Buzz Citrus Etoile, Brunch Chez Kayser at Bercy Village

10 April 2012 by Margaret Kemp    2002  
Buzz Citrus Etoile, Brunch Chez Kayser at Bercy Village
Margaret Kemp
By Margaret Kemp
Alert readers will recall Citrus Etoile as a favourite BUZZ addy. Gilles and Elizabeth Epié, the Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers of French cuisine, understand the Art of Service, a warm welcome, flute of champagne, delicious amuses while you muse over the menu. Spring’s arrived at Citrus, the new menu a celebration, beginning with green asparagus served warm with salmon caviar, egg yolk, lime and soy sauce velouté. An epic new lobster dish includes spinach and onions, coconut milk and sweet wasabi. Duck foie gras raviolis, morel mushrooms and provenҫal beef juice may sound heavy; it’s not. Trust me. French Langoustines are marinated with lime and litchis. Wild sea bass « Sashimi », white asparagus, olive oil and fresh mint go well with a glass of slightly sweet white wine. Service is as smooth and syncopated as a waltz by Ginger and Fred. Plat du jour on Wednesday was slow cooked beef cheeks. Or choose from Lobster ravioli and watercress with morel mushrooms, a drizzle of lobster bisque. Cod’s poached in saké, ginger and soy sauce broth, with a side of pea purée and onions. John Dory’s seared, bay leaves slipped “between the sheets”, then garnished with vintage balsamic vinegar sprinkled on sorrel salad. Rack of lamb simply roasted comes with corn and pea ravioli, mint leaves, lamb jus. Soy flavoured chicken breast is enhanced with lime, prawn, shrimp, lobster reduction and crispy spring vegetables. The celeb (no names) on the next table ignored his date as he demolished filet mignon of beef with seared foie gras, grilled white asparagus “Rossini style”. The date looked upset, maybe because he tucked his napkin into his neck? Refused dessert, but, “the man with no name” was unaware, head down into an aromatic Java Grand Cru cocoa soufflé, vanilla ice-cream and cream Chantilly. The date should have at least tasted, Roquefort, walnut and apricot terrine, mesclun salad. Not many calories in Caramelized pink grapefruit marmalade, sour whipped cream and suzette sauce is there babe? Nor in Pearls of marinated cantaloupe with ginger and lime or Red Berries, cottage cheese sorbet. Epié has cooked for le tout Hollywood, who make special journeys to rue Arsene Houssaye. “They know they won’t gain weight with my cooking, it’s without grease, I learned that in California”, he admits. And, there’s a new toque on the block. Meet the son. Renald Epié, quiet good looking, passionate. His favourite dish on the menu is the old man’s signature, Beignets de foie gras. “And the joue de boeuf”, he adds. “With the purée of truffles”. Renald loves to work fish and vegetables and is super-proud of the saké poached cod dish on Citrus’ Spring carte. Renald lived in the USA for a few years, then came to France, as you do, to serve his culinary apprenticeship chez Monsieur Ducasse, at the magnificent Bastide de Moustier in the Alpes de Haute Provenҫe, for two years. Staying with the Ducasse organisation Renald came to Paris and Il Cortile and Spoon. “When dad returned from California I spent six months by his side at La Petite Cour, Saint-Germain”, he says. Offered his first post as chef at La Villa Coloniale (15th) he stayed two years. Then back to Ducasse and the legendary Louis XV, Monaco (celebrating 25 years this year) and the now defunct Bar&Boeuf. Then exciting cooking in Quatar at the French Embassy and Cape Town. South Africa. “Finally I decided to put down some roots and here I am”, he opens his arms. “I’d like to change to décor a bit, the pompom girl chandeliers bother me”, he admits. After service Renald can be found at L’Assiette, David Rathgeber’s bistro, rue du Chateau, 14th, and at William Ledeuil’s Ze Kitchen Gallery. If he hadn’t taken culinary orders Renald would have been a DJ, rap and rock feature on his I-pod and he loves to cook for Slash when he’s in town. Dream holidays are in Thailand, “for their products, the culture, and I also love Japan and Hong Kong”. Respect ! Citrus Etoile6 rue Arsene Houssaye, 8thMetro: Charles de Gaulle Etoile.T: 01 42 89 15 51Open Mon-Fri Lunch & DinnerLunch 52€ + A La CarteDinner Average Spend for three courses – 74€ + wineValet ParkingOn facebook Eric Kayser should run a competition. Which is your favourite Kayser? Tough! Guess how many Maison Kayser’s there are in the world? More than 100! Twenty in Paris and, outside the capital, lucky citizens of St. Germain en Laye and Lyon enjoy his baking. Forget the diet and tuck into signature house breads, each branch has one, plus a mind-blowing selection of seasonal pains and patisseries, desserts, salads, everything you need for a picnic or a satisfying breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner. But let’s concentrate on le Bercy brunch. Located at Cour Saint-Émilion where the metro station opened in 1998. Named in hommage to Saint Emilion wine because it replaced the old Bercy railway station where wines from south of France were delivered. The station entrance opens onto Bercy Village, now a chic shopping area replaces old Bercy wine warehouses. There’s lots of restaurants, bars boutiques Coté Maison, Dammann Freres, Arteum, Agnes b, Alice Délice. And, if you want to send him off, while you shop there’s always the Musée des Arts Forains or a stroll in Bercy Park. Eric Kayser’s latest address was a former Club Med now it’s a bright contemporary space where you can take away or eat sur place. The talented Jean Imbert, participating in the must-watch every Monday night M6 “Top Chef 2012” and owner of L’Acajou in the posh 16th arrondissement has created the menu, in collaboration with EK. Wearing the whites is EK’s best friend at school, the delightful Taleb Daher. Imbert and Daher met…
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By Margaret Kemp

Born in Hampton, Middlesex, UK, Margaret Kemp is a lifestyle journalist, based between London, Paris and the world. Intensive cookery courses at The Cordon Bleu, London, a wedding gift from a very astute ex-husband, gave her the base that would take her travelling (leaving the astute one behind) in search of rare food and wine experiences, such as the vineyards of Thailand, 'gator hunting in South Florida, learning to make eye-watering spicy food in Kerala;pasta making in a tiny Tuscany trattoria. She has contributed to The Guardian, The Financial Times Weekend and FT. How To Spend It.com, The Spectator, Condé Nast Traveller, Food & Travel, and Luxos Magazine. She also advises as consultant to luxury hotels and restaurants. Over the years, Kemp has amassed a faithful following on BonjourParis. If she were a dish she'd be Alain Passard's Millefeuille “Caprice d'Enfant”, as a painting: Manet’s Dejeuner sur l’herbe !