inside the hottest new brasserie in Paris

To be made custodian of one of the great Parisian historical spaces is a heavy responsibility. It was laid upon the interior designer Joseph Dirand when he was asked to design a café inside the newly restored Grand Palais.

The day before Le Grand Café opens, Dirand stalks the room, full of diners for the first time at the “rehearsal lunch”. Is he satisfied? He shrugs: “The opening is the moment when you accept the imperfections. It feels almost foreign to me, as if someone else had…