Share my adventures with food, drink, and travel...
Sunday, November 7, 2010
Paris - Day Three
Oct 6, Wednesday - Nomiya@Art Home
The metro from Montparnasse to Trocadero was packed when it arrived at noon, but we were running late for our lunch reservations so we got on anyway, we didn't have a choice, passengers behind us, pushed us on. Talk about "packed like sardines", "stufffed to the gills", it felt like a group hug with strangers and although I am not claustrophobic, I believe in the art of personal space. I knew that we had gone over the maximum weight limit, so I was not surprised when the doors wouldn't, no couldn't close. As if on cue, the crowd did a collective inhale and somehow the doors banged shut. The relief was short lived, in the next moment, the engine shut off, the lights went out and we stood silently still for 15-20 seconds, as uncomfortable as the closeness of a stranger's breath, it pales in comparison to the fear of being trapped in a dark train. Miraculously, the engine started, lights came on and off we went. After several stops along the Metro's underground labyrinth, the crowd thinned out and we traveled above ground. We got a glimpse of the Eiffel tower and the surrounding neighborhoods. Once at Iena, we ran to the Palais de Toyko.
I was looking forward to lunch at Nomiya @Art Home for weeks. Nomiya is a temporary restaurant constructed by artist Laurent Grasso and erected on the the roof of a contemporary art museum. The exhibit combines structure and food as art. The seasonal menu changes daily over the course of the year, comprising of ingredients from the local open air food market. I learned about this exhibit from my friend Deanne, when she was contemplating it for her Paris trip and wanted my opinion. We watched various videos of artist Laurent Grasso's constructing and installing his glass room on the roof of a museum directly across the river from the Eiffel tower. We sensed that this was something special, so Deanne and her husband booked their lunch and after hearing rave reviews upon their return, I booked our lunch tickets on- line through their website. They offer lunch or dinner bookings which they release one day at a time, one calendar month in advance at 10:00 am (Paris time). Tickets go fast and for some reason you can only get tickets in pairs, Art Home.
When you enter Palais de Tokyo, the Nomiya reception area is on your left as you pass the gift/book shop. A hostess took our group on a tiny elevator (another cozy situation) to the roof. Stepping out on the roof garden you make your way to Nomiya by following a path lined with planters containing tomatoes, zucchini, green beans, and dwarf fruit trees to a short flight of stairs until you are eye to eye with the Eiffel Tower and Grasso's master piece, Nomiya. I read somewhere it was fashioned after Japanese bars.
You enter at one end of the glass room, there's a restroom to one side (luckily, this part is not clear glass), a bench seat on the other. The kitchen runs down the center with a prep table and walkways on either side until you reach the dinning area, all in all, it takes about 20 steps from one end to the other. As we made our way to the dinning area, I noticed and admired all the kitchen appliances by Electrolux, I happen to be one of those who appreciate kitchen appliances like art pieces, but the great view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower pulled me forward to the dinning area. There are twelve seats, so I was one of twelve lucky diners that day to have an experience that I will not soon forget. With the exception of Kellie and myself, all of the diners were French. We were greeted with a flute of champagne by a tall thin French waiter, he also spoke English and asked if anyone had dietary restrictions. I didn't think the French cared if you had dietary restrictions, how nice of him to ask, fortunately for the chef, everyone in our group were thumbs up for anything. While others were milling around the small dining area sipping their glass of bubbly and admiring the view. Deanne's husband, Jeff had told us to grab the seats with the view of the Eiffel Tower, so we nonchalantly laid our purses down on a couple of seats, at the far end of the table on the left side. We admired the Eiffel Tower throughout our multi-course lunch (thanks for the tip, Jeff).
We started with beef carpaccio prepared gravlax style (I think that's what how the waiter described it). A perfect piece of raw beef tenderloin, brushed with olive oil with a sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt and black pepper. The texture is chewy but not tough, the salt added a little crunch and it had a cured tasted. It was served with a crisp white wine. The second course, scallops cerviche and wasabi jello dusted with lobster powder served with cepe mushroom drizzled with lobster oil. The scallops were fresh and dense with a briny flavor from the lobster powder, and the wasabi jello had a silky texture with a kick as it slid down your throat. I wished they would have crisped the mushrooms because the texture of the scallops, jello and mushrooms were one note.
