Lunch-eon Paris - Hits and Misses

You may not know this, and why would you, but I am a night person.  Not quite a vampire, but I'm
working on it.  Although I love the night, the dark, the quiet, I admit, there are some drawbacks to sleeping from 5 am to 1 pm.  One is that if you get a craving for, oh, I don't know, let's say cookies, at 3 am and your cupboard is bare, it is not like you can hotfoot it to the all-night supermarket.  No, we are not in Kansas anymore.  Another problem with waking up so late is that by the time I pull myself together, do my 250 'morning' pushups and try to become conscious again, most of the restaurants in Paris have stopped serving lunch.  On the other hand, pull yourself out of bed by, let's say, noon at the latest, and you are in business.  Because one of the things I love about France is its lunch culture.  You no doubt know what I'm talking about, but if you don't, just walk into a busy bistro or cafe in Paris during lunchtime and you will see and feel what I'm talking about.  Of course, this isn't particular to Paris, or to France in general, but is an aspect of most European countries.  Only in Spain, you can stay in bed a lot, lot later.

The upshot of this post is that I had managed to get out of the house in time for lunch a number of times in 2017, so I thought it might be a good idea to share some of my good (hits) and bad (misses) experiences, without getting too verbose.  That is what you will find below, starting with the hits.

AUX PLUMES
45 rue Boulard, Paris 14
tel. 01 53 90 76 22

Towards the end of my review of a dinner at Aux Plumes last May, I mentioned that the restaurant appears to have one of the best lunch deals in Paris.  I can now confirm that, based on a couple of visits last Fall.  An 18€ lunch menu nets an entree of 3 small, original dishes followed by a high-quality main dish.  The only drawback is that if you are opting for wine by the glass, that will set you back another 7 euros or so; sans wine carte, the server will make a suggestion and let you taste a couple before deciding.  This is such a great deal, I hesitate to say any more in fear that it will become too popular and impossible to snag a table at lunchtime (not that I egomaniacally assume to have such an impact on Parisian dining habits).  Just to add, Co. and I returned for another dinner last October and it rivaled our first experience.  P.S.  that is chef Kazuhiro Fujieda at the top of this post.

3 dishes in a box to start off lunch

The main dish, la volaille (I believe that would be pintade)

YA LAMAI
4 Rue Jean-Pierre Timbaud, Paris 11
tel. 09 81 41 97 30

If you regularly visit this site, you know I left my heart in the 11th arrondissement of Paris. where there are so many outstanding restaurants that it is ludicrous to say this is the one you should lunch at.  There also are many excellent Thai restaurants in Paris.  But if you want to make your choice easier, you have Ya Lamai for a terrific authentic Thai lunch deal.  A menu can be had for 14€50, which includes a choice from several dishes for entree and plat.  A variety of beverage options as well, and  the one I opted for was a 'Whiskey' Thai, a Mekong spirit that has the distinct taste of rum.  At 7€, it did the job, even if I am not a rum drinker.  One of Ya Lamai's walls in the two modest dining room areas displays some basic Asian food items that can purchased.  I picked up a bottle of the spicy sriracha sauce (4€50)- the same sauce that was brought to my table when I asked for something to help me sweat.  A more complete review of Ya Lamai, with photos, can be found at the So Many Paris website.


W FOR WOK
12 rue des Petites Ecuries, Paris 10
tel. 01 42 46 57 74

LE TRICYCLE STORE 
51 Rue de Paradis, Paris 10
tel. 06 26 03 05 43
 
W for Wok is one of a few places I passed along rue des Petites Ecuries with Co. as we went along our way to the hot new spot in town, Eels. As we did, I  ungrammatically proclaimed, 'I definitely got to try these places for lunch.'  By the way, Eels was for dinner, so I'm afraid I can't dig deep into that one here, except to say that it was very good, but from my perspective, a bit overrated.  Maybe it was a bad idea to pick a table next to a party of 10 celebrating someone's 80th birthday.  As usual, I digress.  One of the other places I passed on the way to Eels was Jah Jah by Le Tricycle, another vegan venture by the brainchild (or is it brainchildren?) behind Le Tricycle Store, the Rastafarian top spot in Paris to purchase vegan hotdogs.  Well, while I'm here, you can add Le Tricycle Store to your growing list of interesting and inexpensive lunch venues because I had a cheap, pretty satisfying and enjoyable meal there a few months ago and apparently forgot to tell you.

