I spent a few days in Paris after almost two weeks travelling through the Republic of Georgia, highlighting that country’s amazing cuisine and wine. For Paris I decided to focus on restaurants within walking distance to my hotel that were relatively easy to book, as I knew I’d be tired and didn’t want to complicate things. A quick overview of my meals:
Fleur de Pave: This is a Michelin one star but had a good price point, 80 euros for 4 courses and the bonus of a counter to watch the chefs work. The food was good. I opted for vegetarian courses with the exception of my main. I was served a selection of plant based canape amuse bouchées, followed by their signature shaved cauliflower composed over puree which was wonderful, then a play on carbonara with elements of just the distilled egg and cheeses without a starch. It was flavorsome for sure. Then a lovely med rare duck breast with spring vegetables and a herby jus followed by a very bright and zingy chocolate and basil desert and standard mignardises.
While the food was good the overall experience was a bit lacking as there was almost zero interaction with the chefs which begets the question of why offer counter seating so close? The one Japanese sous chef spoke a little and was friendly-ish but the main chef didn’t acknowledge me or several other parties at all while chatting a lot with one couple. Given how close we all were it felt awkward, as two people were having a wildly different experience than the rest of us quite visibly. I don’t expect freebies or to be entertained as a rule, but the hospitality seemed lacking which unfortunately soured me on the restaurant. While I recommend the food (especially given the price) I myself won’t be returning.
Lazu- Dinner the next night was a much more cheerful affair even if the cooking was not quite at the Michelin star level. Lazu is a friendly neighborhood bistronomic place with an energetic dining room as well as a few tables on the small terrace overlooking a lively street in the 9th. I dined outside and it was great people watching. The food was very good, and the service friendly and chatty. A fun amuse, followed by a lovely, herbaceous spring starter of green peas, strawberry and pork belly that was light but very satisfying. This was followed by the beef two ways (hangar teak and braised cheek) with an array of veggies and a light herb sauce to cut the richness. The clientele was almost completely local from what I could tell and this would be a good spot for a lot of occasions- dates, friend groups, etc.
Maison Cluny- I was on the Left Bank as I had tickets for the Leonora Carrington exhibit at the Musee du Luxembourg so I had made a reservation for the terrace at Maison Cluny. If you are in the neighborhood, and the weather allows it, I highly recommend it. They have a lovely terrace overlooking a very sweet and green square and it is such a classy respite in the city. The terrace was full (so glad I booked ahead) and I was surrounded by locals. I had a lovely spring pasta with peas, asparagus, mushrooms followed by one of the best versions of chocolate mouse I’ve ever had. The servers were young and fun, and it was a quintessential Parisian vibe.
Eels- Eels has been on my radar for years and for some reason I kept overlooking it on earlier Paris trips. Given that it was a quick walk from the hotel, and the menu had lots of interesting choices, I am so glad I finally made it; it was the probably the best food of my short visit. The room was full and energetic and the servers were adept at keeping the pace buzzy and fun. It was a mix of tourists and locals, mainly on date night. They didn’t offer any amuses, or mignardises either, but the two courses I ordered were so wonderfully delicious it didn’t matter. The green asparagus starter was so vibrant, with a sauce of pollen, orange and almonds and the colors were unreal. This was followed by the pork dish that Andy G shared a picture of in his writeup last month. It was so delicious, obviously Asian inspired with a punchy amount of spice. The chef at Eels really has fun with flavors, herbs and spices while maintaining a good balance in the food.
Honestly I think I ate amazingly well in a few short days and it was refreshing to not worry about all the “can’t miss” places on the radar of so called influencers. I’m not sure if any one dish was life changing, but all were very delicious and most of the places had that joie de vivre that one comes to Paris for.
