NYC — Spring 2013: La Sirène

For our last dinner in New York, my brother took us to one of his favourite restaurants, a small French bistro called La Sirène.

Moules Rochelaises
Sepios Sautés à la Provençale sur Salade
To start, we decided to share two of the appetizers. The mussels are probably the most popular appetizer here, and they offer three types. We decided to go with the Moules Rochelaises, a bowl of steamed mussels in a light curry cream with diced apples, and is listed as the chef's favourite. The mussels were fresh and plump, and the mild spicy flavour of the curry contrasted beautifully with the sweetness of the apples, which also provided a wonderful crunch. I'm usually not a huge fan of cooked fruit in general, but it works incredibly well here, and the flavour combination of the curry and apples proved to be incredibly addictive; we were all scrambling to dip our crusty baguette slices into the broth, while trying to scoop up the apples with the mussel shells. It was really quite a sight. Our second appetizer was equally as good, if you can believe that: sautéed baby octopus with garlic, parsley olive oil bread crumbs, diced tomatoes, and mushroom slices. I could seriously have eaten the whole plate by myself, it was so good. The baby octopus was incredibly tender and not too chewy, the mushrooms added a lovely earthy crunch, and the tomatoes were slightly sweet and crisp. Tossed altogether in a gloriously garlicky sauce... Just thinking about this "salad" is making me drool.

Poisson du Jour
Tournedos Rossini
As usual, my mom and I decided to share to entrées. My mom's choice was the fish of the day, which was seared striped bass in a creamy anise béchamel sauce. The bass was tender and perfectly flaky and the sauce had a wonderful spicy-sweet flavour that was enhanced by the anise. I'm not huge on cooked fish, typically, and I rarely ever order it for myself, but it was really well done here and I would definitely recommend it for those who want a slightly less heavy main course. I, on the other hand, decided on the Tournedos Rossini, their most popular dish: tender, juicy filet mignon seared to perfection, and then topped with plush foie gras and black truffle, with a silky port and red wine truffle sauce. Uh, can you get more decadent than this? Seriously. I don't think this dish really needs me to describe how gloriously divine it is... Just order it. Oh, and they also serve you a long dish of four different creamed vegetables to share as a table — buttery and delicious, they're completely complementary, and are all you can eat (!). We totally took advantage and ended up having like, four trays of the stuff. 
We originally weren't going to order dessert, but ended up deciding to share the profiteroles. It was too dark in the restaurant for me to get a good photo, but trust me when I say that they were epic. Choux pastry balls filled with whipped cream, served with velvety vanilla ice cream, drizzled with rich bittersweet Callebaut chocolate. If you're going to get dessert, make it this one. Seriously. You won't regret it. Overall, I'm incredibly impressed with this place. It's completely tiny (it only seats 25 people) and in a rather obscure part of Soho (technically South Village, which is mostly residential), but it's cozy, charming, and authentic (everyone that works there has a thick French accent, actually). The service is super nice and attentive, and great with recommendations if you're stuck on what to order. You get seriously amazing, quality French food in a casual, intimate environment without the pretentiousness or snobbery of a typical French restaurant. And it's also BYOB with no corkage fee (a serious rarity in New York City restaurants, especially a French bistro). Two thumbs up and 5 out of 5 stars — a definite recommend and must-visit.

La Sirène 558 Broome Street New York, NY 10013 (212) 925-3061