I went to L’Écume St. Honoré for a half dozen spéciales, but it’s a single scallop that I keep thinking about.
The oysters would have been enough. More than enough, really. I was not long from dinner, after all, and I had no desire to be kept up all night with a racing heart and rumbling tummy.
I have eaten raw scallops before, in sushi restaurants and in crudo-crazed New York. But I have never tasted anything like this St. Jacques, opened in front of me and sliced thinly, the meat laid out in the shell with the roe still attached.
The meat was so sweet, so “tendre, savoreuse” that it needed nothing at all in the way of adornment. A tiny dab of soy sauce was perfect, but I didn’t dare ruin this with wasabi. I briefly wondered (the previous day’s lunch notwithstanding) why anyone would ever cook something so perfect.
Was it “dessert”? Not exactly, but not a bad ending to the first act of what turned out to be a very long evening.
Tonight I swear I’ll show a little restraint. Or not.
No, probably not.
L’Ecume St.-Honoré 6 Rue du Marché St.-Honoré, Paris 75001, +33 (0)1 42 61 93 87
I’ve been meaning to get to this place for years, since it was recommended to me by a very branché Parisienne. However, I’m always on my way to the stupendous wine bar, Au Rubis, about 3 doors down, for something at the other end of the spectrum: jarret de porc aux lentilles or some other hearty plat du jour.