Phone: +33142611767,+33144519650
Address: 3 rue Danielle Casanova, Paris, 75001, 75002, France
City: Paris
Menu Dishes: 8
Reviews: 2089
Website: http://www.boco.fr/
"People expecting fine dining at boco, because the dishes are created by Michelin Star chefs, are missing the point. Its website says “boco is first of all a neighborhood parisian restaurant, where you can enjoy sitting down for a moment, grabbing a bite to eat, having a drink on your own, with a date or with a great group of friends.” ‘Grabbing a bit to eat” should be clear enough. It’s fast food. Not the tasty but completely nutritionless dross that you might find in most fast food ‘restaurants,’ but fast food nevertheless.Should there be any doubt remaining, the self-service fridge with a selection of meals in glass jars should be clear enough to all but the severely intellectually challenged.We stumbled across the boco Opéra, at 3 rue Danielle Casanova, on our way to the Galleries Lafayette. It was already way past lunchtime and we couldn’t resist.A quick scan of the menu outside confirmed our intentions, but I was disappointed to find that they didn’t have what I wanted. Perhaps the lunchtime crowd had already stripped the fridge: it was after all, past two by the time we got there, late by Parisian standards.We decided to share a starter and a desert, while each choosing a main course. My wife chose the Salade de courgettes grillées à la menthe, a dish by Stéphane Décotterd, for our starter.The jar is a great idea, although a little tricky when sharing. We had the choice of both dipping in at the same time or taking turns, as there was nowhere to decant a half serving. The salad was tasty and well balanced, but perhaps lacking the flair that I hoped for from a two-star Michelin chef. (I was a two-star virgin, so maybe my expectations were a little high.)We both ordered bread, which clearly hadn’t been popular at lunchtime since the slice that arrived was beautifully moist on one side and as dry as a rusk on the other. Enlightened, the waiter quickly brought a fresh slice. They didn’t charge for the bread, a small touch that does leave a warm little glow. (Although, to be honest, I didn’t notice until just now, when I checked the bill before writing the review.)For the main, I chose risotto de coquillettes, asperges, fromage by Emmanuel Renaut. It was my second choice, as Vincent Ferniot’s poulet, houmous, pois chiches épicés was missing in action. Risotto is always a gamble as it is often either al dente or slop. This was neither. It was perfect and delicious: the best dish I’ve had from a jar. The mijoté de cochon, polenta fondante, another Renaut dish, was rich and full of flavour and had all the potential of the first. Unfortunately, it didn’t linger long enough in the microwave and the middle was tepid. We shared Frédéric Bau’s ganache chocolat noir, nougatine aux noix for desert. It was a disaster, because there wasn’t nearly enough for two. We nearly came to blows. The mousse was silky with the nuts supplied the perfect balance of taste and texture: a testament to Bau’s reputation of being one of France’s great pastry chefs.Replete and fortified, we continued on to do battle at the Galleries Lafayette. I would definitely return to boco, but with all the variety that Paris has to offer, it might be a while."
All prices are estimates on menu.