Behind the velvet curtains, the brasserie is as gigantic as the menu is long and intimidating. In this new place, open at the beginning of November not far from the banks of the Marne, Jacky Ribault, chef with one Michelin star – already at the head of Qui plume la Lune, in Paris, and L’Ours, in Vincennes – promises a “Modern cuisine with taste, taste, taste”. He wants to do honor to the inhabitants of Noisy-le-Grand, where he lived for three years. The room is packed. Behind the long counter, a pack of cooks are busy, who at the grill, who at the pastry shop, who at the preparation of the starters. Here, no staff crisis on the horizon.
The servers hasten the step in all discretion to respond to the wishes of the customers. The tables bring together a few office colleagues but especially Noiséens with family or friends, all generations. Arnaud Baptiste, spotted in “Top Chef”, is at the helm of this ship teeming with life and words: on the exhaustive menu, the thirty or so dishes on offer are described with giddy precision. There is total hesitation between the sausage pancake, the prime rib to share, the pulled beef croque with truffles and more elaborate suggestions where the adjectives compete in creativity.
Regressive BBQ Monkfish
It must be said that the spinach soup served as a starter is faithful to the initial prose. The lemon zest brightens it up, the scamorza milk revives it with its sour flavor, and the nutmeg that sprinkles the raw spinach leaves electrify. The perfect egg, once exploded in battle, makes the whole thing very smooth. Tender and efficient.
The monkfish cooked on the barbecue, for its part, rushes into the heap of regression. Despite the impeccable hold of her flesh so distinguished, she rolls in an archirecomforting miso butter. The sharp tips of a grassy oil try to spur it on so that it regains a little of its respectability, but the beauty takes pleasure in the carelessness. The sweetness of the squash does not help keep a cool head, the monkfish becomes lascivious.
After such an episode, it was difficult to resist the inclination of the gentle slope. It clearly indicates the path of rice pudding. And too bad if the meal is too generous, the nap is not reserved for hot days. But, here it is, the chefs are smart and know how to spare their effects. The dessert has the grace of an appetizer. The immaculate rice is topped with a golden medallion, a toasted brioche, some peanut chips. His account is settled in three spoonfuls of a sober gluttony. The next generation of the Parisian brasserie exists, it is in Noisy-le-Grand.
The address The Merovingians, 32, avenue Emile-Cossonneau, Noisy-le-Grand (Seine-Saint-Denis). Phone. : 01-43-03-67-78. Open daily in continuous service from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. and for formal meals from noon to 3 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.
The essential Monkfish on the barbecue.
The detail that is not The professionalism of the waiters, taking care without overdoing it.
The bill Around 40 euros.
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