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Whelks and clams in a celeriac-based sauce at Claude Colliot’s new restaurant in the Marais. |
Having read some hearty praise of Claude Colliot’s new restaurant in Paris’s Marais, I had high expectations for our dinner there and convinced my dining companion that …
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Whelks and clams in a celeriac-based sauce at Claude Colliot’s new restaurant in the Marais. |
Having read some hearty praise of Claude Colliot’s new restaurant in Paris’s Marais, I had high expectations for our dinner there and convinced my dining companion that we should spring for the pricey (€54) five-course tasting menu.
Everything augured well. The service, provided by Madame Colliot, her sweet young daughter and another friendly waitress, was totally charming. The decor is simple – exposed stone walls, comfortable designer chairs and spidery chandeliers made of a cluster of black drafting lamps – and the small, separate dining rooms help keep noise levels down.
We were eager to see what surprises the chef would send out. We started with bulots and palourdes (whelks and clams) with thinly sliced radishes, carrots and zucchini in a foamy white sauce with a pleasant underlying hot zing to it, sprinkled with a few tiny leaves of lemon basil. The sauce didn’t seem to be made with cream, and we guessed from the texture and flavor that it was based on chickpea flour, but it turned out to be made with celeriac. Very nice. What would come next?
It was an artistic arrangement consisting of a raw egg yolk; whole, browned mushrooms; and a scoop of white ice cream – goat cheese ice cream, which had a lovely tang to it. Very nice. Next?
The fish course was barbue (brill) with sautéed spinach and a side of applesauce that seemed to be flavored with oregano, topped with tiny mushrooms. Once again, very nice, but no more.
The meat course was perfectly cooked pork tenderloin with a lemony sauce, a touch of Sichuan pepper, accompanied by cabbage sautéed in sesame oil. All very delicious and probably the most satisfying course, but served with the same tiny mushrooms that came with the fish. By then, we felt we had had more than enough mushrooms.
Dessert was strawberries with mascarpone, finely chopped mint and rhubarb, also with a hint of hot pepper.
Everything was made with fine ingredients, attractively presented and cooked just right, but nothing was out of the ordinary. Where was the wow factor? Where were the explosions when one flavor met another? Sadly, they weren’t there. My friend said she had been hoping for something more “conceptually special.” And for these prices (ordering three courses à la carte costs almost as much, at least €45), I thought we might have been treated to more “noble,” as the French say, ingredients. “Nice” just wasn’t enough.
The two-page wine list offers a good selection and ranges in price from €21 to €95. We stuck to wines by the glass.
The verdict: you can’t go wrong with the faultless food and service here, but don’t don’t expect any fireworks.
Only half a block away, you can get a far more interesting and less expensive meal at Monjul — and you can even expect some fireworks from its talented young chef.
Claude Colliot: 40, rue des Blancs-Manteaux, 75004 Paris. Métro: Hôtel de Ville. Tel.: 01 42 71 55 45. Tasting menu: €54. A la carte: around €47.
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