Tricycle's vegan hotdog and accompaniments

Upstairs from the carryout/kitchen of Tricycle

Long story shorter, I was all set to check out Jah Jah one Tuesday last month only to find out that the venue was closed on Tuesdays.  Hey, this is Paris - you want to close on Tuesday, you close on Tuesday.  So I crossed the street and popped into W for Wok. For want of a better description, W for Wok can best be described as an Asian street food cantine, pardon the oxymoron.  W offers up some intriguing options, including their famous Ramen burger, wok dishes (hence the name), nems, wings, and brochettes.  But for my money, the best deal is to choose one of 90 possible 'Mega' combination meals, composed of three steps:  (1) choice of a rice or noodle base, (2) choice of accompaniment (tofu, chicken, shrimp, calamari, etc.), and (3) choice of sauce (satay, curry coco, satay, oyster, etc.).  Served in one of those nondescript plain Chinese carryout boxes, the food arrives steaming hot and tasty.  For my visit, I chose red rice, shrimp, and hot spicy sauce, a filling meal that set me back a mere 13€ and which I washed down with a Singha beer (1€50).  With 89 combinations left to go, I think I'll be making W for Wok a regular haunt for future lunches.

One of 90 W for Wok combination meals

A happy W for Wok diner at the next table

It's street food, so carryout is clearly an option at W for Wok

OH AFRICA!
Marché Saint-Quentin
85 bis Bouldevard Magenta, Paris 10
tel. 06 58 63 75 27

 Serendipity strikes again.  One Tuesday in December, I wanted to find a casual lunch spot close to the Gare du Nord and came upon some good reviews for Chez Silvana, the Portuguese addition to the covered Marché Saint-Quentin.  Co. and I usually explore this market at year's end when we make our annual visit for oysters at Pleine Mer, and just a few doors up from the market is Mamagoto, another promising lunch destination, despite my tepid response to a dinner there last year.  At any rate, psyched for a nice Portuguese lunch, when I arrived, I found Chez Silvana all boarded up and was informed that it was closed on Tuesdays because, hey, this is France and if you want to close your restaurant on Tuesday, you close your restaurant.  Fortunately, this is a large enough market to offer a few alternatives.  A tiny Brazilian spot was empty and uninviting, so I turned my attention to the snug little afro-antillaise venue, Oh Africa! sitting not far from one of the market's entrances.  When I entered, a three-person film crew was busily interviewing a couple as they ate, the only other customers in the joint at a relatively late lunch hour (re: tough to get out bed, etc.).

Spatially challenged and not the most comfortable seating possibilities, Oh Africa! nonetheless earns its exclamation point by offering a incredible lunch deal:  for 10€, a choice of one of three daily platters, with a homemade juice of your choice running to another 2€.  (I lost my receipt and vaguely remember the juice offered free of charge.)  I opted for the coconut chicken platter, which arrived with a heaping mound of rice, plantains, a bowl of curry, and a substantial piece of chicken.  I splurged and also ordered a spicy ginger potable.  While I waited for my meal to arrive, I agreed to be interviewed by the team, students at a journalism school who were interested in why I chose the restaurant, how I feel about African food, etc.  It was an enjoyable interaction, and the server behind the counter joined in the camaraderie. When asked whether eating African food is a way of 'visting Africa' I had to say, 'no, it is not,' but that it is a way of tasting exotic cuisine that I don't regularly eat.  If you want to know what it is like to visit Africa, you have to go to Africa.

Oh Africa! was a nice little find, but I'm still eagerly awaiting my next trip to Chez Silvana.

Inside the market

Inside Oh Africa! (two photos courtesy of Les Petites Tables)

The lunch deal

Where better to interview people about Afro cuisine than in an African restaurant?

ALSO NOTEWORTHY:

LUZ VERDE
24 rue Henry Monnier, Paris 9
tel. 01 70 23 69 60

See my previous post for details.  Just to remind you: best guacamole in Paris.


SENSE.EAT
39 Rue Mazarine, Paris 6
tel. 01 46 34 54 71

Sense.eat, a vegetarian Italian restaurant, may have a lousy name, but it offers another great lunch deal: 19€ for two courses (entree/plat or plat/dessert).  Recommended if vegetarian Italian is your cup of risotta.

Sense.eat's betterave/radis entree

 

An excellent risotta

L'ESTAMINET
Marché Des Enfants Rouges
39 rue de Bretagne, Paris 3
tel. 01 42 72 28 12

Although there is indoor seating, the great appeal of L'Estaminet is to have a satisfying and inexpensive lunch inside the Marché Des Enfants Rouges's courtyard on a nice sunny day.  It is hard to think about this at the present time, given we haven't seen the sun in over a month in Paris, but it is a good one to bookmark.
 
