my last trip to paris I had tried to make a reservation at one of his restaurants but didn’t have the time to go. my dad had gone to Pierre sang’s restaurant on gambey the week before and really enjoyed it, so we DECIDED to try the one on oberkampf.
April 14 2019
For dinner you have a few options for set menus, but I would recommend the Menu Découverte or Discovery Menu. a surprise 6 course menu for just 39€.
First course: pea and mint mousse with Fish egg, PICKLED cucumber and burrata. sour, creamy, salty, and a bit sweet. a beautiful bright green dish with interesting flavor combinations and textures. i would have never thought that all these ingredients could work all together in one dish but it SURPRISINGLY does. a really good and delicious dish to start off the meal.
second course: scallops (or shrimp) with asparagus, lemon and soy sauce, parmesan crumble and fennel. as i am allergic to shrimp they SUBSTITUTED with scallops which was not a bad upgrade in my opinion. the scallops were cooked perfectly and it was a lovely combination of asian and western flavors. the parmesan crumble was a nice addition, i wonder how they made it as it would be an interesting element to a dish added a different texture.
THird course: spelt grain with dried Wagyu beef, sesame oil, steam oven cooked egg, pickled red onions, spinach and rice crackers. we had wondered how they had cooked the egg so perfectly. i had tried a few times to cook an egg with a sous vide machine but this egg was different. we later found out it was cooked using a steamed oven.
the dried WAGYU beef was a very nice upgrade from the usual pork floss, which added some richness and saltiness. the red onion added that acidity to balance the rich flavor of the beef and creaminess of the egg. i really liked this dish, it had a very familiar flavor but slightly upgraded and fresher.
Fourth course: duck with rutabaga, creamy polenta, roasted beets and gochujang. this was really the highlight, the sizable PORTIONed duck was cooked perfectly and the gochujang added that slight saltiness and spiciness to the rich and fatty duck. apparently the goghujang is a signature part of his main dishes, that korean influence. i love gochujang so i was happy to see it on the plate. the polenta was so creamy and smooth that we didn’t realize that it was polenta.
Fifth course: cantal cheese with yuzu and honey jam. when in france you have to have a cheese course. the cheese was very creamy and a nice contrast to the yuzu and honey jam.
kiwi and avocado sauce with pear sorbet and almond milk cream. the kiwi and avocado sauce was a bit too sour for my dad but i thought it was a nice dessert. the pear sorbet and cream were delicious, we didn’t figure it to be almond milk. a good idea and a great lactose free option.
a highly recommend, for just 39€ i think you get more than your money worths with the high level of service and the high quality of food. the food is delicious and innoventive without being so fussy. also what makes this place a bit more interesting is they do not tell you what is in the dish before you eat. they want you to eat the dish, enjoy it and then guess what the ingredients are. once you are finished they tell you all the ingredients in the dish and well ome are quite surprising. but this makes it an unique experience as you are more engaged in what you are eating as you want to figure out what is in the dishes. the waiters are engaging and KNOWLEDGEABLE about the dishes. it was a lovely experience and i will definitely try his other restaurants next time i am in paris. you definitely need to make a reservation as the restaurants aren’t that large and they don’t have too many tables plus they only have two seatings a night. so check on their website for AVAILABILITY. but all three restaurants are on the same street, so once you try one you know where to go the next time around.