Dive!

Ephemera Restaurant "Under the Sea" is like a refreshing getaway for the senses. Mademoiselle Lili is going for a swim.

Immersive is the trend magic word that promises completely new perceptual experiences: Whether art exhibitions, fashion shows, computer games or show spectacles, everyone wants to be immersive today and immerse our senses in a virtual hyper-reality. Now Paris even has immersive dining!

As I love the city especially during the holiday months when most Parisians huddle on crowded beaches like they normally do on the Metro, I basically stay here and enjoy the relative emptiness and slow motion mode the city falls into then. However, if the thermometer climbs above 30 degrees, Paris offers only a few really attractive opportunities to cool down: the shady spots in the park are usually occupied, the terraces are too hot and the public outdoor pools are unreasonable for many reasons. And so I ended up 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, in an air-conditioned cinema room at the National Library that has now been transformed into an immersive restaurant.

From the tables to the video-animated floor to the coral ceiling, you are completely immersed in a magical underwater world. You can hear bubbling water and sing whales swimming past you on the large projection screens, see colorful coral reefs where schools of fish cavort and sharks do their rounds, and jellyfish dance their floating ballet for dessert. A visual experience that is in no way inferior to the gastronomic one.

The seafood and fish specialties prepared by head chef Loris de Vaucelles are not only a sight to behold, but also a taste, and at pleasantly cool prices. The dorado ceviche, the trout tataki and the miso apple dessert make your mouth water. The nice touch: You don't have to choose just one dish. The portions are calculated so that two people choose three plates to share, leaving room for one of the sophisticated desserts.

Behind the original concept of the ephemera are three young graduates from the renowned Institut Paul Bocuse in Lyon: Annaïg Ferrand, Loris De Vaucelles and Jade Frommer, all in their early to mid-20s. What started as a study project - the students were asked to create a temporary pop-up Planning a restaurant inspired them so much that they landed a real gastro coup with “Athéra” last year in Lyon: the website for the restaurant was hardly online in a virtual avatar universe when 1,300 went within just five hours reservations. And so this summer the motto in Paris is: Nemo, ahoy!