CAVES ST GILLES
4 Rue Saint-Gilles,Paris 3
tel. 01 48 87 22 62

 I remember an enjoyable, copious lunch at this Spanish tapas venue.
 

Not all was fun and roses on the lunch front for me in 2017.  A few ventures left me wondering why I ever got out of bed so early.

L'INEDIT CAFE (4 rue Taine, Paris 12) - it had a nice ambience and a friendly staff; the food was inexpensive, but not very good.

PANAME BREWING COMPANY (41 bis Quai de la Loire, Paris 19) - a rarity in Paris, an actual brew pub.  I imagine if you are schmoozing with your friends for a quick burger and beer, a table on the terrace would fill the bill, but I couldn't find a spot on the terrace and ended up eating inside, where a waitress was busy chasing a pigeon and not doing much else, ultimately grabbing the pigeon and tossing it out the window.  I had to order my meal from the bar, although it was brought to my table - an uninspiring pulled chicken sandwich with fries.  The beer was good, but the experience was a bust.

LES BANCS PUBLICS (2 Rue de Nantes, Paris 19) - what this place has going for it is its proximity to the canal Saint Martin and La Villette.  It offers a nice view, which you will have plenty of opportunity to enjoy as you endlessly wait for your meal to arrive.  A popular venue, the food is decent enough, but the chaos inside will create a strong desire to flee. 

PO BOY CAFE (72, quai de Jemmapes, Paris 10) - I know you may find it shocking that I add a hot spot of the moment, Po Boy, to this list, although to be fair, 'disappointing' would be more accurate than 'miss.'  My pulled chicken plate wasn't bad, but it certainly didn't live up to the 'authentic New Orleans' hype.  Po Boy is the ground floor of Two Stories, with the more expensive and formal Nola upstairs.  Co. and I tried Nola for a dinner last year and found that, too, somewhat disappointing.  I may give Po Boy another shot, opting for the jambalaya next time, but it's not high on my list.






 

Paris Restaurant Musings at the End of a Decade

I promised to continue my tour of the rue Oberkampf restaurant scene and, as far as I’m concerned, a promise is a promise. A couple years ago, Le Café Charbon, a Paris institution and one of the oldest cafes in the capital, was beginning to do some interesting things with the food, although this has always been more of a drinking establishment than restaurant, hovering somewhere in-between neighborhood and trendy. I remember some decent lunches and a fairly understated but eclectic dinner menu, as I fuelled up before concerts in the groovy back room (the chandeliered Le Nouveau Casino). My last visit, sometime last Fall, suggests that they’ve given up on the food. Casual reigned, with burgers, salads, and the like ruling the day. Too bad, but I still consider it my first option in the area if I want to while away some hours chatting with a friend over drinks. Not the greatest selection of single malts, but what can I say, sometimes you have to slum it. And despite the comments online about Le Charbon being snobbish or apathetic or cold, well, if you can’t handle what often passes as Parisian warmth, there’s always Cleveland.

At any rate, a couple weeks ago, there I was in Le Charbon musing over the state of the world, humanity, and other sundry topics, with my Jamaican friend, Rastaman. I was in a Jack Daniels kind of mood and R-man was in a hot chocolate sort of mood – you can’t account for tastes – and so on we mused, both of us gradually warming up in our own idiosyncratic ways. Before the clock hit 8:30 p.m., we both realized that we had warmed up enough to start thinking about other needs, such as food, and with the words ‘casual’ and ‘cheap’ and ‘no reservation on a Friday night’ entering into our musings, we headed out the door and straight ahead, across the street to another Oberkampf institution, L’Occitanie. Only when I took a gander at the façade and awning did I have the odd impression of the something was happening here, but you don't know what it is, do you, Mister Jones variety. There was the old reliable next-door neighbor, Chez Justine (oddly, all closed up for the evening!), and viola!, the name L’Occitanie up there in the upper right corner of the front wall. Not exactly the bright neon variety, I nonetheless felt assured that I hadn’t taken a wrong turn in Denmark, or something like that. As I later learned, this was L’Occitanie no more, having been replaced by a third Au Pied de Fouet location in the city during the Spring of 2008. Am I out of the loop, or am I out of the loop? Originally installed in in the 7th (45, rue de Babylone) some 150 years ago, a second Au Pied was inaugurated in the Latin Quarter (3, rue Saint Benoit) in 2007. And then there was a third, all specializing in southwest cuisine.

