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Great Tastes, Different Vision
PARIS – As cooks, I am convinced that most of
us look at the ingredients before us with a single dimension.
My asparagus are always blanched and cooked whole (rarely
steamed or roasted). My baby leg of lamb is often roasted
whole, on the bone, with need of nothing more than a
streamlined seasoning of salt and pepper.
Apricots are halved and pitted for a tart, always cooked
with their sunshine face up; and my classic vinaigrette
varies little, just red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar,
olive oil and salt.
Habit? A rut? Lack of imagination? Perhaps a bit of
all three. In defense of all of us, part of the pleasure
of cooking a dish, and revisiting it again, is the simple
memory, the pleasant familiarity, of how the food looked
and tasted and pleased us the last time. There is also
a touch of anticipation involved and, for sure, a dose
of security.
But it is clear that chef Pascal Barbot of the Michelin-starred
Astrance has a totally other vision. What we mortals
see in black and white, he sees in Technicolor. While
we look at things straight on, he seems to stand on
his head, hang from a bar, cock his head to permit a
whole new take on ingredients.
I was amazed by his food when I first visited the newborn
restaurant in the winter of 2000. A recent revisit only
suggests that this talented, modest chef has grown and
grown and grown.
Like many contemporary chefs he focuses on the ingredient
first, the process second. But its in his combination
of ingredients as well as his pristine, even exciting
presentations that he distinguishes himself from the
rest of the pack. And no one has thought through the
very idea of how an ingredient is cut and presented
the way Barbot has.
Along with partner Christophe Rohat, this young chef
is one to follow, for sure.
A recent lunch included samples of a good portion of
the summer’s menu, and ran the full range of seasonal
fare. Crab and avocado, zucchini and baby turnips, fava
beans and langoustine, tomatoes and arugula, tuna, barbue,
pigeon and veal. As good as ever is his signature crab
and avocado “ravioli,” really thin slices
of avocado masquerading as pasta, layered over a brilliantly
season salad of crab enhanced with lime zest, chives,
fleur de sel, and the most delicious, sweet and fragrant
almond oil.
But the single dish that sent me into rave mode was
his astonishing combination of turnips, begonia flowers,
fava beans and marjoram. Big deal, you say? The dish
has to be seen and sampled to be believed. The combination
arrived in a pure white soup bowl, an artistically perfect
color blend of red, white and green. So pretty I waited
a full minute to indulge, appreciating the aesthetics
of the moment.
The baby turnips had been blanched and sautéed,
the same for the brilliant green fava beans. The bright
intense flavor of the begonia petals, touched with a
bit of black pepper seemed to say that summer was on
its way.
Color played a role again in the daily special barbue
– the turbot-like brill – standing tall and
on end, its alabaster skin offset with bright spring
green lemon verbena oil, and a raw, sweet onion salad
paired with fresh lemon verbena.
But it’s not just color and show here. Somehow
the newness of all the combinations force us to think
about what we are eating, and contemplate the incredible
variety of ingredients, colors, flavors, textures that
nature has given us.
Rohat’s ability to surprise never stops, as zucchini
skins are sliced paper thin and layered like a millefeuille
with shavings of cool and salty feta cheese, thin slices
of white button mushrooms, all set on an ultra-thin
layer of crunchy, sweet pastry.
Langoustines are so gently sautéed, served with
a juice made from tomato skins, offset by a singular
green puree of arugula.
The cool and soothing grey dining room, the starched
linens, the gilt-framed mirrors add a restive backdrop
to all this modern excitement. Rohat’s choice of
wine – a deep red Pic St Loup, Château de
Cazeneuve, with overtones of dark red fruit and a touch
of gingerbread --- was a totally fitting match. Reservations
at Astrance are hard to come by, so plan ahead for your
next exciting meal.
Astrance
4 rue Beethoven
Paris 75016
tel: 01 40 50 84 40
Fax: 01 40 50 11 45
Closed August 1 to 21, February school vacation,
all day Monday and Tuesday at lunch. All major credit
cards. 30-euro lunch menu. A la carte, 55 to 75 euros,
including service but not wine.
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