Let me start things off by saying: I love small plates. I always have. My love of them started before they were a thing, when I was living in San Sebastian and realized that pintxos meant I could eat more things. I am always in favor of eating more things.
What I’m not in favor of is the fact that, at small plates restaurants, you often get the sense that… how can I put this… that you’re not being set up for success vis à vis your enjoyment of the food. Multiple plates of hot food delivered to the tiny table all at once; odd portion sizes for an even number of diners. The issues linked to small plates have been written about time and again, and I’m not surprised, pandemic nonwithstanding, that this trend seems to be on its way out. But sometimes, you find a restaurant that does the small plates thing just perfectly – like Le Mermoz.
Candide is another one of those places.
My love of Candide begins with the dining room. (An oddity for this air sign, but it’s true.) Airy and relatively bright, with beautiful worn wooden tables and lovely porcelain, not to mention a beautiful natural wine list, it’s the perfect environment in which to enjoy the food.
The menu is relatively short and skews seafood. Accras boasted the ideal texture of meltingly tender inside and crispy outside. Paired with a black garlic mayonnaise, they were the perfect way to start the meal.
Binchotan-charred broccoli came positively cloaked in grated Parmesan cheese, with anchovy butter, lemon, and pickled onion adding touches of acidity and brininess to help cut through the richness.
(Shoutout to these plates, which my grandma also owns.)
Perhaps the most surprising dish was this plate of spring asparagus sitting atop a vin jaune zabaglione and peanut praline – which proved to actually just be another name for chunky peanut butter. I don’t often find myself surprised by pairings these days, but I can honestly say I had never considered joining asparagus and peanut butter – and I can also honestly say that it worked. The nuttiness of the vin jaune felt like a link joining up the spring veggie and the spread of my youth. It was, as the French say, ludique, and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
Dessert came in the form of a brioche bun filled with gelato and even more praline – this time of the hazelnut variety. Served warm, it was a lovely finishing touch.
As a last word, I can’t say enough good things about the attentive, knowledgeable service, from servers to somms. This little spot is truly a gem – and since, in the week since I visited, they have already renewed their menu, it looks like I’ll be back again soon.
Candide – 35 Rue de Sambre-et-Meuse, 75010