Graham Tigg's Paris
Dining
Graham Tigg's Paris
Dining
Prices are an estimate for two people eating a middling menu with coffee and a bottle of wine.
| Les Magnolias | In the suburbs, but an easy RER ride is rewarded by creative wizardry and good value |
| Repaire de Cartouche | Interesting diverse dishes makes this bistro come restaurant interesting |
| Bombis Bistro | Small neighbourhood bistro where the locals flock (now has new ownership) |
| La Boulangerie | The team from the Bombis relocated here to expand and refine their art |
| Café Constant | No booking bistro near the Eiffel Tower that does it properly |
| Chez Michel | Enjoy Brittany dishes a stones throw from le Gare du Nord |
| Os à Moelle | Neighbourhood bistro with simple but high quality dishes |
| Jacques Melac | Our watering hole for country wines with character. The simple hearty bistro fayre and cheese is strongly recommended. |
Note that three of the chefs below - Thierry Faucher (L'Os à Moelle), Thierry Breton (Chez Michel) and Rodolphe Paquin (Le repaire de Cartouche) along with Yves Camdeborde (Le Comptoir and before that La Régalade), have written a book of simple plan ahead recipes "Qu'est-ce qu'on mange ce soir ?". These four are at the forefront of a young generation of chefs who have re-invented the Parisian bistro in recent years. By complete coincidence we have dined at establishments of all four.
| Les Magnolias | Top of Page |
Lunch/Dinner 150 €. January 2006 + several visits
Le Perreux is a suburb near the north bank of the Marne to the west of Paris, but it’s as easy to get to as anywhere in Paris by public transport – a five minute walk from Nogent-le-Perreux RER station on line E and less than 30 mins from the center.
The menu offers three courses for 50 €. Jean Chauvel's cooking is seriously creative yet reasonably sound and he seems to be up for anything technically. For example in a rabbit dish there were delicious "cookies" of moist chestnut flour cakes with nuts, olives and rabbit meat. In the dish itself flaked rabbit meat was in a milky sauce topped with a green mousse. A sublime way to express the relatively delicate flavour of rabbit.
A dessert with berries came on a base of bean shoots wrapped with blanched white cabbage leaf and strawberry sorbet. Embedded poivre de cubebe gave extraordinary lingering hits of spicy mint. Ongoing amuse bouches add to the fun and interest. The clientele seem to be French; the staff generally exude enthusiasm for the venture and, at the moment, it’s a pricing miracle.
| Le Repaire de Cartouche | Top of Page |
Dinner 90 €. January 2002 and January 2003
The simple wood panel dining room soon had a good buzz in the air as the tables filled. The carte offers around 8 choices per course. A torteau of Crab with celeriac and mushroom was packed with crab meat and bound with a sauce that utilised the dark meat. A crème of girolles with croutons was perhaps a bit delicate and lacking girolle flavour. >From 2003 a carpaccio of tête de veau with red kidney beans was a superb but simple combination of textures.
St. Jacques with their coral rested on top of sautéed (but salty) cauliflower. A section taken from a large Brill had been cooked on the bone and oozed a nice sticky texture with acidulated lentils balancing the dish out. From 2003 Ris de veau cooked whole and sliced with salsify had been prepared with care and a big thick pork chop was lifted to another plane by a melange of button onions, chestnuts, Jerusalem artichokes and mushrooms that gave a rich sweetness.
To finish baked moist prunes stuffed with crème patisserie and skewered by a vanilla pod with vanilla ice cream was a good contrast to a large tarte fine of apple. A Clos Marie from Pic St. Loup (they list several, we chose the 1998 Simon at 30 €) was a class act. Good service.
| Bombis Bistro (new owners) | Top of Page |
Dinner 70 €. January 2003, 2002 and 2001.
Note - the original Bombis team have moved on (see La Boulangerie) so my review will be of limited use.
A Bistro for locals well away from any tourist sites between Bastille and Nation. A crispy "pizza" with tomato, onion, olives and fresh sardines was super, as was octopus done Andalusia style. Rolled saddle of lamb with prunes and aubergine was satisfying. Milk fed lamb marinated in herbs with garlic and salsify was sensational. Desserts were a bit sweet and over worked but the cheese plate was superb. Interesting wines, including Jasse Castel from Montpeyroux (if you're lucky). Friendly with a great atmosphere, but note tables are packed together.
| La Boulangerie | Top of Page |
Dinner 75 €. January 2006.
Yes this is in an out of the way location, but just about anywhere in Paris is easy to get to. This certainly looks like a bistro with a long sweeping bar and splendid renovated mosaic floor. Menu is three coursed for 28 € at dinner. Rolled stuffed lapin with boudin noir and pimentos was robust as was tete de veau with salad. Joue de proc with five spices and rice was well done if a little simple to be interesting. Dessert, a stuffed apple with cassis sorbet, was the star and not far behind was a chocolate orange tart.
Super wine list, friendly efficient service and good value.
| Café Constant | Top of Page |
70 €. January 2006
If one definition of a café is that they don't take reservations then it's aptly named in several ways. Quick service and plenty of standing room is another. A pâté de campagne was nothing special although an endive salad was well done. Tete de veau slices lightly fried with steamed new potatoes may not sound much but was transformed by a sauce gribiche (egg, capers, parsley etc.) and a topping of micro topped shallots and chives - delicious. We skipped desserts but the menu read like bistro standards. Sadly the wine list was dull
Handy for the area or for spontaneity (no booking).
| Chez Michel | Top of Page |
Dinner 85 €. January 2001.
It may be a stones throw from the Gare du Nord but Chez Michel could be in any Parisian back street. It feels more like a bar laid out with tables, probably because it must have been a bar/cafe at some time and little hads been done since. Atmosphere is not the strong point here, it's the Breton based value gourmet cooking. The 30 € menu offers delights with dishes such as a "lasagne" of artichokes, basil and chevre; an outstanding confit of lapin with herb mash and equally good mouth melting joue de boef with mash and gravy. Rapid service and the availability of an English menu put Chez Michel firmly on the international visitors trail, but then it is central. Next time we'll try Thierry Breton's simpler bistro next door which looks to be where many of the locals have decamped to.
| L'Os à Moelle | Top of Page |
Lunch 80 €. January 2004 and 2002
Has very much a local corner Bistro feel. The menu comes on a portable blackboard and offers three courses. A cream of langoustine soup with chirizo, croutons and parsley was full of flavour. A very generous portion (for a small supplement) of sautéed foie gras was cut with a vinegar reduction and a salad of young purslane.
The star dish was a whole seared rognon de veau with chard. Perfectly cooked - succulent and clean tasting with perfect texture. Red mullet with leeks was simple and brilliantly fresh. For desert a gratin of citrus fruits was a somewhat unadventurous choice on our part, while a tart of quince and apple with vanilla ice cream was well up to scratch. We found the wine list a little uninspiring. A relaxing Saturday lunch spot.
| Jacques Melac (bistro a vins) | Top of Page |
Lunch and Dinner 80 €. Many visits
This established wine bar hasn't changed much over the years, after all if it works why fix it. Country wine, charcuterie, top notch bread, a choice of two country dishes (hot food served evenings only), and don't miss the selection of Auverge cheeses. They're popular with locals and if the front bar area is full then try the two rooms at the back - one is non smoking. Jacques is usually there, the handlebar moustache is a bit greyer these days but his French shows no sign of slowing down to any comprehensible rate.