A Noma Graduate Opens in Paris

There’s a difference between cooking well and cooking with soul. I was recently reminded of this fact when a Chef invited me to dine (with my camera handy, of course) at his eponymous, Michelin-starred restaurant. He and his team cooked with impressive technical skill. Each dish was plated meticulously with irreproachable ingredients. The truffles were aromatic, the poultry was succulent, the produce was fresh and flavorful, and yet I left underwhelmed, and ultimately decided not to post the video.

“How on earth could a restaurant of that caliber be bad?” you might ask. “Bad” is a strong word, but I’ll compare his menu to a tacky outfit. I can’t dispute the quality of a flashy Swiss watch and “designer” brands (actually, the latter I could), but where is the soul in such a getup? What is the reasoning behind the outfit other than “look at me!”

Then there’s the kind of outfit that, instead of saying “look at me,” says, “this is who I am.” Each component adds to the whole. The outfit is expressive of the person wearing it, while showing great consideration for those who have to look at the damn thing. And inside all that woven thread is a person with confidence.

My faith in modern fine dining needed some restoring after the disappointment at the nameless restaurant. I became hopeful upon reading of a former Noma cook who had recently joined forces with the ex-sommelier of the two-Michelin-starred Jules Vernes (that’s the one in the Eiffel tower) to open a restaurant on the Île St Louis in the heart of Paris. They called it Cypsèle, meaning dandelion seed, perhaps a reference to Chef Marcin Król, who, throughout his career, has drifted wherever the winds of culinary inspiration have blown him, before finally growing roots in Paris.

I nearly hacked up a lung when we arrived at the start of dinner service for our reservation. Quentin, the co-owner and sommelier, sat us right next to the open kitchen whose ventilation system was clearly malfunctioning. That’s not exactly what you want to happen when you cook over a wood fire, but Quentin and Chef Marcin seemed very relaxed about the situation, and not at all worried about our comfort or ability to breathe.

These were clearly experienced restaurateurs. They knew we could feel their calm confidence. And so for no other reason than blind trust, we assumed the situation would resolve itself, and sure enough, it did. The smoke cleared just as Quentin poured us two coupes of champagne, and the masterclass commenced.

Pear wedge, pistachio condiment, kintoa pork

Tartelette, brocciu, amandes

The sandy pastry dissolved in our mouths. We start to see Mr. Król’s affinity for citrus, which nicely accents the sheep’s milk cheese.

Fried potato nest, octopus, chervil

Simply delicious and deliciously simple. Good octopus, fragrant olive oil, and a whole bunch of chervil. It’s here that it begins to dawn on us that “this is gonna be really good.”

Diced squid, rose, and last year’s preserved tomatoes

A surprising dish and a highlight of the meal. The rose added elegance while the tomato provided structure. “Oh wow, okay. This is gonna be really good.”

Homemade sourdough with red Camargue rice, Le Beurre de Madame

Dentex carpaccio, kiwi, tarragon, oyster leaf

This was perhaps the most whimsical dish of the meal, with delicious interplay between the tarragon and the kiwi, while the oyster leaf blew our heads clean off.

Quenelle de St Jacques, langoustine nantua sauce, horseradish oil

A lyonnais would recognize this classic until they took a bite. Scallop replaces pike in the quenelle, and langoustine replaces crayfish in the sauce. Horseradish oil adds an interesting top note.

Smoked trout, Bayonne ham broth, charred brussel sprout

The chef made good use of his wood-fired barbecue by hanging the trout overhead to smoke it in-house.

Grilled Monkfish, charred fennel, caramelized fennel purée, chamomile butter sauce

Luxurious, buttery, nutty, refined.

Kriaxera canette (female duck) aged one week, duck prosciutto, radicchio, duck skin lardons, chive, date vinaigrette, mystery zest

Bleu d’Auvergne, caramelized endive, wood-fired crackers with Rangpur lime

A sacred trinity (citrus, endive, blue cheese) creatively executed. Rangpur lime was a revelation.

2 Pears sorbet, rose marinated cedrat, sparkling sake

Paris Brest, hazelnut diplomat cream, confit of quince, cardamom leaf ice cream

Chapeau to pastry chef Marissa Kimi, a fellow Rhode Islander! The cardamom leaf ice cream was another revelation, with warm and floral flavors.

You can watch my video review on Instagram or YouTube.

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See you next week,

Max