We squeezed through the body-challenged entrance to find a boisterous, packed room of Parisians doing what packed rooms of Parisians often do, happily eating, drinking, and conversing. Sans reservation, Rasta and I stood in the front for a short five minutes at which time a tiny square of a table suddenly materialized amidst the others and we squeezed in. I’m sure I’ve already commented about the close seating in many Parisian restaurants. Well, Au Pied gives new meaning to the word ‘close.’ Think intimate, think people at the next table sitting on your lap. But no one seemed to mind, so why should we? This is the sort of place that positively reeks of old Paris. Think simplicity, authenticity, cheap. My shrimp appetizer, for example, consisted of a half dozen whole, peeled shrimp lying naked side by side on my plate next to a glop of mayo. Not exactly creative, but with the Chinon and bread, guess what? This did the job. I followed this with a confit de canard ‘Maison,’ (10.50€), which arrived with the duck sitting on a bed of mashed potatoes, pieces of duck perfectly cook, falling without effort off the bone. Simple but hearty. Rastaman went with the supreme de volaille and had good things to say about the sauce (as in ‘this sauce is really good’). For dessert, we continued with the tried and true, a tarte Tintin and a daily special rhubarb tarte. All for the ridiculous price of 48€ (wine, one appetizer, two plates, two desserts, one café). No wonder they are packing them in like sardines.

It wasn’t much more than a week or two before the aforementioned foray along Oberkampf that I was back with the Moose for an impromptu dinner at L’Estaminet, about a block further along rue Oberkampf. This is another establishment that can best be described as friendly, young, and packed. So packed that, after a ten minute wait at the bar, we were reluctantly guided downstairs to a room that the waitstaff had hoped to close off for the rest of the evening. This was the first time since the smoking ban that I had been in the cavelike rooms in the restaurant and the first time I could actually breathe as I ate my meal. At L’Estaminet, there is more of an effort than you find at Au Pied to add a little creativity to the preparation of dishes and my verdict on this occasion was that the results are hit and miss. The hit was my risotto aux cepes et magret fumé entrée (7€), a big surprise, given that this dish has often been a big disappointment elsewhere (Oslo being the most recent I can recall). This was tasty and warming, with copious slices of magret and I would go back for that dish alone. My main dish, however, the nage St. Jacques et rougets, coulis de langoustine vapeurs et legumes (17€), was the reverse – a big disappointment for a highly anticipated dish. The sauce and diced vegetables overwhelmed the scallops and rouget, and by the time I was halfway through, I was bored.

Now just a hop, skip, and jump away from the new decade (the 10s?), out of curiosity I pulled out my old agenda for January 2000 to find out how I started the decade eating-wise. There it was, clear as day, one of my favorite bistrots in the 11th, not far from Oberkampf, but closer to Parmentier, Le Villaret. This is a restaurant that I sorely neglected this year, with only one visit since the new ownership arrived. This is definitely on my list to review for 2010.

Before ringing in the new, my hat (if I had one) is off to the meal of the year, personally speaking, at Ze Kitchen Galerie, during a recent dinner with Co. and our pardners from Texas, J. L. and Tina ‘Brigitte’ Marie. Unfortunately, without notes and without an updated menu at Ze’s website, I can’t provide a description of my entrée that would do it justice, but it was a slightly cooked piece of dorade with thinly-sliced pieces of ginger and mango. Intriguing, creative, delicious. For the plate, I opted for the canard de ‘challans’ and foie gras grilles, jus betterave, and ginger. Wow. One last time, year of the beet. And, of course, the white chocolate, wasabi, pistachio sauce, and green tea epic dessert. I almost forgot what a killer dessert that is. Almost.

A dinner with Co. at the Mark Singer restaurant La Cave Gourmande, came a close second. With my notes long since having disappeared (new year’s resolution no. 1: keep notes!), it is literally a meal beyond description. The restaurant with two names, two large rooms, and one petite waitress (Mrs. Mark Singer?), the meal was creative and pretty close to perfection. Details to come, after next visit, I promise. But that dinner at Ze Kitchen was at that level beyond perfection. I can’t wait to go back. Bring on the 10s, I’m ready.

CAFÉ CHARBON
109, rue Oberkampf
Tel: 01 43 57 55 13
no website

AU PIED DE FOUET
96, rue Oberkampf
Tel: 01 48 06 46 98
Website: http://www.aupieddefouet.com/France/Presentation/11eme

L’ESTAMINET
116 rue Oberkampf
Tel: 01 43 57 34 29
no website

MARK SINGER RESTAURANT LA CAVE GOURMANDE
10, rue du Général Brunet
Tel: 01 40 40 03 30
no website

ZE KITCHEN GALERIE
4, rue des Grands Augustins
Tel: 01 44 32 00 32
website: http://www.zekitchengalerie.fr