Soces, 32 rue de la Villette, Paris 19
Soces apparently opened in November 2021, but it didn’t come to my attention until this past spring. Since then, I’ve been a regular visitor, at least once a month when I am in Paris. In fact, to be honest I have to limit myself because otherwise I would be there at least once a week, if not more.
The restaurant is in a fairly small space with stone walls. This is a view of one of two wings:
The limited space means that seating is quite close. In previous visits, that was not a problem as the restaurant was not full and/or windows were open. Last night, as the restaurant was full and cooler weather set in so that the windows were closed, it became quite noisy.
The specialty of the restaurant is fish, but there are other dishes served, too. The carte last night:
The wine list is exclusively natural, but well-chosen with very good producers.
We chose a Jérome Arnoux 2022 Arbois Chardonnay from the Jura:
Somewhat simple, but pure and showing Jura stoniness, it did the job at a very reasonable price (40€).
One of our party started with the butternut squash with Tandoori cream and hazelnuts. It didn’t sound like much on the carte, but once I tasted it, I was sorry that I had not ordered it myself. The squash was quite fresh and tender and well-served by the Tandoori cream and the hazelnuts.
L and I each took six oysters, she the St-Vaast Nº 4 and I the Fines d’Oléron Nº3:
These were extremely fresh and briny.
For the main dish, the other two took the mussels with coco beans and spinach, which was quite good:
I took the raw cuttlefish (seiche crue) in a bouillebaisse sauce, and it was light, fresh, and varied in texture.
For dessert, I took the Langres cheese
It was firm, salty, and a bit nutty, serving well with the remaining wine.
Another of us took the lemon tarte which featured intense lemon meringue flavors with a paper-thin crust.
The last of us took the crème renversée au Savagnin, a delightful variation on crème brulée:
The most reasonable bottom-line for three people, (tax and tip, of course, included):
As I indicated at the top, Soces is so wonderful that you have to keep coming back. It’s located toward the periphery of Paris, thus somewhat limiting tourists (although as the name gets known, that’s changing). While there, if it’s daylight, you can visit the stunning Parc des Buttes Chaumont, just down the hill, or walk the surrounding streets where there are businesses that serve people who live there and not tourists. I strongly recommend a visit.
Soces
32 rue de la Villette, 75019 Paris
Tél: 01 40 34 14 30
Weds, Thus, Fri dinner, Sat and Sun lunch and dinner
Métro: Jourdain, Pyrénées, Place des Fêtes, Botzaris