Surprise Me

It took us a while to find our way to Oberkampf in part because we stopped often to admire the chic boutiques and ornate 18th Century French architecture along the way through the Marais district.  Even the grocery store with bright orange accents fits right in in this part of the city where old world charm welcomes a modern, vibrant sensibility.  We eventually find our destination at the corner where rue Gambey meets rue Oberkampf.  

There is a chef here, once a finalist in France’s Top Chef competition, and we have arrived early and eager to dine at one of his restaurants – eponymously named Pierre Sang. There is no menu, printed or verbal.  Instead we inform the waiter of our dietary limitations, and he re-emerges later with a surprise from the chef.  We savor and ponder every bite, guessing all the while what we just ate (We aren’t told).  Hmmm, that’s octopus,… frisée, a pea purée,… a lemon-y foam… but the sorbet, what flavor is it?…  Our waiter returns later to reveal what Chef Pierre has created for his customers today.   Turns out the sorbet was yuzu fruit and the pea purée was actually broccoli.  Moments later the fun begins all over again when our waiter presents the next course.  

Marty and I took the boys across the Atlantic last week for a Parisian getaway, and my jet-lagged mind is re-living our trip.  Top on our must-do list coming here was to dine at Pierre Sang, a 2017 Michelin Guide restaurant in the Oberkampf area of Paris.  Our meal was authentically French with a hint of Korean ingredients.  Chef Pierre Sang Boyer, born in Korea and adopted by a French family, pours his talent into his exciting cuisine.  He will soon open a third restaurant just a few doors down.

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This trip wasn’t just a family vacation; it was a long-awaited celebration of finally being dialysis-free and hassle-free to travel.  And this meal was a toast to the fact that I can eat pretty much anything now – cheese, nuts, meats, leafy greens.  No more watching out for excess potassium, phosphorous, and salt.  For many kidney patients, excess fluid is a problem too.  So to the waiter I say, I can’t have grapefruit [interacts with my medication] or raw/ undercooked meats [a risk for my weakened immune system].  But other than that, I can eat anything.  So bring it on.  Surprise me!