Albion in the 10th: Is the glass half-empty or half-full?

5.3 Albion, 80, rue du Faubourg Poissoniere in the 10th, (Metro: Poissoniere), 01.42.46.02.44 (but I had a hard time getting someone to pick up) is named after the Greek appelation for Great Britain, best known in the scathing insult - "perfidious Albion." 

As numerous people have pointed out, Matt Ong in the kitchen and Hayden Clout at the bar/wine store, from Fish, opened this place just recently.  I originally wasn't going to go, having loved Ong's food in the past at Fish, and figuring that it would be the same, but two "trusted sources" urged me to, saying he was better at Albion than before.

I went with a Professor of Culinary Arts who teaches in and divides her times between the US, Italy and France, and had, perhaps, built it up too much to her; but she had done her own research and went in with expectations as well.  We were not wowed by the choices at lunch; for starters: a burrata, spinach soup or cauliflower couscous, mains: scallops, cod, duck breast or linguine, and desserts: cheese, lemon posset or rice pudding.  But we ordered.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She took one taste of her soup and said 'It's over-salted, and I love salt, try it."  So I did and agreed.  They graciously replaced it with another which she was underwhelmed by as well.  I thought my burrata with intense pesto and a nicely crisped piece of toast with cherry tomatoes was fine but did not really test the kitchen.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

She then had the cod with petoncles which a food writer we both admire had loved and said "It's OK."  Meanwhile I had the scallops which were first rate, but didn't quite go with the boudin noir or puree of Jerusalem artichoke.

Now, perhaps because of deflated expectations, or running out of steam, or, who knows? she declined dessert and i forgot to take a pix of mine - big mistake - because the "posset" of lemon, which Google reveals to be an old Elizabethan and/or Medieval recipe, was very, very good.

Our bill with a bottle of wine, no bottled water, two extra glasses of wine (one offered, after a lovely chat with our host), was 81.50 E.

Go?  We come back to my title; "half-empty or half-full?'  I think the place has promise, we saw that in the dessert, but I hope they work on the rest of the menu, especially their combinations and limited choices.  If so, I'll be back, if only because they are so welcoming and nice and you so want them to succeed.

Comments

[Jim Hutchinson]

This is the same address as La Grille...has it gone under since the Cullères retired?

[John Talbott]

I never made the connection, it's so different; bright, walled with wine, etc. But you're right, it's the same address. However, on looking at my photo from 2010 9after it changed ownnership) http://johntalbottsparis.typepad.com/john_talbotts_paris/2010/04/la-grille-in-the-10th-amazing-it-was-deja-vu-all-over-again.html and yesterday's pix, I see that La Grille is next door and at the corner.

[Phyllis Flick]

I'm on the half-full side and very much liked my recent dinner at Albion. I started with the cauliflower risotto, which was delicious (although spicy) and then the scallops with boudin which I really liked as well. I adore good boudin noir and thought it went well with the seared scallops. Dessert was a creamy rice pudding. Everything was well-prepared and house-made which is becoming more and more rare these days. I think we need more neighborhood places like this. It’s not a destination restaurant but a neighborhood place to get good food and wine in a casual atmosphere. I would be very happy to have something like this closer to me.