Fulgurances - Oink

Co. and I have been busily trying out new restaurants and I've been preoccupied with other pursuits, meaning I'm way behind posting on PRAB.  The end of a year is a fine time for rectification, so here goes.  In order, since my last post (Biondi), we hit Fulgurances, Tondo, La Vague, and Mamagoto, all fairly new and highly praised additions to the Paris restaurant scene.  And my reaction in toto is, basically, meh.

Up first, Fulgurances, around since Oct. 2015, and one of those venues that has rotating chefs.  Noted Anglo restaurant critics were effusive in their praise:

"A bold, brave concept:"  - Patricia Wells

          "Wow, what innovative cooking." - John Talbott


If you say so.  After reading about the wonderful culinary concoctions cooked up by resident chef Tamir Nahmias I finally snagged a reservation - one week after Monsieur Nahmais had finished up his stint and handed over his apron to Irish chef Rose Greene.  So much for that idea.  Without any feedback about the Madame Greene experience, Co. and I gave it a shot.  And the result was a big disappointment.

The restaurant itself is fairly modern, with open kitchen and tables too close for comfort.  The staff was amiable enough, but the carte in the early stage of chef Greene's residency was heavy on vegetables and light on everything else except for the main dish, pig.  I don't eat pig, but that doesn't make me a vegetarian, yet that's how I was treated throughout the festivities.  No substantial replacement dish, just vegetables.  Let me tell you, I had enough cauliflower in all its facons to last me through 2017.  It really would have been nice to have seen some sort of poultry, fish, or seafood in the room, but alas, that was not the case.  Oink, oink.

the chef

the kitchen

Bouillon - basically, miso soup (for me, minus the morceaux of pig

Onions and shallots

Cauliflower

Oink - Co. liked it

Back in the garden for me, the pigless

Dessert -yogurt  sorbet and shortbread, no great shakes

There certainly seemed to be something serious going on in the kitchen and as you can perhaps judge from the photos, these were not dishes prepared by an amateur.  It's just that if I'm going to be shelling out 150 euros for dinner, I'd like to have something more substantial than cauliflower.  When I discussed this briefly with one of the servers, she mentioned how they 'would have to talk to the chef' about a more meaningful alternative to the main dish.  Whatever became of that promise, I have no idea, and Mme Greene is now finished her Fulgurances stint, so it's moot anyway.

It's certainly not fair to pan a restaurant that could end up being spectacular next month when a new chef and carte come onto the scene.  I doubt I'll be back, but that shouldn't stop you from giving it a shot.  Good luck.


FULGURANCES
10 rue Alexandre Dumas   |   Paris   |   +33 9 81 09 33 32   |Wednesday through Saturday |
website:  http://fulgurances.com/en/