It’s become clear, in the past few years, that one needn’t venture to a fine dining restaurant – or even a bistronomic one – for excellent food. Small plates spots brimming over with delicious creativity abound. But to find such a place where the service is worthy of the food is rare. Not so at Soces, where the front-of-house folks manage to be genial, informed, present, and still friendly and as casual as a spot like this merits. And there’s perhaps nowhere you can eat this creatively for less.
The menu here is dominated by seafood, with a raw selection that, on our visit, included three types of oyster (18-24 for 6), joined by bulots (12) and spider crab (18). You can also enjoy charcuterie and a cheese board, each thoughtfully paired with natural wine. On the à la carte side of things, meanwhile, six small plates ranging from 12 to 15 euros each joined two more copious main dishes and a shared main of tuna belly with pepper sauce (85). Our server recommended two plates per person; our group of three split five and couldn’t even finish what we got.
The red tuna with seaweed, datterino tomatoes, and marinated herbs (20) was nice enough, sitting in a broth laced with fig leaf oil. It was meant to have toasted buckwheat on top, which they were kind enough to leave off. Because I didn’t taste the dish as designed, I can’t be certain that that’s what it was missing. All I know is that while perfectly fine, it ultimately paled in comparison to some of the other dishes we tried, lacking in depth or oomph to make it really shine.
A salad of spring greens with fresh and pickled radishes (14) was, on the contrary, quite a pleasant surprise. The greens were piled atop a zingy, lemony tonnato sauce, and while the simplicity of this salad could have made it fade into the background, I’ll admit it was one of my favorite dishes – and one I’m eager to recreate at home.
In mid-May, it seemed a bit too early for tempura-fried courgette flowers (18), but we absolutely loved these. They were stuffed with ricotta, which caramelized in the fryer, and each was draped with a perfect anchovy. The lovage mayonnaise on the side was particularly delightful, especially smeared on the fine-but-not-incredible bread.
The bouchot mussels with nduja butter (15) were incredibly moreish and decadent. The tiny spring potatoes and wilted spinach scattered among them were a lovely touch.
But the dish that impressed us the most was a squid’s head curry laced with perfectly crisp-tender tentacles and draped with Kintoa ham (16). Richly flavored with an intense meaty aroma, this dish is one I’ll be thinking about for a long time.
In second place was dessert: a bowl of strawberries and strawberry jam studded with giant chunks of crumble and topped with a warm fig leaf crème anglaise drizzled with fig leaf oil (12).
Each bite offered a new adventure of flavors and textures; we quickly scraped the bowl clean.
The dining room here is cozy and convivial, and honestly, it feels far more New York than Paris, with its bar tailor-made for dining, drippy candles, and open kitchen. And with an ever-changing seasonal menu, it’s the perfect place to become a regular at.
Soces – 32, Rue De La Vilette, 75019