Sola - another little gem in Paris

In our last week before leaving Paris for 5 months, we discovered a sensational restaurant in the 5th with a very talented young Japanese chef – Hiroki Yoshitake. Just remembering this meal makes my mouth water.

Sola is hidden on a little street in the  5^th  (12, rue de l'Hotel Colbert) and has a very ordinary exterior. When you walk in however, nothing from that moment on is ordinary. You feel like you have entered a wine cave which has been lovingly cared for and the young Japanese staff greet you warmly and respectfully. The tables and tableware are simple yet quite beautiful and complement the stonework nicely.

There are two menu choices at lunch, 35 and 50 euros, and at dinner, 45 and 60 euros. With the less expensive menu you choose between fish or meat for the main course. At the higher level, you get both but everything else is the same. Four of us chose the 35 euros lunch menu which was truly splendid. We ordered a 2009 Saint-Aubin dom Pierre Yves Colin-Morey which was a rich sophisticated white that was so good we did not switch to a red later on in the meal.

Our lunch began with a veloute de fenouil, a creamy fennel soup with hints of grapefruit and a few drops of olive oil infused with lemon. We continued with a tartare of salmon with burrata cheese, drizzled with a beet cream and sprinkled with feuilles de shiso, tiny tasty Japanese greens which were a theme throughout our lunch.

The third dish was one of the best things I have ever eaten and like every dish, beautifully presented. It was described as an omelette with foie gras but was so much more! A generous piece of foie gras had been seared in a pan with a little honey. It was served on top of several spears of white asparagus and topped with a poached egg with shavings of parmesan and pousse de miel, another delicious baby green. I savoured every bite and could have had seconds!

Two of us continued with fish, which was merlan, served with delicious potatoes from Noirmoutier, and radishes, on a bed of garlic with an emulsion of mussels and other shellfish. The fish was perfectly cooked and all of the flavors worked very well together.

The beef was rare and tender and was served with radish, mushrooms and a sorrel/wasabi sauce also delicious and original.

Dessert was a lovely mélange of meringue, a dark chocolate cream, and homemade vanilla ice cream, a perfect end to a heavenly meal.

I am sending all of my friends to Sola as I truly loved their food. When we return to Paris in October, I will be back there in a flash and hope to organize some cooking classes with the chef who is interested.

The recipe for this week is something very simple which I cooked last night for a couple of close friends.

Magret de Canard with a Port Wine sauce

For 4-6 people

2 large magret de canard, trimmed

1/2 liter of veal stock ( you can use powdered but only Maggi fond de veau)
1 to 2 cups of port
 
To make the sauce, simmer the veal stock and the port until reduced to a thick delicious sauce - 30 minutes approximately.

Then in a very hot saucepan, cook the duck breasts, skin side down, for 5 minutes over high heat. Reduce the heat, drain some of the fat, and turn the duck over and cook for another 3-5 minutes for rare. Serve with the sauce. Enjoy!

Next week I will be blogging from our little village of Fanghetto in Italy but only 45 minutes from Nice.