OSE, 3 rue Durantin, Paris 18
OSE, just off the Place des Abbesses on the southern side of the Montmartre hill, opened in May 2021. It was formed by two friends who had cooked in such august establishments as Guy Savoy and Le Meurice.
Ose means “dare” in French, and the motto of the restaurant is Qui n’OSE jamais, se trompe toujours… (One who never dares is always mistaken).
It is not a particularly large space and is casually and comfortably furnished.
The diners were mostly French, but in addition to us, there was a British couple, another couple that I surmise was from Scandinavia, and a single diner who probably was British or American. There were people of all ages, but the single largest group appeared to be French people in their thirties. The restaurant is quiet, so there is no problem carrying on a conversation.
The menu at dinner offers a choice of two entrées, two plats, and then cheese and a dessert. One can take a three-course meal consisting of entrée, plat, and either cheese or dessert, or a five-course meal consisting of both entrées, both plats, and either cheese or dessert (in which case the portions of the entrées and plats are a bit smaller than in the three-course menu). Various other arrangements can also be made.
There are also some extra items, on the night we were there, scallops (Coquilles Saint Jacques) and rib of beef, and the Saint Jacques could be substituted into the menu.
The chefs like to shop the markets for whatever is best and freshest, so about every other day there is a new menu, a big positive for me.
The wine list is extensive for a restaurant of this type and has excellent selections from all parts of France at all price levels and at modest markups. I rarely come across such an intelligent and thoughtful wine list.
As an amuse-bouche, we were served an eggplant purée with beets and herbs:
As you can see, the dish it was served on looked like lips, and you were supposed to lick it off. Nothing spectacular, but it was a nice entry into the meal.
L and I both took the velouté of celery root and walnut oil, and we were not disappointed:
The soup was rich and satisfying.
With our meal, we took a red Santenay premier cru Clos Rousseau from Justin Girardin, a producer who is rapidly making a name for himself, and we were not disappointed.
For her main dish, L took the daurade (sea bream) with carrots, turnips, and corn risotto.
The vegetables were very well prepared but didn’t match especially well with the daurade.
I paid the 10€ supplement to get the scallops in place of the sea bream in the same dish:
Here, the sweetness from the vegetables played against the scallops and everything in the dish married perfectly. It was top notch and well worth the extra money.
I took the cheese plate, which consisted of a young and an old Comté and a blue cheese, all of excellent quality, along with bits of salad that were perfectly dressed:
L took the dessert of vanilla cream, roasted pear, quince compote, and crumble.
The dish was excellent, but if you were looking for a lot of sweetness in your dessert, this wasn’t the plate for you.
The bottom line:
The food at OSE is bistronomic and not flashy — the freshness and quality of the ingredients do the talking. With its modest price and excellent wine list, I will be back, sooner rather than later.
OSE
3, rue Durantin, 75018 Paris
Tél: 01 42 59 98 35
Tuesday - Saturday evening and Thursday-Saturday lunch
Métro: Abbesses, Pigalle