We went to a much lauded restaurant, Christophe, which had been written about in multiple guides to much praise.
We went with the two course set menu in which I had:
Accras de Peche, which turned out to be three fried balls made out of fish paste, the fish being sea bass and one other which I forget.This was served with kind of chutney of olive leaves and a balsamic vinegar reduction. Both of us felt that the balls themselves were quite plain and would have been tasteless and mushy if not for the chutney. To their credit though, they were not greasy or over fried.
As for my main, I had the Cervelle de Veau. I hesitated for a tiny second, unsure what it was but suspecting they were brains.And they were, served on a bed of risotto.
As soon as I was certain, I enthusiastically ordered it. Obscure, never before tried food is something I love trying (bar insects... I cannot abide them).
However, when it came out, I fully admit I was a bit taken aback. After all, they look....just like brains. I am not sure what I expected but I guess I didn't expect a slab o'brain.It was pan fried perfectly, with a nice, slightly burnt crunchy crust giving way to the creamy insides, whose texture reminded me more of "ju huet", coagulated pig's blood, and tofu.
It was interesting, if not exactly too tasty.
The risotto served with the brains was interesting in that it mimicked the color and perceived texture of brains with its knobbly-ness and white opaque color. Overall, I'm glad I tried it but it was not tasty enough to bear a repeat.
Unfortunately both Umami and I were quite let down by our meal. It's price was right but it's tastiness definitely did not merit a repeat interest.
The boy, however, was completely horrified by my meal. I was somewhat surprised, given his general enthusiasm and willingness to try new foods. It turns out that he's disturbed by the thought of eating brains because "that's what zombies eat". Riiiiiiiiiiiight. The boy has an odd fascination/fear relationship with Zombies, which explains his utter joy when I presented him with his Valentine's present.
Christophe
8 Rue Descartes
75005
Tel: 01 43 26 72 49
Metro: Maubert - Mutualite
1 comment:
Jess, The Boy is so funny. But don't give up on brains - they can be delicious. Weird, I've never seen them presented that way - they look so ... brain-like. The way I've eaten them (including cooking them myself) is thinly sliced, floured then pan-fried and served with beurre noisette and capers. yum-O!! (that's my Rachael Ray imitation; don't worry, I won't do it often.)
susan
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