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The owner gets his oysters fresh from his family’s |
Alex Avery of the Hudson Institute was sure of raising more than a few hackles when he stated that organic food was six times more likely than non-organic food to be contaminated with E. coli. It’s down to all that natural …
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The owner gets his oysters fresh from his family’s |
Pros: Truly pleasant and informative owner, good products
Cons: Uncomfortable seating, not enough choice on menu
Alex Avery of the Hudson Institute was sure of raising more than a few hackles when he stated that organic food was six times more likely than non-organic food to be contaminated with E. coli. It’s down to all that natural manure. That was just one of the delights in a short article by Michael Skapinker in the The Financial Times (my favorite paper; it keeps me up to speed on everything worth knowing except details of Britney Spears’s most recent foray sans underwear), in which he mused on the fact that people were apparently turning away from organic food. Mmm, the economic crisis is, er, biting, you might say. That’s not the reason, says he, since people are buying more fair-trade foods than ever, even though they are, like the organic variety, more expensive than industrial alternatives.
I tend to agree with Skapinker that the case for organic food is unproven. I am quite convinced that quality food and wine do not necessarily need to be made by slow-food missionaries. That said, the care and attention lavished on their products should give your taste buds a good deal.
None of the rising-star winemakers I spoke to last weekend at the Revue du Vin de France wine-tasting bash in the old Paris Bourse used the words “natural,” “biodynamic” or “organic,” yet I sipped and spat some cracking wines from around France and Italy, served by people (young for the most part) who were in love with their product and having a hard time getting it distributed.
The genial owner of the tiny restaurant Nominoë did mention those words in connection with his Brittany-brewed beers and ciders, but no such claim could be made for the superb oysters supplied by his in-laws from their oyster beds in the English Channel – one of the busiest and hence most polluted shipping lanes in the world. That didn’t stop the oysters from being absolutely morning-glory fresh, which is all you want from them.
The smoked andouille de Claye was new to me: meaty and wickedly offally, served on a simple bed of smashed potatoes. Equally unpretentious were the leg of free-range chicken in a creamy (organic) cider sauce eaten by my companion and the traditional far breton dessert, served with salty caramel ice-cream. Washed down with a couple of Brittany-brewed organic beers, similar to many of the local brews in Northern France, it provided a satisfying lunch that didn’t stop me doing an honorable amount of work later that afternoon.
I did find it a trial to get up at the end of the meal, though, as the seating was of the kind you find in some ethnic North African or Turkish joints, where you have to sit so near to the ground that your knees are under your chin. The alternative is bar stools at a shelf facing the wall. Again, not my idea of prandial comfort. But this is the only carp about what is something of an oddity in the Paris scene, a place to stop off for an echt Breton snack at virtually any time of the day. Here’s hoping Nominoë cultivates a loyal following.
Nominoë: 13, rue de Castex, 75004 Paris. Tel.: 01 42 72 95 35. Métro: Bastille. Nearest Vélib stations: 11, rue de la Bastille; bd Bourbon. Open Monday-Saturday, 10:30 to midnight. A la carte: under €30*.
* three courses, not including wine
© 2009 Paris Update
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Reader Julia Finn writes: “Thanks for recommending Nominoë. We’re just back from a week in Paris and made a point, on your recommendation, of trying out this little bar around the corner from Place de la Bastille. The Breton beer and fish soup were great, but the oysters were the real draw – taken fresh from the sea the day before. As for the seats…. they’re really not so uncomfortable! I can’t wait to visit Nominoë again!”
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