Fulgurances restaurant (2024)

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It’s been a hectic year and I haven’t gotten out as much as I’d like to, in spite of a long list of places I’m trying to visit in Paris, and a more I plan to check out this fall. Early in the summer, I reserved a table at Fulgurances, intrigued by the food of Israeli chef Tamir Nahmias, former executive chef at Frenchie. His cuisine is infused with the flavors of the Middle East; tahini, pickles, lot of tomatoes and eggplant, long-cooked meats, and a generous hand with fresh herbs. All of whichappeal to me.

Paris has taken a turn in the last few years with younger chefs and talent emphasizing freshness, sourcing ingredients from small-scale farmers and local producers, and a liberal use of vegetables on their menus.

Fulgurances has been open for about a year and doesn’t have a fixed chef. Instead, chefs are welcome to come and cook for a period of time, whatever fits their schedule. A fulgurance is something that comes at great speed, and has a dazzling quality. In this case, it’s a chef arriving and exciting uswith outstanding food.

I had to change thereservation I’d made in the early summer a number of times, then ultimately cancel it, which was unfortunate, but too much was happening at the time. Thankfully I finally made itto Fulgurances with my friends Ann and Elizabeth for dinner, and liked it so much, I went back for lunch a few days later, when the light was better to take some photos:Thedaylight was coming into the restaurant, which provided a better backdrop for the food. A few dishes were some of the best I’ve had in Paris.

During the day, Fulgurances is filled with natural light (when the grisaille, grayness of Paris, decides to let up), and I took a seat at the bar to eat and watch the cooking. Chef Tamir Nahmias will be there through the end of November 2016, until he leaves to open his own restaurant.*

I started off with abowl of taramasalatathat was a revelation, served with red onions and a variety of cucumbers, including lemon cucumbers and what are called Mexican cucumbers. When I asked the chef where he got them in France, since I’ve never seen either variety of cucumber at the markets, he told me he sources many of his ingredients from a farm near Tours. I loved the pairing of the fresh, cool cucumbers with the super-smooth fish roe paste. And I used the hearty bread they serve to make sure I got every bit.

Although it wasn’t on the lunch menu, I had fond memories of the beet hummus I had with my friends at dinner, flavored with savory za’atar. But the houmous de haricots cocos de Paimpol (fresh shelling beans) I had at lunch was just as good, if not better, topped with agneau confit, long-cooked lamb (below).The chef and I talked about how good tahini was so important in hummus and he agreed, which almost made me hand over some of the sesame pastes that I’ve stocked up on during trips to Lebanon and Israel, to help him with his sourcing.

Meanwhile, I’m getting less-adept at taking pictures, while jotting down notes, remembering every course and wine I try, while dining outand drinking wine with friends, which is why I understand bloggers who bring along a photographer to restaurants to take pictures for them. Unfortunately you’re still stuck with me and my picture of the outstandinghummus (above), that doesn’t do it justice. I wanted to return just to reshoot that photo (and of course, dive intoanother bowl of it), but haven’t– yet.

The other entrée that day was Caponata served on a crouton with a soft-cooked egg resting on top. Like the Sicilians do, Chef Nahmias cooks his eggplant in plenty of olive oil, with the soft cooked egg creating a runny sauce when broken with a spoon.

Because I’m an enthusiastic eater, he prepared for me a dish of smoked eel with tiny roasted eggplants and purslane (above), that paired the slithery creaturefrom the sea with the cushiony plants.

He remembered I didn’t eat octopus from the other night I’d dined there, but he did let me snap a picture for those of you brave enough to tackle the tentacled beast.