Besides the historic circus decor, Clown Bar has become a favorite spot to stop for a few sharable plates or something larger. The starter section offers a range of small piates.
All portions were large, very conducive to sharing, and the starter menu varied enough to create a lovely small plate meal. I’d probably go this way next time, seeing how large the plates are.
No room for dessert after this large, rich fare.
With 4 glasses of well curated wine, excellent service, a reasonable tab.
My French begins and ends with food terms. Actually, they gave us the English menu and we both stared at it before asking for French. It’s boggling how we come to recognize things by their local name. Like, would you prefer a multi-layer bread roll or a croissant?
Harters
(John Hartley - a culinary patriot eating & cooking in Northwest England)
#10
Yes - but it helps to have it in the thread title (as this other thread now has). Otherwise, the restaurant could be anywhere across more than two continents - which meant I had to open the thread to find out where it was, to see if I was interested in it.
Or, you can have lunch at Amarante https://www.amarante.paris & get a great version of morcilla alongside equally great beef brains. And some very buttery tripe. C’mon, do it for us.
Good but tiny dish, wish there was more. Lobster was thinly sliced, arranged in a rosette and covered with pork and topped with a fine layer of crispy buckwheat.
Very thin layer of chestnut cream on a bed of clementines, sandwiched by meringue. Personally feel a bit too much fruit and not enough chestnut cream, which should be the star.
Both glasses of rouge, Neck 2017 (grenache) and Bourgueil Le Carbernet Franc 2020 Domaine Breton went well with the food.
We dined at 19h so H could rush home to see his rugby match. Service was swift, dinner lasted 2 hours. Most of the diners were English speaking. We were well fed. Personally I found the dishes smallish. Meal was 140€ for 2.
No, he had left a week before our visit. But I think it’s a mistake to get hung up on individual often short time celeb chefs. The house has an interest in maintaining an outstanding kitchen.
I was gonna say that. Both of our visits May 2019 were post-Sota Atsumi, but I’m not sure who, if any, chef was leading the kitchen when we ate there. I think Luis Andrade was still in the kitchen at Au Passage when we ate there end of May (& really liked it) & hadn’t yet made the move (again, unsure). The current menu at Clown Bar looks great and its on our list for a return visit (or two) this coming Fall (as is Au Passage & Amarante). We’ve rented an apartment in the 11th, so we’ll be able to waddle home from each of them. And Korus.
My French begins and ends with food terms. Actually, they gave us the English menu and we both stared at it before asking for French. It’s boggling how we come to recognize things by their local name. Like, would you prefer a multi-layer bread roll or a croissant?
