The buildings have a rich Parisian history, connecting nouvelle vague, bohemia, intellectual exchange, all strands of creativity and political advancement. Now the arrival Silencio des Prés brings to them a 21st-century vibe.
With a chic new restaurant, 360degree cinema and event space with a terrace for sunny days, the latest launch from iconic Parisian brand Silencio opened for business on 7 October in Saint-Germain-des-Prés – the district made famous in the 19th century as the gathering place for famous artists, writers and actors.
Silencio des Prés is the third corner of a trilogy which has seen the Silencio philosophy encourage the pace of Parisian hospitality to lead on the world stage for more than a decade.
Silencio des Prés, top of page and above, offers something more than food, drink, service, entertainment and prestige.
First came Montmartre. Then Ibiza. Now, like its two immaculately idiosyncratic predecessors, Silencio des Prés offers something more than food, drink, service, entertainment and prestige.
Silencio buildings are fashioned as factories of ideas. They are places to meet surprising strangers, to strike inspirational ideas, for accidents to turn into inspirations, business to feel like pleasure and to make the seemingly impossible closer to reality.
Opening in the 6th arrondissement at Saint-Germain-des-Prés has been a dream of Silencio founder, Arnaud Frisch.
“When we move into an area, we honour the history while looking to the future,” he explains. “We don’t want to be nostalgic. It is about keeping the spirit of a building alive and then doing something innovative with it, for now.”
The cinema began life in 1969 and since then has variously been utilised as a cabaret space and bar under previous owners, the family Henochsberg.
But it is in the restaurant where the major changes have occurred, under the instruction of finest Parisian design minds at Studio Ko.
The Silencio des Pres restaurant is spearheaded by the classically trained radical, Guillaume Sanchez
Under the progressive thinking of classically trained radical, Guillaume Sanchez, it features a permanent menu with ingredients that change based on the stock of ten small-scale produce providers.
“For Silencio des Prés, and everything related to it, the goal is simple,” says Sanchez. “How can we do better? How can we have an establishment that brews a lot of covers a day, while passing messages, respecting the planet and the people who cultivate it? At what price and under what conditions?”
But being ethical in spirit does not mean it is not delicious. “This is about respecting the man or woman who cultivates, reinventing the model of volume catering and giving pleasure to people,” he says.
