Escaping the cold at L'Ourcine
Warm inside L'Ourcine while the snow
falls fiercely
The day before New Year's Eve called for some serious eating. My friend Alisa and I decided to try L'Ourcine, a small french bistro which has been recommended by both Clotilde in her article in Budget Travel Magazine and Pim in her Cheap Eats Guide to Paris.
The day that I made the reservation the weather in Paris could not have been better. But when I stepped out of my apartment on December 30th to make my way to meet Alisa for our lunch, I was instantly pummeled with wind and snow.
And that made me very grumpy.
So there's me. A Canadian girl, who has spent her life trudging through snow, and cursing its ability to slow me down, trip me up, and give me endless number of bad hair days.
And then there's Alisa, the girl from L.A who has only seen the occassional snowfall since moving to Paris 3 years ago, and all she could say as our heads were bowed low and our hair was already caked with ice was:
"I love this! It's so pretty!"
Alisa, I love you, but did you notice how we looked by the time we arrived at L'Ourcine? Our pants were soaked, our fingers were numb, and our hair was a ratty, wet mess. There was nothing pretty about it. And by the time we left, who was complaining about her cold toes? It certainly wasn't me.
Thankfully the rest of Paris was smart enough not to venture out in that weather, and we found ourselves in a very empty restaurant.
The restaurant was cozy and the service was friendly and we ate fantastically well. By the time we left, I wasn't nearly as grumpy about the weather as I had been at first.
Topinambour mousse and
Bouillon de Poisson Roche avec crème (Cream of Rock Fish Soup)
If you care to read about the food
A 29€ fixed price lunch menu bought us a starter, an entrée and a dessert. We were given a complimentary "amuse-bouche" of Topinambour mousse upon our arrival. And my bouche was highly amused.
Topinambour, otherwise known as Jerusalem artichoke, is a vegetable that is new to me. And I now consider it the best thing since sliced bread. Sliced bread is highly overrated anyway. The crispy croutons on top were a delicious contrast. You can read Clotilde's description and see a picture of Topinambour here.
The fish soup that I ordered was without doubt the best soup that I have had to date.
"Oh my god." is what I said when I first tasted it. So I let Alisa try it.
"Oh my god." is what she said back.
After that, the rest was good, but there were no exclamations of joy this time.
My main of scallops with sauteed endives was very nice, if perhaps a little too buttery.
My dessert of a red-wine poached pear had a wonderful flavour but was served cold. And with the wind and snow blowing outside, I would have much preferred it warm. I think the flavours of the spices and the wine would have worked better had it been warmed.
I would definitely go back to L'Ourcine. It's a great little place with a good value and if you find those things on the menu that are the chef's speciality well, then: oh my god.
L'Ourcine
92 rue Broca
75013, Paris
01 47 07 13 65
Tags
Paris Bistro
Paris Restaurants
Topinambour Mousse
Labels: Paris, Paris restaurants
posted by Michèle at 7:40 AM
20 Comments:
I loved the post. Your description of Canadian vs. California view of snow in Paris certainly made me smile (being in Toronto and suffering the bleak and grey and bone-chilling dampness). And that soup....oh...my...g-d I wish I had some right now.
Thanks for sharing
Great post. Funny!
I was in Paris that same day and yes it was cold, snowy, ugly and wet. Funny as I was grumpy too. We had lunch at Cuisine de bar on rue du Cherche Midi.
Next time I will check this place. The soup sounds delicious!!
Bea
Hmmm....two fine gals, soaking wet, sharing a bowl of soup?
Sounds like les mauvaise filles to me...oh-la-la!
That soup actually LOOKS "Oh My God!" I can't imagine how great it must have tasted. Any idea on how to make such a delight? If you do, please share;)
......realizing that I say pretty, often. is it me or this city...... :)
david, david, david......
on cold day like today, that soup looks...omg!
So the snow finally hit? Poor Michelle ;)
At least you discovered a good place to go and eat!
*Huge Hug*
I see that you met my sworn enemy, jerusalem artichoke. And you found him charming?! I am surely missing something.
Hi Ruth, it has been interesting to see the differences of opinion in weather here: how people enjoy the snow (or not) and what they consider to be a cold day. I feel like a snow pro for the most part ;)
Hi Bea, the soup was great! I raved about it so much that same night another friend of mine went for dinner intending to try the soup but unfortunately they were completely out of it!
Hi David, you cheeky monkey you.
Hi Tokyoastrogirl, unfortunately I dont really know how they made the soup. Alisa and I came to the conclusion that there was a definite taste of browned butter, but we were perplexed how they got that flavour in there without the soup looking greasy/buttery. Either way, the browned butter flavour was fantastic and added a nutty contrast to the mellow fish flavour.
