Neige d’été, Paris

There’s a strong culinary cross-pollination between France and Japan, with many Japanese chefs working in Paris and bringing meticulous craftsmanship and a hint of Japanese influence to French cuisine.  Neige d’été is a prime example, with Hideki Nishi leading a mostly Japanese kitchen.  The front of house staff is a mix of French and Japanese, leading me to replace merci with arigato gozaimasu – only to promptly backtrack when the response was in rapid fire Japanese!

My expectations were high, and Neige d’été certainly lived up to them.

The dining room is as sleek and restrained as you might imagine, in pale colors accented with red roses.  Our table had a view towards the kitchen, where the team worked in a quietly efficient ballet.

An aperitif cart arrived along with menus (we had Champagne), which is a set seven courses.  The only decisions to make are the addition of caviar for two of the courses and an optional cheese course.  And wine, of course.  We chose the pairings.

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Asperge blanche des Sables des Landes, Tourteau, Gelée de Crustacé

D had his with caviar, which was a nice pairing with the crab and mild white asparagus.

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Morilles farcies au Foie Gras, Vin Jaune, Bouillon de Volaille

A beautiful spring dish – the morels stuffed with foie gras were both clever and delicious.

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Omble Chevalier, Gnocchi, Shungiku

Fish course with Japanese chrysanthemum greens.  I opted for the caviar addition, which wasn’t necessary – the dish was more nicely balanced without it.

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Ris de Veau pané, Tartare de Bulot, fines herbes

Surf and turf?  Tartare of bulot (sea snails) hides beneath the herbs, providing a texture and flavor contrast to the sweetbreads.

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Boeuf Black Angus grillé au charbon de bois japonais

Another touch of Japanese influence here, with the steak grilled over Japanese charcoal.  Despite the courses being quite reasonably sized, the beef was incredibly rich and I was starting to get full.

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Soupe de Kiwi, Panna Cotta au Thym-Citron

Thankfully, the next course was so bright and light that it revived my appetite!  This is one of the most striking dishes I’ve seen in a while, with creamy panna cotta, sliced kiwi, and a tart sorbet.

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Fraise de bois, Flan à la Pistache

And to finish things up, a perfect French tart: tiny fraises de bois arranged atop warm, custardy pistachio cake.

By now, the dining room was bathed in candlelight and we were ready to return to our hotel to watch the Tour Eiffel glitter and sparkle, a perfect nightcap.