The phantom third dish. A trio, foie gras confit, white eggplant and green fig preserve. It was delicious, fatty, flavorful, and fruity. I devoured it before I could even get a picture.
The fourth course was a large smoked pheasant breast with spinach, topped with spaghetti squash and parmesan foam, surrounded by yellow squash and romanesco broccoli (roman cauliflower or broccoflower interesting fact about this vegetable, it is a "fractal" - google it). Sometimes smoke overpowers everything, but the squashes did their part in adding texture and flavor. In addition to the notable vegetables, a Mas Foulaquier's Le Rollier made up of Grenache (60%) and Syrah (40%) complemented this course wonderfully. The winery produces organic/biodynamic wines south of Paris, near Provence.
The dessert course was a poached apple with caramel rolled in hazelnuts topped with sorbet. We took our time over this one. We barely made it to the core and who could blame us, after 4 courses, all I want is a bite.
After the meal, we had a chance to meet the chef. The chef was young and engaging, he thought his stint at the "restaurant in the sky" was going to be extended in Paris for another year. He had worked under Gordon Ramsey in London prior to being "installed" at Art Home. Our waiter, had a great sense of humor and I have to credit him for trying his best to describe all the dishes in English. Throughout our meal we chatted with a French couple, Jelko and Collette, sitting directly in front of us with their backs to the Eiffel Tower (obviously they didn't have a Jeff). To say it was an amazing meal, would not do it justice, the view alone will make this one of the most memorable meals in my book.
You enter at one end of the glass room, there's a restroom to one side (luckily, this part is not clear glass), a bench seat on the other. The kitchen runs down the center with a prep table and walkways on either side until you reach the dinning area, all in all, it takes about 20 steps from one end to the other. As we made our way to the dinning area, I noticed and admired all the kitchen appliances by Electrolux, I happen to be one of those who appreciate kitchen appliances like art pieces, but the great view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower pulled me forward to the dinning area. There are twelve seats, so I was one of twelve lucky diners that day to have an experience that I will not soon forget. With the exception of Kellie and myself, all of the diners were French. We were greeted with a flute of champagne by a tall thin French waiter, he also spoke English and asked if anyone had dietary restrictions. I didn't think the French cared if you had dietary restrictions, how nice of him to ask, fortunately for the chef, everyone in our group were thumbs up for anything. While others were milling around the small dining area sipping their glass of bubbly and admiring the view. Deanne's husband, Jeff had told us to grab the seats with the view of the Eiffel Tower, so we nonchalantly laid our purses down on a couple of seats, at the far end of the table on the left side. We admired the Eiffel Tower throughout our multi-course lunch (thanks for the tip, Jeff).
We started with beef carpaccio prepared gravlax style (I think that's what how the waiter described it). A perfect piece of raw beef tenderloin, brushed with olive oil with a sprinkling of pink Himalayan salt and black pepper. The texture is chewy but not tough, the salt added a little crunch and it had a cured tasted. It was served with a crisp white wine. The second course, scallops cerviche and wasabi jello dusted with lobster powder served with cepe mushroom drizzled with lobster oil. The scallops were fresh and dense with a briny flavor from the lobster powder, and the wasabi jello had a silky texture with a kick as it slid down your throat. I wished they would have crisped the mushrooms because the texture of the scallops, jello and mushrooms were one note. 
The fourth course was a large smoked pheasant breast with spinach, topped with spaghetti squash and parmesan foam, surrounded by yellow squash and romanesco broccoli (roman cauliflower or broccoflower interesting fact about this vegetable, it is a "fractal" - google it). Sometimes smoke overpowers everything, but the squashes did their part in adding texture and flavor. In addition to the notable vegetables, a Mas Foulaquier's Le Rollier made up of Grenache (60%) and Syrah (40%) complemented this course wonderfully. The winery produces organic/biodynamic wines south of Paris, near Provence. 
1 comment:
What an amazing and memorable meal! It's going on my "must do in Paris" list! :-)
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