Hi Alisa, im pretty sure that it could pretty well be both.
Hi K & S - I agree. sometimes I still look at the picture and daydream about it!
Hi Clare, well the snow fell, but it was gone by the next day Im happy to report. And since then I think we've only had one more snowfall, again lasting a single day. So Im happy ;)
Hi Amylou, I sure did find him charming, so yes you are missing something! But I heard rumour that in the US a different vegetable was also known as jerusalem artichoke so there is some deeper investigation to be done. Did you see the pic on the link to Clotilde's site for the topinambour? Tell me if it looks the same as the jerusalem artichokes you are referring to. That is if you can stand to look at them for even a second! ;)
Hiya,
Cute mental image of you trudging through the snow. All you need is to find a good illustrator to go along with your already great pictures ;-)
Have you tried L'Avant Gout in the 13eme yet? I know it's a hike (no one I know likes venturing down there), but the food is worth it. Chef is ex-Guy Savoy. It's a great, cosy gastrobistro with very reasonable prices. Do reserve though (tel: 53-80-24-00). My last trip to Paris I had to literally beg to get in.
Cheers!
Oh dear, it seems we made a mistake by canceling our lunch reservation that day. Everything looks sooooo good! And if you ask me, the nicest time to sit in a cozy bistro is when the snow is whirling outside. Next time I come L'Ourcine is definitely on the uncancelable list, and in the meantime, do us all a favor and work out a rendition of that soup! (By the way, was it as good as the fish soup at L'Entredgeu??)
Oh yes, Michele, that's them--at least I think it is. I've never had a jerusalem artichoke in the US so I'm not sure what they look like there. In Sweden, they look similar to the ones Clotilde discusses except that they are brown instead of pink.
Hi CH, I have been to L'Avant Gout actually, but haven't actually tried it. It was one of the first places i went to but unfortunately by the time the first course arrived I was feeling so ill I had to leave my guests to dine without me. What terrible timing. But I will definitely go back there in full health one day soon so I can fully appreciate it.
Hi Melissa, it was BETTER than the soup at L'Entredgeu--and that is some fantastic soup too! No kidding, it was that good.
Hi Amy, hmm, very interesting! Its funny because I really love the flavour of it. Maybe its the pink ones that are so darned good though. Im sure you wouldn't possibly make the pink ones your sworn enemy too, would you? ;)
Hello again from the tropics of Canada. A little bit of the white stuff is actually being craved by a lot of us over this side of Canada. Trust me to live in the only bluddy place in Canada that rarely sees snow. Not that the elders say it was always so. One of my colleagues who grew up on this island said that it used to get so cold here that the OCEAN used to freeze up several feet out past the beach! Yes... you read right -- the OCEAN! As in SALT water! And snow could get waist high. Now we are bombarded by endless grey days of rain. I'll take the snow AAAAAAAAAAAANY day.
Still any cold miserable day deserves a good restaurant as the one that you seem to have found. I think I should put it down on a list when I am in Paris next. Maybe this summer!
I can relate your feelings while you trudged through that snow to the restaurant. However, looking at the photos and reading the descriptions, it looks like it was worth it. ;)
Paz
Michele,
Those were some fantastic photos you took of the place. Thanks for reminding me of this place, I haven't been back in a while. How about a lunch next time I'm in town?
Alisa is little miss glass-half-full isn't she? And we love her for it.
xx
Pim
Hi Paz, it was definitely worth it, but while I was wet and cold I had my doubts :)
Hi Pim, well Im happy to have reminded you of it since it was your recommendation that put it on my list to try. And definitely pencil me in for lunch when you are back!
Some of our most memorable meals have been those for which we braved the elements or the odd hour, and were rewarded not only with the place to ourselves but wonderful food, all the more appreciated for our efforts to get there! Congratulations --
Michèle,
My wife and I were in Paris this past May, and we spent our final night enjoy an unbelievably good meal at L'Ourcine.
The service was wonderful and the food -- stuffed pig's ear served carpaccio style, the most incredible roasted asparagus I've ever tasted, mashed potatos with chorizo, and, for dessert, a gianduja chocolate pot de creme -- beyond compare.
Thanks for bringing back some wonderful memories.
Rob
Jeanne, its definitely true, the struggle made it all that much better!
Rob, Im glad to hear that you enjoyed L'Ourcine too, its a cozy little place. Your meal sounds fantastic, makes me want to get myself over there again very soon!
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