It's the throngs of mouth-watering gourmets who flock toOxymore 's doorstep every lunchtime that made us want to step inside and discover what's behind the beautiful rue Saint-Maur façade, with its large glass alcove and small terrace, heated in winter and bathed in sunshine on sunny days.
It's hardly surprising that people flock here, as the original premise of this pizzeria resonates with us: to offer pizzas made from the finest French ingredients, be they cheeses, fine sliced meats,aromatics, fresh herbs orspices.
Indeed, the menu lists some very fine products: Prince de Paris white ham, which is hard to beat locally; fourme d'Ambert PDO, smoked pork from the Jura, 18-month-aged dry-cured ham from Savoy, sausage from Béarn with Espelette pepper, smoked cheese from Savoy, ewe's milk pudding, dried beef from the Alps, and of course olives and olive oil from Provence.
The tomato sauce itself is made in France, in Provence, as are the flours and yeast used to make the pizza dough. The pizza dough is light and easy to digest, crisp to perfection and far from soggy, as is sometimes (often?) the case with Neapolitan pizzas.
Baptized with French women's names, Oxymore's pizzas are less puffy and plump than Neapolitan pizzas - not that we mind, we often wonder what to do with the leftover dough, without toppings, once we've reached the curb. Why look any further: these are French pizzas, plain and simple.
This lunchtime, we fall for the Raymonde pizza (15€) with, on a base of Isigny crème fraîche and fresh tomme, Montbéliard smoked sausage, ewe's milk sausage, artichoke, pistachio pesto and basil leaves. Absolutely charming, a pizza that holds together well, doesn't run all over the place, and is really tasty.
We also opt for the Jeannette pizza (15€), with smoked pork from the Jura, Fourme d'Ambert AOP cheese, mushrooms, pear slices and walnuts, for a discreetly successful sweet and savory combination. Other pizzas feature a cream of mushroom base, for added variety, while a small selection of pizzas are vegetarian, for those interested and curious.
Cocktails - named after men who might be found in the maquis - are served at lunchtime and in the evening, as are the wines, some of which are organic. We choose to toast with the Maurice Mule (9€), composed of vodka, ginger syrup, lime juice and ginger beer, before tucking into a light dessert to round off this hearty meal, a rosemary, honey and almond cream (6€) similar to a panna cotta and included in the 15€ lunch menu.
It's easy to see whyOxymore, which also has a second address in the 9th arrondissement, is sopopular: it's simply delicious. Reservations (more than) recommended!
Location
Oxymoron
60 Rue Saint-Maur
75011 Paris 11
Official website
www.oxymore-restaurant.com
