A great composer who was once asked to explain his sonata responded by playing it again. This anecdote comes to mind when we’re about to meet Thierry Marx, after having savoured his cuisine. What should we ask him? To explain his dishes? The food at Cordeillan-Bages was delicious. Shouldn’t that be enough? But even if the culinary demonstration was already quite sensational, meeting the chef added another dimension to the experience.

 

His cooking has evoked many adjectives, including ‘molecular’ and ‘deconstructed’. It is the stuff of dreams for some; others turn up their noses at it. But the others are wrong. Because behind these words are recipes which call on memories. Those of the chef’s childhood in Belleville, certain aspects of which we most certainly share. And though his creations may startle the eye, the palate tends to find itself on familiar ground.

 

This is what Marx’s cuisine is all about. For example, the spaghetti au ris de veau, spaghetti with veal sweetbreads - a masterful concoction which has also become a customer favourite - is utterly satisfying. The dish looks like a flying saucer, a spaghetti spaceship containing sweetbreads in cream. The blend of pasta and crème fraîche infused with all those meaty juices immediately takes us back to childhood and its creamed veal cutlets with macaroni.

 

Except that this dish is even tastier than grandmother’s was... because the sweetbreads’ texture is more velvety than the rather dry cutlet’s, resulting in a harmonious smoothness that our forebear’s recipe lacked. Another golden touch: the ribbon of lightly roasted meat gravy which encircles the plate. Mind you, this is no ordinary roasted gravy - it’s the gravy we fought our siblings for, the gravy we coaxed from the pan with a bit of good bread. Gorgeous.

Here, we clearly see the hand of the chef. Why deconstruct a lemon tart, given that the traditional pastry shell topped with lemon cream topped with meringue is such a good idea to begin with? Ah, but Thierry Marx has remembered how much he used to enjoy those leftover bits of pie, those sundry pieces which needed to be pried from the pie tin pell mell. Haven’t we all tried licking the creme out of a lemon creme cookie before nibbling on the biscuit?

 

Still, the menu is not only about memories. It also explores new horizons, like with the foie gras au pressé d'anguille, foie gras with pressed smoked eel. We never would have thought to bring the two products together, but the marriage is perfect, and we can only wonder why the ‘grande cuisine classique’ didn’t come up with the idea earlier. The taste is so unexpected that its newness apparently calls for a rather subdued presentation, so as not to further bewilder the customer. Thus Thierry Marx always provides the perfect touch of extravagance and traditionalism, whether in the flavour or the form. His saucisson virtuel, virtual sausage, is nothing more than a thin membrane holding a very savoury bouillon. After the maître d’hôtel pierces the saucisson before your eyes, the bouillon slowly, limply seeps out. It’s rather a droll dish, in fact - there’s plenty of humour in the name and the novel mise-en-scène.

 

All in all, the experience at Cordeillan-Bages is as entertaining as it is palatable. The same applies to our exchange with this stalwart chef of a new genre, with his fondness for martial arts, Japan, and the street food he means to import to Paris. And although we did have a nice long conversation, we would have welcomed another chance to chat. Maybe the second time around Thierry Marx, just like the composer, would have answered our questions about his fine culinary compositions by donning his toque and giving us a demonstration.