Allard at BigFest 2025: a look back at a Parisian culinary gathering

Recently, the restaurant Allard took part in the third edition of BigFest, a festival dedicated to gastronomy and live music. It was an opportunity to present one of its signature dishes to the many visitors. A look back at a highly successful edition. A festival of chefs at BigFest at La Felicità A few steps from the François Mitterrand library, not far from Place d’Italie, lies another little corner of Italy: the food court La Felicità. This year again, the iconic venue transformed itself for a weekend, as BigFest took place there from 19 to 21 September 2025. On the programme: gastronomy and live music. On the music side, names included Étienne de Crécy, Bon Entendeur and Julien Granel. For food lovers, several restaurants from the Ducasse Paris group took part in the event, with chefs present throughout the three days of the festival. Éric Azoug, executive chef of La Felicità, knows Maison Ducasse Paris well, having been head chef at Benoit for several years. Kelly Jolivet, current chef of the restaurant Benoit Paris, was also present at BigFest, along with Maison Allard and its chef Lisa Desforges. Allard’s duck with olives, a signature dish at BigFest Our bistro found its place perfectly within La Felicità’s trendsetting event. Lisa Desforges, who has led the establishment for two years, embodies both the energy of a new generation and the continuity of this venerable house. Festival-goers were able to enjoy one of the signature dishes featured on the Allard menu: roasted Challans duckling with green olives and duck jus. A generous dish, faithful to the recipe imagined by Fernande Allard nearly 80 years ago. To delight visitors, the chef and her brigade selected, as always, local and seasonal products. Meaningful encounters centred around gastronomy Like La Felicità itself, BigFest was a decidedly joyful and convivial event, giving chefs real moments of exchange among themselves and with the public. Among the restaurateurs who answered the call: the team from restaurant Allard, of course, but also Maison Benoit and restaurant Sapid. All are part of the Ducasse Paris Group and all share the intrinsic values championed by Alain Ducasse: authenticity, respect for the product, and a value that cannot be “tasted” but can be deeply felt when one looks at the paths of chefs who have trained under Alain Ducasse: transmission. Quite naturally, this shared culinary identity allowed the teams to support one another and share memorable moments during the festival. On Saturday 20 September, BigFest welcomed Alain Ducasse himself. Always inclined to share and to pass on knowledge, the chef engaged in conversation with our restaurant team and with visitors. A look back at the signature dishes from Alain Ducasse restaurants For BigFest, all restaurants went above and beyond, adapting their classics to the setting: visitors were able to enjoy a gastronomic meal in a more urban environment, aligned with the codes of street food, far from the standards of traditional Parisian brasseries. At Allard, as mentioned, the Challans duckling with olives was served. If you wish to book a table at Allard, you will surely be able to enjoy this house classic. At bistro Benoit, chef Kelly Jolivet and her brigade offered crispy Rossini-style beef cheek on toast. As for restaurant Sapid, led by Mélanie Milesi, it offered a remarkable radish and raspberry ceviche. The 2025 edition of BigFest once again lived up to expectations: bringing the excellence of gastronomy to unexpected places. A moment for the Allard team to share warm and convivial experiences with a broad audience.

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Dîner à 4 mains Allard - Benoit Paris
Allard X Benoit: exceptional 4-hand dinner

On Thursdays July 4 and 11, the two bistros Allard and Benoit Paris join forces to offer you two exceptional four-hands dinners. For the occasion, our young Chefs Lisa Desforges (Allard) and Kelly Jolivet (Benoit) have created two menus that brilliantly celebrate bistro cuisine, a symbol of French gastronomy, while adding a contemporary touch. Born of their immense complicity, these menus invite you to (re)discover the sincere, generous local cuisine so dear to the hearts of our Chefs. To enhance the experience, each dish will be accompanied by wines carefully selected by our Executive Chef Sommelier, Bernard Neveu, and a refined cocktail concocted by our Cocktail Chef Margot Combat!   Menu for Thursday, July 4th 2024 - at Allard Beef cheek ravioli, spicy broth Cucumber soup with gold caviar - Small spelt cookpot, primavera vegetables Zucchini flower stuffed with lobster, lobster reduction - Turbot confit, chard greens and whites, cooking juices Sautéed veal sweetbreads, artichokes en barigoule - Profiteroles, hot chocolate sauce Peach Melba   Dinner menu for July 4, 2024 - Chez Allard 135 € per person (excluding drinks) 220 € per person (with wine pairing)           Menu for Thursday, July 11, 2024 - at Benoit Paris Burgundy snails, garlic purée, parsley Paté en croûte Benoit - Fricassee of chanterelles, candied egg yolk, Beaufort emulsion Pan-fried duck foie gras, roasted peach and dolce forte - Roasted monkfish, spring garnish and pod jus Beef Wellington - Profiteroles, hot chocolate sauce Fontainebleau with strawberries and tagetes   July 11, 2024 dinner menu - Chez Benoit Paris 135 € per person (drinks not included) 220 € per person (with wine pairing)          

