Perhaps one of the best-kept secrets in Paris (and frankly, I’m not sure why we’re keeping it…) is the lunchtime formule. Restaurants from Michelin-starred palaces to small corner bistros will often offer a dish (or two) of the day as part of an entrée-plat, plat-dessert, or entrée-plat-dessert “formula,” and what you lack in choice, you definitely gain in value.
Orgueil has been on my radar for quite some time thanks to its unique, tarot-inspired menu and tasty-looking cocktails. And while I didn’t take advantage of the latter, my weekday lunches being teetotal affairs, if Eloy Spinnler’s lunch menu is anything to go by, dinner is sure to be a treat.
The weekday lunch deal on this particular Friday boasted a selection of two appetizers, two mains, and two desserts, with one option in each of the former two categories being veggie-friendly. There were also a few à la carte additions like croquetas, gravelax, and ceviche.
For 20 euros, my dining companion and I each opted for the entrée-plat formule, and between the two of us, we sampled all four of the day’s offerings.
The first appetizer was a parsnip velouté with honey-lemon gastrique. While I was expecting soup, what actually emerged from the kitchen was a cloud-like purée probably enriched with a heaping helping of whipped cream. Light and fluffy without feeling overly rich, this dish was truly the distilled essence of one of my favorite root veggies. I might have liked the topping of fried parsnip to be a touch crispier, but we’re really splitting hands here.
We were divided in our opinions of the second appetizer, and not in the way those who know me well would assume. Endive is one of my all-time favorite vegetables… when raw. I usually can’t stand it cooked, with its bitterness transitioning from having a grounding effect to its hydrating freshness to becoming all-encompassing and overwhelming.
I assumed that this dish, which was described on-menu as “Endives à l’orange, pistaches, poutargue,” would feature fresh endive with supremed oranges and perhaps an orange vinaigrette. The puddle of braised endives that arrived was thus a bit surprising. But while my dining companion noted that it lacked salt and freshness, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the bitter-on-bitter pairing of endive and orange. Could it have used a touch of fresh orange zest or maybe some chervil? Would it have benefitted from a slightly heavier hand with pistachios or the promised bottarga (the latter of which I didn’t taste at all)? Perhaps. But given the price, I’m pleased to have had my mind changed about cooked endive… at least this time around.
I hesitated a lot between the two mains (and actually changed my order… twice. Sorry, servers!) but ultimately opted for this braised beef dish served with beets and my one-time foe, Swiss chard. The beef was fall-apart tender, scented with chile and a medley of other spices, and paired wonderfully with the earthy roasted beets. While the latter were a touch too salty (perhaps from being baked in a salt crust?) this homey dish was ultimately super comforting and rich.
The other dish, by contrast, was of a remarkable precision and creativity. A confit slab of celery root had a hole cut from its center in which was nestled a soy-cured egg yolk. Topped with an anise-scented tarragon sauce, pickled red onion, and samphire, it offered the ideal marriage of fresh brightness and earthiness – essentially the ideal dish for this moment between winter and spring.
We both had to get back to work and thus bypassed dessert: a choice of chocolate soup with brioche and hazelnuts or roasted apples with vanilla cream and pistachios. But given the precision and technicity afforded at lunch, I look forward to returning for dinner: to sample one of the cocktails, to enjoy even more of Spinnler’s dishes, and, why not, to try dessert.
Orgueil – 6 rue Popincourt, 75011