Au Fil Des Saison
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It’s always wonderful to have an inside connection to some intimate
aspect of French life and I was particularly pleased when my friend
Jane Rocher invited me to lunch with her at her son Stephan’s
restaurant.
Jane, who admittedly hates cooking, says she doesn’t know where her
son’s love of cuisine came from. Even as a little boy he enjoyed making
crepes for the family every Sunday.
Au Fil des Saisons, which translates roughly as With the Passing of
Seasons, opened in 2001, and is the culmination of a dream for Stephan
Rocher, who at 30, and after studying law, has finally come back to the
true love of his life: food.
If it shows one thing, Rocher’s restaurant demonstrates just how
closely a large city like Paris is linked to the rhythmical movements
of Mother Nature. The point of the restaurant, says Rocher, is to
follow the rhythm of the abundant fresh markets of Paris, which in turn
follow the seasons. “There is no good cuisine without good products,”
he tells me, and Rocher combs the Paris markets looking for the best.
Twice a week he is up at 4 am to head out to Rungis, the world’s
largest fresh food market on the outskirts of the city, and known as
the belly of Paris.
Rocher serves traditional French dishes created according to the season
and the markets’ offerings, and uses all fresh products, never frozen.
“Nothing is processed or industrial in my cuisine,” he explains. He
purchases food for three or four days only, and never more than a week.
Then comes the preparation. “It’s the preparation that gives the
taste,” says Rocher. For example, with his salmon he rinses it,
marinates it then smokes it.
Rocher changes his menu every day and doesn’t make huge portions. He
may make one dish for only four people “and when it runs out, it runs
out,” he says. “When you buy things yourself you learn to buy well and
you get it cheaper because there is no middleman.”
In the fall Rocher serves a lot of game, such as pheasant. But year
round there is the fresh fish, poultry, meats, fruits and vegetables.
Special connection aside, I quickly realized during my lunch that this
restaurant was “a find” in the vast and overwhelming world of dining
out in Paris. It is difficult to really sample high quality French
cuisine like this without paying more. To eat at Rocher’s is to taste a
true gastronomic menu at a reasonable price. Which is his goal. The
lunch menu is set at 15 and 20 euros, and in the evening the dishes are
a step above with menus set at 25 and 30 euros.
I start with a warm, foamy broccoli consommé and a foie gras that melts
in my mouth. I follow that with some delightful amuses bouches—avocado
puree with its shrimp cocktail, and then comes the sol poele meuniere
au romarin. The fish is light and exquisite, floating in its sauce of
lemon and butter with a hint of rosemary. Rocher knows his sauces. He
did a stint as a sauce chef on a Caribbean cruise ship.
Other delectable looking choices include duck, andouillettes, melon
with honey in a crème de mulberry. There is also escargots de Bourgogne
au Chablis, which the couple to my left are enjoying, magret de canard
in lavender sauce and such delights as pineapple roasted in rum and
traditional crème brûlée for dessert.
Au Fil des Saisons lies at number 6, on the quiet rue des Fontaines du
Temple in the quaint right bank quarter known as the Marais. The cozy
restaurant is just off the bustling rue du Temple in the wholesalers
district between the metro Arts et Metiers and Place de la Republique,
and occupies the former premises of a 17th century convent turned
prison, when its nuns were thrown out during the French Revolution.
Au Fil des Saisons makes its own bread, sorbets and mayonnaise (but of
course!) and offers a wide selection of richly brewed coffees from
around the world.
It’s backbreaking work, says Rocher, but he’s finally doing exactly
what he wants to. And he’s not doing so badly either. Italian author
Umberto Eco is coming for dinner on Friday night.
Au Fil des Saisons is closed Sundays. Telephone: 01 42 74 16 60
Eleanor Beardsley is a journalist with a background in television,
radio and print media. Fluent in French, she currently lives in Paris,
moving there from Pristina, where she was a Press Officer for the
United Nations Mission in Kosovo.