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Valentine's day is approaching!

Celebrate Valentine's Day at Allard's in a friendly and intimate setting. Surprise your partner and offer an enchanted interlude in our restaurant 💞 For the occasion, the chef Laëtitia Rouabah and her team have concocted an exceptional menu: Confit duck foie gras, tangy orange marmelade, Roasted corn-fed chicken from "Les Landes", shaved black truffle... Finish in beauty with our delicious chocolate and passion fruit composition. February 14, 2023 dinner menu 120 € excluding drinks 180 € with food and wine pairing

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Welcome back home, Laëtitia !

Allard is pleased to welcome once again the chef Laëtitia Rouabah ! After 6 years as chef at Benoit New York, Laëtitia is making her comeback as head of Allard's kitchens for an exceptional pop-up for a few months, where she already officiated from 2013 to 2016. To mark her arrival, Allard is renewing its menu... If the atmosphere of the restaurant remains the same, the chef will introduce you to some of her favorite New York dishes. On the menu, the Spiced crab cake, sweetcorn soup , the American-style blue lobster, the Beef chuck flap and sweet delights such as the Cheesecake or the S’mores... Typically American dishes executed with the verve, generosity and talent that we know the chef has. Don't worry, Allard's must-try dishes like frog legs and Duck from Challans with olives will of course continue to be offered on the menu ! A few words about Laëtitia Rouabah's background... Laëtitia Rouabah began her career with Alain Ducasse in several of his starred establishments : In 2004, she started at the Relais Plaza with Philippe Marc before joining Jocelyn Herland in London at Alain Ducasse at the Dorchester ! In 2008, Laëtitia worked at Jules Verne, the restaurant of the Eiffel Tower, where she became assistant chef to Pascal Féraud. In 2013, the chef took over the reins of Allard for a few months. From one bistro to another, she landed in New York in 2016, with the mission of gently refreshing the image of Benoit, one of Alain Ducasse's two addresses in the United States with Rivea in Las Vegas.

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Allard-carte-printemps
Spring on the menu

The first daffodils put their spots of sunshine in the gardens, the day is gaining ground over the night and the swallows are back: yes, that's it, spring is coming. Great news for everyone and especially for cooks. Charlotte Bringant loves this change of season and its procession of new products that she welcomes with enthusiasm on the Allard menu. The queen of the season is asparagus. The reputation of the white variety, Landes asparagus, is well established. Grown on the sandy soils of Gascony, in the mild Atlantic climate, its flavour and texture are absolutely unique. Charlotte offers a plain version, as a starter. And then there is the green asparagus, with a wilder personality and a more pronounced taste. This one, Charlotte mixes it with mushrooms or associates it in a more surprising way with sweetbread. But this beginning of spring has many other gourmet pleasures in store. For example, the first poivrade artichokes, so tender and fragrant, which go wonderfully well with cod. Or even the first wild garlic (the season is short, you have to take advantage of it!) which accompanies the saddle of lamb (another emblematic product of the season). To celebrate the arrival of the first strawberries, Charlotte dares to combine it with foie gras: they bring a very welcome note of freshness. These strawberries, with another seasonal product, rhubarb, also accompany a delicious fermented yogurt ice cream. Yes, definitely, spring is coming and the Allard menu pays a magnificent tribute to it. Another excellent reason to book your table very right now!

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