We leave at 11:30pm on Thursday night after celebrating Engin’s birthday. The restaurant was full, and there was another big table as loud as ours. The noise level was high. Very high. It was exhausting for everyone.
The next morning, I’m still in recovery mode. But I’m heading back to L.Auberge des Crus to do this interview. I meet Charles Laborde. It feels like I was the one working in the restaurant last night and he was the guest. He’s fresh, cheerful, smiling, ready for lunch service. I look destroyed.
the welcome (photo by Amber)
It reminded me — again — how hard this job is. Between 2010 and 2016, that was my life. Every single day is a brand-new performance. You have to prove yourself and your restaurant again and again. It’s like being a professional athlete. After a few bad days, nobody remembers your past, and all your hard work can evaporate. So you have to stay in shape. Every day.
My advice: don’t get into the restaurant business! 😂😂😂
But Charly did. So if you’re going in, you better do it properly. And honestly, I think he does. Every time I come here, I leave happy — both from the food and the service. In a short time, he’s won over a lot of locals like me. People genuinely light up when they see him. A bit of conversation, a bit of consultation, and then — boom — he glides back to the tables.
The clientele is mostly a certain age. People whose taste is developed. People who know what they want. Once you capture that audience, the job becomes both very easy and very difficult. Easy because they won’t leave you — you become part of their lives. Difficult because you must always be good. You must control the details. Otherwise, they’ll move on quickly. This is Paris. There’s no room for mistakes here. 😬
Charles Laborde — who jumped into this “crazy” business — doesn’t exactly come from a soft background. He spent 17 years in advertising. But he always dreamed of owning a restaurant. Having Pascale Gardinier (Taillevent, Drouant, and more) as his godfather brought him even closer to the industry. He helped restaurateur friends, moved through every section of both kitchen and dining room. At one point, he told me he was eating out every single day. At that frequency, you learn things — whether you want to or not.
Eventually, he couldn’t resist the passion anymore and entered into a partnership at a bistro in the 6th arrondissement. But things didn’t evolve the way he had imagined. So he moved to the next step: opening his own place.
And as always, next to every successful man… there’s a strong woman. Same case here. Caroline is Charly’s biggest supporter and the person responsible for social media and press. And she does it for free. 😁 (Because she’s his wife.) I hope she likes this article. 🤞🏻
In 2024, the dream becomes reality and he takes over the place and named it L’Auberge des Crus. The décor wasn’t exactly what he imagined, but finding a working fireplace in Paris — especially in a restaurant — is almost impossible. So he compromised. A few changes in the space and voilà… doors open.
the fireplace (photo by Amber)
Charly was born and raised in the 16th arrondissement. He knows the people here. He understands their behavior, their expectations, what needs to be done to satisfy them. I had been here before, under the previous owners, and I always felt a certain fatigue — in both the food and the service. Charly almost confirmed that for me. The former owner had kept the place open every single day for 22 years and built everything from scratch. Respect to him. But he can rest easy now. The restaurant is in good hands.
Okay, you meet Charly and immediately like him. But what if the food isn’t good? How long does that affection last? Be honest. 🧐
the boss (photo by Amber)
This is where 29-year-old Taiwanese chef Dani Lin steps in. His CV includes two very serious names: Anne-Sophie Pic and Alain Ducasse. Don’t expect flat, basic bistro plates just because this is a classic address. There’s always a touch. A gesture. A bit of aesthetic thinking on every plate. Go see the leeks with vinaigrette presentation. If you’re not in Paris, check their Instagram and add this beautiful team to your list. Next to Dani is Basile Daniau. Kitchens are teamwork — never forget that.
the setting (photo by Amber)
And is Charly alone in the front? Of course not. With full seriousness and discipline, there’s Paul Lamour de Caslou. Bocuse-trained, and involved in management as well. A harmonious partnership. 💪🏼 A key piece in making the restaurant full every night, very quickly.
Let me add a small Turkish cultural touch here. 🧿 (Charly actually knows our culture quite well.)
Now let’s talk about the second most important item in this place for him: WINE!!!!
1,400 references. 24,000 bottles. 💪🏼
And what a cellar… 😋
the cellar (photo by Amber)
Charly has a goal. A dream list. He wants to complete it as much as possible through hard work. I can’t even explain how much I love that idea. It inspired me too. But when I went home and told Ayça about it, I realized building a list like that would take me much longer than it would take Charly. 😂😂 Maybe I should go back to running a restaurant? 😂
He buys directly from producers. He keeps prices as accessible as possible because he genuinely believes drinking good wine is everyone’s right. If you know even a little about wine, he’ll happily talk with you. Whenever I’m given the task of choosing the wine, I immediately hand the responsibility back to him, eyes closed. I haven’t had a single ordinary bottle here.
For example, a Languedoc Cinsault — only 4,000 bottles produced. Or a Côte du Rhône blend of five grapes speaking in total harmony. And then a Loire Sancerre that isn’t loud or flashy, just beautifully made and dangerously easy to drink.
Charly and I share something: we both love Languedoc wines. They carry the generosity of the sun but never lose balance. Easy to drink, honest, sincere wines come from that land. Maybe that’s exactly what draws us — no exaggeration, just authenticity.
That’s also exactly what I look for in restaurants. 🎊🎉🎊
Earlier I mentioned Charly feels close to Turkish culture. You might wonder why. The south of Turkey is where his family spend their summers. They’ve experienced both the beautiful and the difficult sides of it. Maybe that’s why our connection was immediate. That’s why we became Charly Abi and Okan Abi. 😍
(Abi = big brother.)
Oh — I just remembered. I was supposed to find him some proper Turkish spices. He misses them.
the restaurant (photo by Amber)