Anyone for avocado, banana and leek pudding?

I don't often post restaurant reviews, but thought I really should tell you about my Monday night in Paris experience.  A colleague and I went off to Paris this week on short notice (important work related stuff, of course!) so didn't get time to book anywhere.

Along with our supplier, we spend an entertaining forty minutes searching for the distant memory of a restaurant once visited, dodging the rain and being generally amused by some shop names*.  We eventually ducked into one doorway - that of Chez Cecile on the rue Vignon.  And a good pick it was too.

In what I assume to be the Parisienne style, we were ushered through from the relatively smart front of the space to rather shabbier back restaurant - complete with 1930's nudes - but no less charming for that.  It seems that everyone in Paris is doing similar things now - I guess you'd call it modern twists on traditional French food.  Chez Cecile may, however, take it a twist too far - but then again, maybe not.

The other two started with "Bonbon de foie gras à la rhubarbe, petite frisée vanillée" - the cutest little ball of foie (surely made with a melon baller), a small stem of rhubarb cooked down to velvety smoothness and a very good match indeed.

I went for the "Bouchons de boudin noir épicé, gambas rôties piquées à la citronnelle".  The boudin was terrific - very lightly spiced (a theme for the meal), soft yet crumbly with very well cooked prawns - though not much evidence of the lemongrass.  The small garnish of leaves, however, were dressed with walnut oil which went very well - indeed could have been dripped sparingly over the prawns and black pudding to great effect.

Mains were a little less subtle - one of the party went with a nice piece of sea bass, another with the lamb ("L'agneau fermier de l'Aveyron en brochette sur une raïta mentholée, écrasé de navets et ricotta aux citrons confits") while I just couldn't help myself, I'm afraid.  Vegetarians, look away now.  I had "Le rognon de veau entier rôti aux agrumes puis flambé à table, mousseline de pomme de terre fumée".  Oh yes.  An entire veal kidney, roasted and flambed in cognac - cooked medium (read quite bloody in the middle) and extremely tasty.  

However, it seems to be in the sweet course that the restaurant is really trying to assert itself (assertive dessertive?).  I had one of the specials - an intense chocolate ganache topped with orange and balsamic sorbet and a slice of caremelised orange - tres bien.  Another in our group had "Panna cotta au brie de Meaux, coulis épais de campari" - imagine this if you will:  A panna cotta made not with cream but with brie.  It had the texture of panna cotta but the taste (read strong taste) of brie.  We almost asked for crackers. 
And the other one in our team of adventurers?  "Palet de l'audace, poireau confit avocat-banane" - yup, that's right.  Avocado.  Banana.  Leek.  Interesting was the word.  And, in fact, not bad.  The dessert came as three small, green squares - banana at the bottom, then the 'confit' avocado and topped with a single 'leaf' of candied leek.  Like I say, interesting.

tags: restaurants  france  

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