The woman at the table next to us talked up the chef, Christophe Philippe, and asked if I’d been to his previous location. I said, no, but I’d read about it. Apparently he has a devoted following. (He came out to deliver some plates and to chat with patrons; he seems quite down-to-earth.)
We were there for the bargain lunch, 19€ for two courses. I had a glass of very nice Faugères for 5€. Our starters were thinly-sliced veal tongue with mayonnaise and salad, and accras made with sole, both quite nice.
For mains I chose the tripe aux olives with purée, and my partner had joue de boeuf “croustillant” (slow-cooked beef cheeks seared on both sides to develop a crust) with fried polenta.
The TimeOut entry for Amarante suggests that lunch is “light”. I don’t know what they are talking about. These were generous and filling portions, loaded with flavour. If dinner is heavier, I don’t know if I’d be able to manage it (though, on the basis of this lunch, I’d be inclined to make the attempt).
For an extra 3€ each, we could have had a simple dessert on the menu, but we chipped in another 3€ and split the chocolate mousse made with cocoa from São Tomé et Príncipe, which was lovely (not too sweet, rich flavour, good texture).
Old-fashioned without seeming retro, very casual and relaxed atmosphere. Why was this place not packed? (Okay, it was a Monday lunch in January during Fashion Week, but still.)
I LOVED Amarante! I think that product and cooking are excellent. Christophe offers several hard to find and beautifully cooked and served innards. Fraises de veau shown here with crackling crisp toast and olives. Tender and very delicious.
Delightful waiter and perfect service. Heartily recommend to those looking for offal and to those who would like a gentle and very delicious introduction.
We went back in January. Got off the plane, took the RER and a bus to our rented flat in the 11e, dropped our bags, and walked over for a late unreserved lunch. This place tends to fly under the radar, perhaps because it is not daringly innovative, but it has a lovely low-key atmosphere, and very good food.
I will fondly remember my lunch at Amarante for a long time. We went with a friend from other food boards who lives in Paris & split 5 small plates and 2 mains. All great, especially if you love all parts of animals. The veal tongue slices were delicate, yet very flavorful - way better than my mother’s East European boiled cows tongue (which I loved). The blood sausage was not in a casing, but was a large, thick rectangle, crisped on the top & was the best blood sausage I’ve ever had - and I speak from a lot of boudin noir, morcilla, etc “research”. The fraise de veau (pictured in a post above) was buttery, tasty and tender - wow. Escargot, veal brains & duck — all good. 3 great choc. mousses, coffees, bottle of wine, sparkling water — all in about 180euros for the 3 of us. I cant imagine ordering more food, so normal people should get out of there for half that. If I lived here, I’d live there.
I cant believe its been 5 years since I’ve been to Amarante, especially given how much I loved my initial visit (above). Well, last night 6 of us had dinner there & I have to say that its every bit as good as I remember it. Lots of food around the table and I’ll stick to writing about mine (& a little of my wife’s ). Carmenere &/or ninkat can chime in as they wish on what they had or the wine ordered (I enjoyed my glass of white Chardonnay & then the 1st bottle of red ordered, not so much the second). My entree of tongue was, as per above, excellent & plated much as what plragde’s photo shows. Ginny’s foie gras was silky smooth and, although she and ninkat split one order, there was still enough for me to taste & approve of. Carmenere had fish as her main & the rest of the table was reluctant to even sample my main of andouillette (one had a small bite & said “nope), so I had the large sausage to myself. And loved it. I’m not sure that one can ever call this dish “clean”, but I will. No real funky parts, only very tasty pieces of intestine, neatly cut and flavorful. Lucky for my tablemates, there was no overwhelming odor either. If one is to order this anywhere in Paris, I heartily (well, maybe not my heart) recommend it here. There was also an order, aside from everyone’s mains, of steak for the table and the large strip that I had (it was cut by the kitchen for sharing) was excellent: medium rare and tender with a good char. A side of fresh petit pois was also shared and these were at peak flavor. I sampled the desserts of very lemony citron and chocolate fondant that others ordered, but neither really floated my boat. Succumbing to peer pressure, I joined the after dinner drinks crowd with my own Poire Williams. Grappa has nothing on the shot I was given & I’m sure it dissolved everything I ate (or have ever eaten). Wonderful meal, although Ginny said (& I confirmed with a taste) that the espresso sucked — end of night service bitter. Oh well.
