It was my third time at Saturne (17 Rue Notre-Dame des Victoires, 75002 Paris; tel. +33 1 42 60 31 90) and despite trying really hard to love it (thus, the repeated visits), I am still convinced that the simplistic, “market-based” cooking practised at this restaurant lacks taste, emotions and quickly fades away from your memory.
Let’s take the first dish from the menu, squid “pasta” with Jerusalem artichokes gnocchi and mushrooms in a clear broth. While the gnocchi and the soup were light and flavorful, the raw and chewy squid was more of a burden for the overall dish than an asset. Then I had simply grilled fish with some (baked or steamed?) carrots and Jerusalem artichokes. As you might guess, it was bland and boring and once again proved that it’s not always enough to just beautifully arrange fresh products on a plate.. (What is so often practised by young, fashionable chefs nowadays…) Cooking is about creating magic and magic is exactly what the savoury dishes at Saturne lack.
The desserts were brilliant though, a real contrast to the savoury part of the lunch. I forgot to take a picture of the chestnut mousse with pear sorbet and crumble probably because it made me forget everything around me once I tasted it. My friend’s chocolate with Jerusalem artichokes chips was on the similar level so as the freshly baked madeleine served with coffee, which was simply heavenly…
