At le Cheval d'Or

We spoke with founders Crislaine Medina and Head Chef Hanz Gueco who brought new life to the iconic Chinese restaurant, Le Cheval d’Or, since 2023. The bright personality of the restaurant and menu shone vividly through the charismatic duo, and the entire team.

What would you consider an institution in Paris? What would your characteristics of an institution be, whether it be a restaurant, a gallery or a library, how do you consider something to be an institution of Paris?

Crislaine : I would say, it could be a restaurant, a library, any place that has a certain level of consistency, that you can always count on.Consistency, especially in this day and age, were one is always searching for something new, searching for the latest original thing. For me, an institution is defined as a place that, when you visit, it always feels kind of the same, and just as good as the last visit. You have a sort of nostalgic feeling, you’re happy to return, as it’s a place you can always count on. In our current generation, things are going by so fast, and continuously changing, but it is important to have places you can always go, you know you can order the same thing, or sit in that same place, and read a book and enjoy the meal without worry, that is an institution.

When you are not at Le Cheval d’Or, where do you usually go? If you have a day off and you want to go out for a meal?

Hanz : I recently went to Oobatz. It's amazing, the best pizza, and the interior is super cool. I love the restaurant Pétrelle, I think it'll be a future institution, yet it’s still very underrated. I've been there maybe three, four times now. The couple that run it are so lovely and the food's really good, and the interiors is very unique. I think it's like a hidden gem in a city with no more hidden gems.

Crislaine : I try not to be biased, but I love Rigmarole. I worked at Rigmarole, but after leaving I hadn’t visited since 2020. I went there recently and it felt like nothing has changed, it was just as good as its has always been. I know there's always a lot of consistent hype and attention around such a place, but I understood why, even after having worked there and having not eaten there for four years, it was as good as I remember, it was really touching.

During your days-off, which I know are few and far between, what do you like to do?

Crislaine : I'm a mother of four at the moment, so I'm realising that the biggest institution in my life is my living room, but I would say recently in our family, it's been public libraries. My son is at an age where he's begun to ask to go to the library, so that's been really interesting getting him to read. For our family, it's also the MK Team Jiu-Jitsu Dojo.

It's a thing that everyone in our family does. It's something that's completely separate from hospitality. I think a lot of people might think Jiu Jitsu does not match with hospitality, but the fact that I've seen my kids begin martial arts, seeing them evolve in themselves, and be a part of a growing institution and a growing sport has been life-changing for me.

For people involved in hospitality, I think we really have to pay attention to our quality of life outside the restaurants and the little time we do have outside of work. One way to really give off that steam and relax is through sport, a sport that challenges you intellectually and personally, and for us in our family, it's Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu.

Hanz : For me, it's usually just visiting a café, and enjoying really good coffee. I really like Dreamin’ Man, we are friends of the café.

Crislaine : We also try participate in cultural activities. We try to get ourselves involved, and we work with one association in particular called SoulFood. They accompany minors without paperwork to go on artistic outings in Paris, and we have hosted them here at Cheval d’Or. Its really interesting because usually when we consider associations helping people in this kind of unfortunate situation, we become preoccupied with everyday basic needs and we don’t think about art and personal enrichment, and SoulFood focuses solely on that. The kitchen is always great at supporting these events, and as a restaurant, the team has been really supportive in the efforts. As a family, when we can, on our time off, we try to support these kinds of activities.

Do you have a favorite dish on the menu at the moment?

Crislaine : I can give you an answer if I can have multiple answers, because that's what's great about the menu Hanz has come up with. Each dish lives on its own, even when there are ingredients that are reproduced in other dishes, it never feels the same. That's what makes it really special, there is something for everyone. 

My personal favorite doesn't exist because it's so hard to pick, but I can pick in each category, and depending on the season. I love the egg, it’s an amuse-bouche that's not on the menu that people don't know they're getting. It sets the bar really high because it's so delicious, so Hanz makes his life so hard for himself, but then he lives up to each expectation right after that.

The menu is really fun, it keeps you curious and you just don’t know what's coming. I think the best thing about Hanz's food is that it's unpretentious in its approach. It's so precise and there's so much work behind it, but he doesn't make you feel like you can't understand it, because the flavour comes before everything. It’s fun to kind of deconstruct and figure out what's on the dish.

It even surprises me every day when I come to work, and I think everyone in Paris needs to know the level of creativity Hanz brings to this restaurant. It goes beyond the food, its the choice of cutlery, it's where you hang your jacket, it's when you go to the bathroom, he has considered everything. I've never seen someone who has invested themselves so much in a project. It’s really touching that there's so much of his creativity in one place and that people come here and they automatically feel it. I think that's the most important and special part about Hanz's menu is how it comes alive.

I think a lot of chefs are always so focused on what they want to achieve that it comes at a cost, and Hanz has helped us not let that happen. He’s always expressed it through trying to implement certain ways of presenting the menu, or building the right team.

It's really taught us that we can carry on the beauty of tradition, but without following the norm. It's possible to create an institution, it’s possible to refine dining, and it’s possible to bring elegance in our own way.

Words : Claire Dhooge / Photos : Richard Banroques