Every summer has its dominant flavors…. 2016 won’t escape the rule. Here’s our quick review of a few delicate dishes to taste with haste while appeasing your appetite for novelty.
1. Poke: the famous Hawaiian dish made with raw fish is making a splash in France. Most notably at Nest, Rice & Fish, Ono Poke, Aloha Café and the Shangri-La in Paris or at the Saline Ceviche Bar in Biarritz.
2. In-house fermentation: true kimchi addicts (the Korean side dish made with chilies and fermented vegetables), the most creative chefs in France are indulging in the pleasure of fermenting stuff in jars. Vegetables, fruits, anything goes. Specialists of the genre include Taku Sekine from Dersou, Mattias Castro from Hero, Daniel Morgan from Salt, Kim Kwang-Loc from Mandoobar and Pierre Sang from Pierre Sang in Oberkampf and on Gambey in Paris or Arnaud Laverdin, Noé Saillard and Ryan Dolan from La Bijouterie in Lyon, Gil Elad and Arnaud Lahaut from Mampuku in Bordeaux and Florent Ladeyn from Bloempot in Lille. To learn more, you can also buy L’Art de la fermentation by Luna Kyung and Camille Oger, published by Éditions La Plage.
3. Whole artichokes: provided that they’re served whole, with a family vinaigrette, just like at home…. Or like at home once upon a time? Available on the menu of Le Dauphin, L’Avant-comptoir, Miznon, Gravity Bar in Paris or Le Grand Couvert in Iguerande.
4. The power bowl: all-in-one bowls, hearty and balanced enough to replace a full meal. Like the porridge from BOL Porridge, the açaï bowls from Bob’s Juice Bar in Paris and Bali Bowls in Biarritz (photo), the super-bowls at Wild & The Moon in Paris or the dragon bowls at Petite Nature in Rennes.
Jim Bowie
Photo © Bali Bowls