotel in Paris near the Arc de Triomphe and the Champs-Elysées, and you have to accommodate the tastes of an international clientele...

As for desserts, the chef is having fun. First, with his honey-roasted fig crumble, lemon custard and homemade sorbet, presented in a totally unstructured way. The figs are high quality, well roasted and very tasty. The fig sorbet is beautifully crafted, and the lemon crème pâtissière enhances the butteriness of the crumble dough. It's a delightful dessert, totally in season. For an Italian chef, reinventing tiramisu is no easy task. You have to seize the codes: creamy mascarpone, soaked cookie, coffee, cocoa powder. Here, Stefano Stafie plays with them to create a personal, trompe-l'œil dessert. A chocolate shell in the shape of a large coffee bean that cracks when cut, a cookie layered with a delicious cream, and small cubes of coffee jelly that can be enjoyed together... Or afterwards, just before the de rigueur espresso.

Things to remember:

Stefano Stafie's cuisine brings a gentle Mediterranean breeze to this beautiful 5-star hotel in Paris, the Hôtel de Sers. Between signature dishes, subtle reinterpretations and playful desserts, the young chef makes you want to hit the road for Perugia and the whole region of his childhood.