Like my FACEBOOK PAGE or follow me on TWITTER / 微博!
Pierre Sang Boyer
Add: 55 rue Oberkampf, 75011 Paris
Tel: N/A
Hours: 12~2:30pm, 7~10:30pm (open daily)
Website: pierresangboyer.com
Price: [lunch] €20~25 [dinner] €35, wine pairing +€30
Visited on: Jan 2013
I don’t follow food TV, but apparently Pierre Sang Boyer was one of the contestants in Top Chef France 2011 who really impressed. His recently opened restaurant on rue Oberkampf has piqued the interest of curious foodies with its “freestyle” haute cuisine at affordable prices. And by “freestyle”, I mean that the menu can change mid-service depending on how much market-fresh ingredients they’ve got in stock. The dishes are thus predictably unpredictable, and the only thing one can anticipate from the Korean French chef is an evident Asian touch in the cooking. No reservations, so come right when the place opens, or 90 minutes after for the second seating. I’d go for the kitchen-facing bar seats where one can see the chefs in action, but small tables are also available on the side.
For dinner, Pierre Sang offers a 6-course no-choice dinner for €35, and wine pairing adds another €30. Lunch is lighter, with a 2-course option (€20) and a 3-course option (€30).
1st course: fresh sea bream with rice, quinoa, beetroot shavings, and a puddle of olive oil dotted with soy sauce. It was kind of like eating a deconstructed sushi without the seaweed…very light and refreshing.
2nd course: 69°C egg with mushroom purée and Jerusalem artichoke. Slow-cooked egg in itself was not very out of the ordinary, but the mushroom purée had a peculiar acidity that was quite memorable.
3rd course: I couldn’t hear what the bar manager was saying…and I will call this ground beef tempura with chives. No, that’s probably not correct. The texture was exceedingly soft, perhaps because the meat has been mixed with some type of liver?
4th course: duck with gochujan and miso carrot ginger foam. The meat, perfectly rosy and perfectly tender, paired very well with the smear of gochujang – a Korean condiment made from red chili, glutinous rice, fermented soybeans, and salt.
5th course: cheese, dotted with caraway.
6th course: chocolate cake with strawberry sauce and Midori, a Japanese melon-flavored liqueur. The chocolate cake at Pierre Sang is paired with different condiments depending on the day, and it’s unfortunate that I happen to not like Midori…otherwise, the sticky, almost fondant-like cake was divine.
Pierre Sang’s freestyle cooking creates some very interesting – if not all delicious – dishes, and would be a much welcomed change for those who are fatigued by traditional French cuisine. If you have an adventurous palate and are up for a meal laden with surprises, come give this a try.
