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ChefChef Paul Canales is all about the details. Whether it’s getting into the weeds of what ingredients make a classic bouillabaisse, or selecting local artwork for his new Oakland restaurant Occitania, he’s involved on all levels. After years of running the kitchen at East Bay Italian standard Oliveto before branching out to Spanish food at Duende, Canales is now embarking on an exploration of southern French cuisine — and he wants to show diners a side of French food they may not know. “There’ll be some classic things that echo that kind of [French] restaurant,” Canales says. “But the food will be much more wide-ranging than what you see in any French place around here for sure.”french cuisine Taipei

Canales has been working on Occitania since October 2020 and the restaurant is set to debut in the Kissel Uptown Oakland hotel June 1. The opportunity to cook French food influenced by the ancient linguistic region of Occitania excited Canales. The region touches parts of Italy and Spain, whose cooking Canales is intimately familiar with thanks to his experiences at Oliveto and Duende. “Now I have tremendous creativity possibilities, in terms of digging into the cuisines of these regions,” Canales says. french cuisine Taipei

The menu is ambitious, featuring time-intensive dishes like lamb shank and house-made sausages, pates, and rillettes. Smaller items move from lighter dishes such as asparagus and leeks topped with egg, Parmesan, walnuts, and vinaigrette to squid braised in red wine and served with aioli. Escargot makes an appearance, as does pigeon cooked three ways served with olive tapenade. For main courses, a seafood stew called bourride provencale features petrale sole and shrimp; for heavier fare, there’s a luxurious lamb shank slow-cooked in red wine and garlic, then grilled and served with spring vegetables. Already, Canales has plans for several dishes that will rotate onto the menu or how items will change and shift with the available produce. For example, he’s already tested a bouillabaisse made with scorpion fish and a grand aioli made with salt-cured cod to be served with vegetables and poached shrimp. french cuisine Taipei

Source:EATER