Unlike the Irish rugby team, I have learnt from my visits to Paris over the years. Despite its reputation as a foodie Mecca I have found that eating out in Paris can be surprisingly (i) expensive (ii) hit and miss. Mark ups on wines are generally higher than in Ireland, and the food can be punchy too for what you are getting. With this in mind I put a psychotic amount of research into where to eat and, thankfully, came up trumphs. This involved long hours on the internet and texting anyone I could think of who regularly eats out in Paris.
The ever increasing number of bistro-nomique restaurants are probably the most interesting places to eat in Paris at the moment. The 'nomique' refers to both 'gastronomique' and 'economique'. Over the past number of years the prices of the top restaurants have risen to such an extent that most of the population simply cannot afford to ever eat in them. Even in a country like France where normal working people will actively save to dine out in a top restaurant perhaps once a year, these restaurants are considered ludicrously expensive. It should be noted that this is not simple profiteering by these restaurants, it is simply unbelievably expensive to run such operations. You need a fancy address (high rents), a huge number of front of house staff; an army in the kitchen to assemble each dish; and massively expensive raw ingredients (lobster; foie gras; turbot; chickens with postgraduate degrees etc). The Michelin system is a vicious cycle, requiring the output of ever larger sums to either retain the stars you have, and constant refurbs, crockery changes, refits etc if you hope to move from one level to the next.
At the other end of the scale many of the better known traditional bistro/brasserie restaurants in Paris are owned by various big operations where the bottom line is the primary motivating factor. The food tends towards to be generic, bistro classics trotted out using bog standard ingredients. Many tourists end up in these premises, swept along by the romance of big, busy, historic restaurants serving classic french fair but culminating in an ultimately disappointing experience.
It is therefore unsurprising that it is more difficult to eat out well in Paris than the capital's image as a food destination would have you believe.
The Bistronomique movement is an effort to address this lacuna. The philosophy behind these independently owned restaurants is that just because you can't afford to eat in the top restaurants does not mean that you should have to eat badly. The customer is still entitled to enjoy dishes made with the top ingredients appropriate to this level of restaurant. You won't find too much lobster or Wagu beef on the menu but every detail of the food from the bread to the coffee has been carefully selected to maximise quality. Many of the chefs in these restaurants have worked in the two and three stared establishments and become disillusioned by the elitism and essential falsity of this over-refined style of dining.
Le Pre-verre is a small restaurant on Rue Thenard in the 5eme, specialising in wines from small producers and the subtle use of spices in food. I had reservations about the latter, as I was concerned about the over zealous, and needless application of spices across the menu. Fortunately my visions of turmeric cheesecake never materialized as all spices were used in a judicious and sparing manner, and served to add subtle complexity to the food.
The wine list was the main reason I had booked Le Preverre. Wine lists in Paris vary massively in price and quality. At the lower end many cafes simply list the wine with no reference to producer or vintage. Elsewhere you can pay in excess of Dublin prices for pretty bog standard wines. At Michelin star level the sky is the limit, and you will be lucky to find anything half-way decent for less than 60 euro. By contrast Le Preverre has a short, but perfectly formed wine list. The list is divided into everyday wines, prices from 20 something to 50 something euro, and special occasion wines from 60 to 150 euro. All the wines are sourced from small, independent producers such as Barmes-Buecher from Alsace; Muzard from Burgundy; Domaines David and Saladin from the Southern Rhone; Domaine Tempier from Bandol. Scab that I am we stuck to the everyday section and had a lovely white Santenay Champs Claude 07 from Muzard (48 euro), and, as recommended by the sommelier, a rich, dark 2002 Cahors le Cid from Domaine Cosse-Maisonneuve (52 euro).
By Parisian standards the interior was lacking in dark wood, mirrors, zinc bars and a touch of Parisian romance. The restaurant is not going to win many prizes in this regard, although the space was pleasant, convivial and well lit.
We started with two portions of seared, carpaccio-ed scallops, with jerusalem artichoke puree and chips chips or artichoke and a plate of guinea-fowl terrine. The scallops were served topped with well dressed rocket leaves and a few strips of unidentified red vegetable. The round richness of artichoke puree was perfect with the delicate, yet rich scallops. The searing gave them a caramelized exterior which contrasted perfectly with the delicate raw scallop within.
The guinea fowl terrine was delicious. The dish was served with a lively kumquats sauce and mixed leaves in a nut-oil based dressing. The top of the loaf shaped terrine had been rolled in poppy seeds- the spice theme I mentioned earlier. It was moist and moreish.
The Santenay had a nice weight and good presence, without being in any way heavy or oily. Bright acidity and minerality made it refreshing and it was a perfect match with the richness of the scallops and puree.
Main courses were a shared rib of beef with smoked mashed potatoes and wasabi sauce- a signature dish- and slow braised pork in a milk with crisp cabbage. The beef was fabulous, in stark contrast to a tough, flavourless and expensive rib of beef recently ordered in a nameless south Dublin establishment. The meat was perfectly rare as requested. I would generally be wary of ordering this as the connetive tissue around the rib can require a slight bit more cooking than pure fillet, but this was perfect, testiment to the high quality of ingredients used here. The beef had great flavour and a melting texture. The smokiness of the mash was french in its understatement- which is a complement, I think? The wasabi sauce did not appear to be in evidence though, although the steak was topped with a red coloured dressing which contained shallots. All in all, pretty damn good.
The pork was seriously bloody good. Tender without being string, it had been poached in the milk which now formed its sauce. There was a faint rasp of anise in the sauce. Pork's friend cabbage was along for the ride and thoroughly enjoyed himself.
The Cahors was ideal with the beef. