Disclosure: I was a guest of the property for this meal. All opinions are my own.
When I was first living in the Marais, exciting dining options were rather thin on the ground – at least when compared to the nearby 10th or 11th, where it seemed there was no shortage of new openings showing off the international and contemporary approaches of Paris’ youngest generation of chefs. By comparison, the Marais felt a bit tired, from a dining perspective, with the handful of more modern tables woefully overpriced (and often disappointing, price aside).
So it was with guarded excitement that I accepted an invitation to dine at Nellu, a new spot just steps from the ritzy Ile Saint-Louis. Owned by Groupe Tamara, which also runs an eponymous fine dining restaurant, at first glance, Nellu feels like the sort of spot that would have been better suited to the 11th (the arrondissement that a friend, colleague, and resident of the neighborhood has dubbed “the Williamsburg of Paris.”) It had the dimmed lighting, open kitchen, and natural wine selection I’ve come to expect at such spots, but it would reveal itself to also boast a precision that may well mean this trend is expanding into central Paris at a clip I hadn’t quite realized.
Our meal began with a small amuse bouche: a puffed cracker filled with parsley cream and generously topped with even more dried parsley for a vegetal, grassy flair.
Next up was a dish that would prove to be one of my favorites: a roasted beetroot tartlet with confit shallot and a goat cheese cloud on top. I’m not usually one for espumas or mousses, but this one was richly flavored with chèvre, the ideal counterbalance to the sweetness of the beet and shallot. It was harmonious and well-thought-out, and it frankly showed me just how exciting Nellu can be at its best.
My dining companion, meanwhile, admitted a soft spot for the other appetizer: a tuna mi-cuit settled atop a padron pepper chimichurri with chipotle sauce, crisp rice crackers, finger lime, and an aromatic garnish of tarragon and dill, two divisive herbs that we both fell for. This punchy dish was super flavorsome with its garnishes while also maintaining a certain restraint when it came to the tuna itself: charred on the outside, tender within, and cut into thick enough slices for a pleasurable bite and chew.
Of the two mains we tried, this one was my favorite – and competed pretty strongly for my favorite dish of the night. A plate of three perfectly-cooked scallops launched a conversation about how sometimes, the best seafood need not be messed with. And frankly, there wasn’t too much messing done to these charred-on-the-outside-tender-and-sweet-on-the-inside morsels. But the accompaniments were also very well-thought out, with rutabaga delivered two ways: as a creamy “risotto” and pickled. The pickles proved very pickly, but with a sauce as creamy as this one, that’s not a complaint. Lemon verbena added a lovely vegetal touch to the ensemble.
I’ll admit I found the braised pork “maki” far less exciting, though it was a very pretty dish with “Japonisante” flair, which, alongside Korean influences, have appeared here and there on various iterations of this menu since the restaurant opened in May.
The dish, which saw braised pork wrapped in a charred Savoy cabbage leaf and married with charred leek dashi and mushrooms, was indeed tasty, but it didn’t quite hold a candle to the scallops. The filling was a bit overwhelmed by the cabbage itself, and while the trompe l’oeil presentation was indeed nice (and the tableside dashi service via clear glass teapot was a lovely touch), it didn’t hold a candle to the scallop dish.
For dessert, a waffled cookie unfortunately diminished what I love texturally about both waffles and cookies: Lacking the tenderness of a waffle and the gooeyness of a well-made cookie, it fell a bit flat for me, and the mandarine and tangerine notes weren’t pronounced enough to balance the sweetness.
It was paired with another cloud – this one made of tea – that served, for the second time in the evening, to help me re-evaluate my disdain of espumas. The black tea notes were pronounced without being overwhelming, and the cookie crumbs beneath were a pleasant discovery. The pairing on two separate plates, however, proved confusing – maybe if the foam were atop the waffle, it would have been more enjoyable to eat?
Despite not being a massive chocolate fan, the idea of the final dessert was promising: a smoked chocolate ganache paired with pear and green cardamom. It’s perhaps in part because we were warned that the smokiness of the chocolate was quite pronounced, and that it was best to proceed by enjoying it along with the pear ice cream, pear, and speculoos crumble underneath, that we both felt this dessert, while well designed, could use a boost of “more”: more smokiness? More acidity? More salt? More something to help all of those flavors pop. (But a special nod goes to that pear ice cream, which I absolutely loved.)
Nellu’s dining room is small, cozy, and low-lit, and the glass front of the restaurant is certainly inviting, as is the open kitchen. In bringing such internationally-influenced, precise, creative food (and natural wine) to the heart of the Marais, Nellu certainly seems to be onto something.
Nellu – 5 Rue du Pont Louis-Philippe, 75004