Oh Purée ! a neighborhood nugget a stone's throw from rue Mouffetard - CLOSED

Looking for a neighborhood nugget in Paris's 5th arrondissement? If so, we'd like to take you to a charming address offering authentic, inventive cuisine. Welcome to Oh Purée! our favorite restaurant, just a stone's throw from rue Mouffetard.

A veritable ode to the Latin Quarter, Oh Purée ! boasts a setting typical of the soul of the 5th arrondissement, with rough stone walls, wooden furniture, exposed beams and fine bottles of wine on display. This address, which reflects Parisian charm, has set itself a challenge: to prove that traditional cuisine can rhyme with creativity.

This spot is above all the adventure of a dynamic duo: Maxence, the maître d'hôtel and head sommelier, who cut his teeth at Pavillon Ledoyen, Brasserie Thoumieux and Apicius, and Walter, the genius behind the stoves, who has already worked at La Grande Cascade and Kitchen Galerie Bis. Together, they put their know-how to good use to offer you a convivial address that gives pride of place to natural flavors. Their warm welcome reflects their passion and love for the restaurant business.

The menu, which is rather limited, gives us a hint. Here, the focus is on freshness andultra-seasonality: the menu changes almost every month, so we can enjoy the best of what nature has to offer throughout the year. And if mashed potatoes are the main theme of the menu, this favorite restaurant sublimates them with beautiful plates that juggle textures. The spot offers excellent-value lunchtime formulas, which are also available on Saturday lunchtimes: forstarter + main course or main course + dessert, the price is €24; forstarter + main course + dessert, it's €29.

During our visit, we were immediately able to sample the first asparagus of the season, in this case from the Landes region, which is served with an airy asparagus mousse, a runny soft-boiled egg for an ultra-satisfying experience, all sprinkled with Panko, a Japanese breadcrumb for added crunch, and a touch of vinaigrette to spice things up.

Another favorite appetizer is the mackerel fillet, cooked on one side only, with the cooking stopped in a wasabi marinade, served with a cold beet purée and a dash of lemon juice to spice things up. This introduction to Oh Purée !'s cuisine gives us a clear idea of the company's approach to cooking.

In addition to its focus on purée, this gourmet spot is distinguished first and foremost by a presentation that is a feast for the eyes as well as the taste buds. Then there's the meticulously studied interplay of textures. Finally, the authenticity of Oh Purée ! cuisine is demonstrated by recipes that creatively sublimate the natural flavors of good products, without distorting them. Although the names of the dishes are simplified, their presentation by the restaurant 's dream team reveals more about the creativity at work behind the stove.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of November 11 to 17, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• What to do in Paris and the Paris Region in November 2024? Our tips and ideas for outings
• Where to eat out in Paris? Good addresses, discoveries and favorites by arrondissement

This approach is confirmed by the rest of the meal. The duck breast from Challans, cooked to a perfectly pinkish hue, awakens our taste buds and goes perfectly with the eggplants, prepared in three different ways to give us the play of textures that characterizes Walter's cooking. The purée version, like eggplant caviar, reveals smoky notes: to achieve this result, the whole vegetable is pierced and placed directly on the fire before being peeled and blended. Eggplant is also sublimated in a tempura version, which brings out its crispy side. Last but not least, roasted eggplant with aniseed is a subtle match that hits the bull's-eye.

The pan-fried scallops brighten up our table with their beautiful colors. The shellfish, just snacked, rises to the challenge of cooking with brio. We love this pairing with the celery purée. Celery is also available in two other ways: it's also found in stalks, just grilled, while the leaves are also cooked in tempura. 50 nuances of vegetables, then, which educate the palate to reveal how a product can be sublimated is brought to light with brio. While purple cauliflower and red onion pickles with rice vinegar add a colorful touch, they also round out this beautifully balanced experience.

And now comes the moment sweet tooths have been waiting for: the desserts. Completely unstructured, these sweet treats bring a light, gourmet finish to this well-balanced, fairly hearty meal. For citrus lovers, we fall for the soft cookie, which turns out to be a Joconde cookie (sponge cake with almond powder), topped with an airy, low-sugar blood orange zest chantilly.

Fresh blood orange and candied kumquat add a naturally gourmand note, while roasted hazelnuts add crunch to this plate dessert. We salute the choice of mascarpone ice cream, which adds the perfect note of freshness to round off this tasting experience, and completes this creation without distorting its natural flavors.

For a more regressive dessert, we opt for the baked apple served cold with a brunoise of vanilla apple, a Breton shortbread to add chewiness, a lemony chantilly to spice things up and finally a salted butter caramel ice cream that will seduce all gourmands.

All in all, Oh Purée! is a warm and friendly place to dine, guided by a passion for cooking and a deep love of the restaurant trade. What's more, with a menu that follows the seasons as closely as possible, it's the perfect excuse to return again and again to discover dishes that ingeniously sublimate good produce. We promised you a neighborhood nugget: you'll find your new gourmet HQ here!