I was sad to say goodbye to Pompette, the 9th arrondissement small plates hub run by Aussie somm Jess Hodges and Canadian chef Jordan Robinson. The fried chicken was some of the best I’ve ever had in Paris, and I loved the convivial, buzzy space just steps from foodie mecca rue des Martyrs. But seeing as Trouble was waiting in the wings, it was hard to stay upset about it for long.
This new small plates spot has gotten a lot of buzz since it opened in June, and while I was certainly intrigued, I was also on my guard. Paris has no shortage of places ticking the small-plate-natty-wine box. How would Trouble stand out from the others? The answer, it seems, is in the sheer audacity of the ultra-talented Stefano De Carli, previously of Verre Volé and Passerini, whose Roman background suffuses the border-bending menu with absolutely delightful combinations and no shortage of offal.
It admittedly took a bit of patience to get on our way. By leaning into the wine bar vibe, the no-reservations restaurant’s service is slower than most. Even at 7pm on a Tuesday evening, it took about 20 minutes for first a menu, then empty glasses, then water to arrive. When finally I flagged the server to order wine, he seemed nearly surprised – and if the girl attempting to hail him à la air traffic controller was any indication, we weren’t the only thirsty ones. But once we got the ball rolling, the pacing here was positively perfect, with each dish served one by one to give us ample time to enjoy its intricacies. And boy, were they intricate.
We started things off with seasonal green beans freshly fried in a light tempura batter. The hot beans were topped with shiso leaves and settled in a pool of ultra-creamy taramasalata (11). The latter has become nearly as omnipresent as burrata on Parisian menus, so it was interesting to see it jazzed up in this way – and it was fun to drag what had essentially become green bean fries through the creamy base.
It was no match, however, for the mind-boggling deliciousness of this glazed carrot dish (13), which saw ultra-sweet carrots glazed in ginger and paired with apricot pickles, basil, and one of the most delicious walnut pestos I’ve ever eaten. If they were selling this by the jar, I’d have bought three. The balance of flavors here was really extraordinary, with a subtle punchiness from the ginger and lovely acidity from the pickles balancing the sweet-and-savory core of carrot and pesto. This was undeniably our favorite dish of the night.
We were slightly less delighted with the fresh pasta dish (15) which saw oyster mushroom-stuffed bottoni served in a Japanese clam guazzetto sauce seasoned with lemongrass and marinated herbs. The pasta itself was delicious, and the clams were lovely, sweet and briny. Had it not been so heavy-handed with the salt, it might have been pretty perfect, though my dining companion contended that the sauce was a little thick for the delicate pasta and clam combo. Indeed, there was something oddly stodgy about the sauce, which had the same slight glueyness that some cornstarch-thickened sauces boast. A simpler broth might have sufficed.
There’s audacious, and then there’s audacious. I was totally blown away by this vitello tonnato cheesesteak.
(I’ll give you a second to digest that.)
The sandwich (16) is in line with a trend I’ve been very happy to see surface of at shared small plates places where wine flows freely: a dish that actually fills you up. For as delicious as those carrots were (and as delicious as the house bread is), if I’m drinking this much at dinner, I need something carby. Café du Coin does this with pizzette; Trouble does it with an ever-changing sandwich, which has previously featured fillings ranging from spicy beef tongue kebab to a roast chicken hot dog. (Chef De Carli apparently changes the menu at his whims; on the day of our visit, everything except the calf’s caul was new.)
I’m so grateful my visit coincided with the arrival of this totally bonkers sandwich, with pillowy, slightly briochey bread filled demurely with slices of tender veal and melted Comté cheese before being doused liberally with tonnato sauce and topped with pickled jalapeños. I don’t know where Chef gets his ideas, but I am here. For. It.
Despite claims that fish and cheese are an unhappy pair, this worked so well, with the nutty cheese and briny sauce complementing one another perfectly. The veal was more of a textural component, paling in comparison to all of those intense flavors, but I’m not complaining –
Trouble… I like your style. And I’ll be back to see what other audacious combos you can come up with.
Trouble – 15, rue Hippolyte Lebas, 75009