Aux Plumes - Intriguing Discovery

I've long been intrigued by the tiny little storefront restaurant that I passed numerous times on rue Boulard in the 14th.  This is for a couple of reasons: I was always hungry at the time, that time essentially being lunchtime, and the place looked so nondescript from the outside that I figured that something interesting must be going on inside.  A nameless facade often belies a magical cuisine, and that is what Co. and I discovered during our dinner at Aux Plumes last Friday evening.

Good vibes from the outset - a warm greeting by the hostess and a nice discussion about Spanish wines with the server/sommelier.  The 22 seats were filled pretty quickly, by which time we had already commenced the dégustation of six courses - 3 éntrees + 1 poisson + 1 viande +1 dessert.  Throw in an interesting amuse bouche (rillettes
d'espadon on thinly sliced, buttered pieces of baguette) and you have an incredible deal at 50€ a pop.  I chose one of those Spanish wines that are rarely seen on a French carte, an Aleceno Twelve from the Murcia region (32€), and as promised, it was puissant, corsé, and really, really good.

Aux Plumes is another one of those Paris neo-bistros helmed by an Asian  - in this case, Japanese - chef.  Here you will find behind the counter in the spatially impaired open kitchen in the rear of the restaurant Kazuhiro Fujieda, who previously worked at L'Arpege and Chamarré Montmartre and who not surprisingly infuses his dishes with Asian textures.  Aux Plumes is conveniently located next door to the Desnoyer butcher shop, where Monsieur Kazuhiro gets his meats.  The room itself is minimalist Asian, with bare white walls, wooden tables, and brown leather banquettes.  

Chef Fujieda (Source: http://sortir.telerama.fr/paris/lieux/restos/aux-plumes,30490.php)

The menu changes regularly according to the season and what is fresh in the market that day, but here's a rundown of our meal.

Entree 1 : This was a tantalizing French onion soup, comprised of a portion of red onion and a healthy slab of foie gras.  Aux Plumes had me at the soup. 

 

Entree 2:  Carpaccio de thon, flowers, red caramelized onion, and cranberry powder - wow.

Entree 3:  Calamar with petit pois, and don't quote me on this, but I think I think that's a cushion of white asparagus cream.

Poisson :  Panga with wild asparagus and chorizo - as good as it looks.

Meat :  Coquelet a la vanille with caramelized Roscoff onions an thin mushroom slices on a bed of green asparagus (this being the season of the asparagus and all)

Dessert:  Mousse de chocolat blanc, mostarda de céleri  rouge et granité de Yuzu.  Need I say more?

If your appetite is smaller, there is a 38€ dinner menu option, and the possibility of an 18€ lunch, which I fully intend to take advantage of the next time I pass 45 rue Boulard around lunchtime.  That lunch has to be one of the best deals in Paris.  Aux Plumes recently received a shout-out from Telerama Sortir, so it should now be tougher to snag a table.  That means you should be sure to reserve a week in advance.  I noticed several people pass the restaurant during our visit who appeared equally intrigued to discover, but once the two small outdoor tables were filled, they were turned away.  Better luck next time. 

Total price for a really terrific dinner: 134.50 (one espresso included)


AUX PLUMES
45 rue Boulard
75014 Paris
tel. 01 53 90 76 22
web:  https://www.facebook.com/Restaurant-aux-Plumes

Tues. - Sat. 12h-14h15 et 19h30-22h30


Springtime in Paris, as seen through the window of Aux Plumes.