This cilbir dish, we want to return to it again and again.

Dsince the publication of his cookbook (Gram. manual of a parisian kitchen, First), in the fall of 2021, this pocket canteen opened in 2018 is always full. On Saturday, starting at 10am, a small crowd gathers in front of the chalk-white facade of 86 rue des Archives. Although the neighborhood is very (too) crowded on weekends, the reason for Gramme’s success lies elsewhere: in the tasty, diligent and comforting cooking of her young chef, Marine Gora. The menu, redesigned as much as possible, is proportional to the size of her establishment (restricted, let’s say), but there’s always a nugget in there.

A very colorful dish stands out on the September menu. His name sounds like the beginning of a poem: “Eggs like a cilbir”. A Turkish specialty, cilbir is a mix of yogurt and spices with poached eggs. Traditionally served for breakfast, it can also be savored as a dip with bread, fingers never far from the creamy mixture, at lunch or as an aperitif. Marine Gora got the idea to deliver her own version of it after trying it everywhere, including in Mexico, where she spent her last vacation.

Their “eggs like a cilbir” are presented with a loaf from the famous Sain bakery (15, rue Marie-et-Louise, Paris 10^me), sliced, toasted and added with a pinch of butter and fleur de sel. The crusty greasy bread is dipped in the very illustration of tonic smoothness, that of fresh yogurt and soft-boiled egg (one or two, as desired), garnished with freshly roasted and very lightly sweetened datterino tomatoes. Dukkah, a Middle Eastern mix of spices, seeds and crushed nuts, and a few parsley leaves and rose petals sprinkled on top enliven the whole, without spoiling the sweetness.

Very quickly, the ingredients melt into a confusing mix of flavors and textures that make you want to come back again and again, almost frantically, with a spoon when you run out of bread, until the white Pyrex plate is properly cleaned. A huge success of Gramme’s summer menu, the recipe was back in service at the start of the school year, with kale and chickpeas gearing up to replace the tomatoes. A little later still, in November or December, Gramme will invest a second address at 11^me Neighborhood, with more space and real stoves. We can expect other exploits.