Gaya par Pierre Gagnaire aka Gaya Rive Gauche, 44, rue du Bac in the 7th, 0145.44.73.73, still looks like the building it’s in is wrapped a la Christo under gauze, but the place itself is in full swing at long last. As someone who’s always liked GRG, in its various incarnations, I was delighted to see that the “lifting” had made it even lighter, brighter and bluer. Clients at this point seem to be a mixture of political & cinema celebs, local business-folk and functionaries, but dress is from ties to tees.
Seating is easy at lunch, but dinners are already fully booked. The boss was there the day we went and as far as I’m concerned it was all Gagniere with none of the old Gaya left over.
First, we had three amuse gueules; raw fish on a toothpick (I assume to show you he still can pick the product), anchovy paste on toasted bread and little, almost desserty-type cookies and flat breads.
We shared the courses: to start, we had a few Special #2 oysters; then our firsts were a “cocktail” glass of wasabied mango & grapefruit, then noodles, topped off with thinly sliced cod as well as an “egg mimosa,” what were really three lines of incredible fishy-food, a chopped herring thing, a chopped bulot thing and balls of egg yolks surrounded by cod (I think) and accompanied by a tiny bowl of the water the bulots were cooked it – very neutral but refreshing; mains were a deconstructed tempura-ized cuttlefish and haddock and coques on a bed of mixed grains (bulgar, quinoa and an ancient variety of wheat from Provence) – both exquisite; and desserts of a turinois (sour cherry sauce at the bottom of a glass, with a middle of pralines and other crunchy stuff, topped off with a chocolate wafer and a “chantilly” with green apples – really a rocket salad with whipped cream enhanced with pistachio and Izarra liquor on top.
The coffee was served with macaroons of different flavors, each sliced in the middle where delicious confiture stuff was layered.
The price – I notice no one else gives prices but I will – without liquid and oysters (which we ordered on a whim) would have been just about 100E/2 – not bad! (firsts are 6-32 E; mains are 22-65 E; and desserts 8.50-10; so it’s an elastic price-range.
Go back? you bet, soon.
*Originally published in September 2005.
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