Sur Mesure - The most experimental (and molecular) gastronomy restaurant in Paris?

[Bu Pun Su]

This meal was unplanned as initially I was supposed to leave Paris on that day. One way or another, then I got something to do around the golden triangle area but the appointment finished earlier. The thought of visiting Sur Mesure (another maiden meal at Parisian 2-star) came out, so yeah … it’s “almost” a walk-in. As you enter the main door, the décor of the restaurant seemed to be disconnected to the Mandarin hotel’s overall interior designs. The most striking aspect was space-like white cocoon with several artistic drapes, also in pure white. The only non-white things were beige chairs and a small yellow light on the table. Jouin-Manku had the honor to design this minimalist and stylish dining room.

 

I arrived around 7:30 PM and it was really quiet. Only another table with Asian guests came earlier than me. The locals, mostly, arrived after 8 PM and by night, about 20 people dining here. I had baguette and rice roll bread to open the meal with some nibbles in similar color and textures such as crispy beetroot, red cabbage and red shiso + pomegranate. As the name (Sur mesure aka Made to measure) suggested, guests had 12 dishes they could choose from when indulging in a 6-course menu. The restriction was that 2 of the dishes were fixed namely Soy & oyster ‘risotto’, the specialty of Thierry Marx as well as Sweet bento, inspired by the chef’s passion towards Japanese cuisine.

 

As far as I know, Thierry Marx was the only Parisian chef with multi-star Michelin award whose cooking was (very) contemporary – many experimental parts in terms of textures and temperatures, to the borderline of molecular gastronomy. From the beginning, I was aware that this kind of cuisine was not my cup of tea but I was impressed with the food at Fat duck. Even coming with an open mind and curiosity, I would still leave the restaurant with ordinary feeling – nothing memorable / wow yet no disastrous dishes either. Well, the ones I enjoyed were pressed foie gras mixed with smoked eel; Japanese charred beef roll with some wasabi inside. I thought even if Sur Mesure were located in Hong Kong or Singapore, it’s unlikely to ever be a 3-star dining place … just my 2 cents.

 

To give fairer assessments about this place … my neighbors on the left of me seemed to like their meals. With my limited French, I overheard that the “old” uncle told his wife that he never ate the beef tasted this good. When the staffs collected the plates, not single dish that was not finished. There was a group of 6 at the corner … they ordered different kind of appetizers at the beginning, but when come the meat course, to my surprise all of them picked the Challans duckling dish. I also had it. However, similar to my other dishes, the sweet & sour duck was “only” good in taste with more interesting presentation and preparation than being spectacular. Therefore, it meant many people probably liked this place so readers don’t get too discouraged if you want to come here. Know what your taste / preference is like, then decide for yourself. The info and pictures from the link below maybe helpful for your own judgement.   

 

Pictures of the meal:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/7124357@N03/albums/72157704563702232/with/46868937974/

 

[teonzo]

5 hours ago, Bu Pun Su said:

The most striking aspect was space-like white cocoon with several artistic drapes, also in pure white.

 

I wish Marx chose white for his "Sweet Marx" book, I really can't stand all those dark photos.

Thanks for the review and the photos, as usual!

 

 

 

Teo