I’m known for being a good orderer, but a weird orderer. If there’s something odd on the menu, I’m game: a mix of sweet and savory, an ingredient I can’t pronounce… offal. So it’s a bit surprising that the first time I visited Clown Bar I didn’t order the most famous dish – and the only one eternally on its ever-changing menu – the brain.
Luckily, that all changed a few weeks ago.
But first, a few other newcomers.
I’m not sure if my dining companion and I ordered better this time or if the menu is a bit less uneven than on my last visit. While I certainly had dishes I preferred over others, each really brought something to the table, including these ultra-simple boquerones with seaweed. The acidity of the pickled anchovies was the perfect pair for the rich olive oil and briny seaweed. I have no qualms about admitting I’m the one who finished this dish off (and dragged crusts of bread through the oil left on the plate when I was done).
This dish of bonito, roasted red peppers, thinly sliced strawberries and a sprinkling of green onions was one of my favorite dishes of the day – for its aforementioned sweet/savory combo, but also for its beauty on the plate, like an edible study of red.
This veal tartare with hazelnuts and cherries also had some eel laced throughout. The veal itself was ultra tender but not super flavorful, so the choice of the crunchy nuts, sweet fruit, and smoky fish was exactly what it needed.
These black tempura whiting fritters were served with a piquillo pepper purée and a thick wedge of lemon. While fried food isn’t usually my jam, these were perfectly cooked and the flavors were on point. Plus they’re just so damn pretty.
This white asparagus dish, while gorgeous, may have been the only slight miss for me: I love asparagus, but I found these a bit fibrous for my taste, and the pairing with raw cream and lard felt a bit like fat-on-fat-on-fat. The flowers are nice though.
Which brings us to the brain. Which, in breaking with tradition, looks… just like a brain in a bowl. But it’s so much more than that. The house specialty is served with a Japanese-inspired combination of acidic ponzu sauce and aromatic ginger and green onion. The result is a brain so creamy it almost has the texture of flan or crème brûlée, mingling with a host of flavors, each more tantalizing than the next. This dish has earned its acclaim – and permanent spot on the ever-changing menu of this restaurant.
My recommendations for Clown Bar remain essentially the same as after my first visit: stick to the snack and appetizer sections of the menu, which are far more reasonably priced and home to a host of intriguing flavor combos. Be sure to check out the phenomenal list of natural wines. Don’t be too weirded out by all the Clown-y décor.
To these, I add my new rule: order the brain.
Clown Bar – 114 Rue Amelot, 75011