Thanks for the report! Mmmm andouillette, and that “steak for the table” is a good idea. It has been almost five years since I’ve even been to Paris! But I’ll let the Olympics madness die down first.
Funny, my espresso was quite good…I’ve had some truly terrible coffee in Paris, and this was not that (to me). The foie gras was excellent, as always (and the new waiter dropped an unordered terrine de cochon that we kept, despite trying to pare down the order by Ginny and I sharing the foie gras, and I thought that also v. good). My main of grilled loin of pig was so good, I ate every bite, and I tasted Carmenere’s sole, also excellent. A moment to hail the mashed potatoes and peas, both really good, especially the peas which were essence of peas, but also beautifully seasoned with je ne sais quois, but yum. Best pomme purée I have ever eaten, though was at L’Ami Jean, hands down, still last night it hit the spot with the slice of steak, also loved by me.
My chocolate fondant dessert was not warmed through, so although the taste was sublime (and I ate it all!), I sorely missed the runny center in my memory. I ate this with a glass of Banyuls: parfait. I liked both wines, and they (especially the first one, IMO) went well with the food. The second one was particularly good with the steak.
Mostly, I love this simple restaurant with absolutely delicious food. And the unusual mix of people at this Paris table made my heart sing!
Completely agree with you and Ninkat, that was an exceptional meal. Since I’m invited to chime in, I had the croustillant de pied de cochon Kintoa as first course and enjoyed it a lot, as usual since it’s one of the two appetizers I usually order here, either the pied de cochon or the veal’s brain meunière. Christophe Philippe has a special technique for the croustillant: he debones the cooked pig’s feet then moulds them in a terrine with all the jellied stock until stiff, then slices the thing and pan-fries it. The gelatin melts and becomes a very delicious crispy crust, while the bits of pig’s foot inside are gooey and tender. Mmm.
Then I had sole, i.e. Dover sole, which was prepared in a new manner as far as the restaurant’s classics are concerned: previously the chef had very large soles which he left to mature for a few days, then cut into large rectangular shapes which he fried in butter. Last night’s sole was of a different size, still very large but fried à la meunière in butter, then filleted, and served swimming in butter. All four fillets were quite a morsel to eat and I had to leave a bit of one on my plate. Later I had a little chat with the chef about that sole, he almost apologized that the fish was smalller than usual. “But it was huge! I replied. — Oh, no, he said, it was a small sole. — No it wasn’t, it was quite large. I couldn’t even quite clean my plate.” For dessert I got the chocolate fondant and I agree that mine was a little warmer than Ninkat’s but not much warmer. I much preferred when Christophe made chocolate mousse with the very same chocolate from São Tomé, the texture was nicer, but it remains one of the purest and greatest chocolate flavors one can ever taste. I ordered a glass of poire Williams brandy from the Distillerie Cazottes, and it was excellent, I can confirm the dissolving effect that you mentioned. That sort of thing is not called a digestif for no reason.
). Carmenere &/or ninkat can chime in as they wish on what they had or the wine ordered (I enjoyed my glass of white Chardonnay & then the 1st bottle of red ordered, not so much the second). My entree of tongue was, as per above, excellent & plated much as what plragde’s photo shows. Ginny’s foie gras was silky smooth and, although she and ninkat split one order, there was still enough for me to taste & approve of. Carmenere had fish as her main & the rest of the table was reluctant to even sample my main of andouillette (one had a small bite & said “nope), so I had the large sausage to myself. And loved it. I’m not sure that one can ever call this dish “clean”, but I will. No real funky parts, only very tasty pieces of intestine, neatly cut and flavorful. Lucky for my tablemates, there was no overwhelming odor either. If one is to order this anywhere in Paris, I heartily (well, maybe not my heart) recommend it here. There was also an order, aside from everyone’s mains, of steak for the table and the large strip that I had (it was cut by the kitchen for sharing) was excellent: medium rare and tender with a good char. A side of fresh petit pois was also shared and these were at peak flavor. I sampled the desserts of very lemony citron and chocolate fondant that others ordered, but neither really floated my boat. Succumbing to peer pressure, I joined the after dinner drinks crowd with my own Poire Williams. Grappa has nothing on the shot I was given & I’m sure it dissolved everything I ate (or have ever eaten). Wonderful meal, although Ginny said (& I confirmed with a taste) that the espresso sucked — end of night service bitter. Oh well.
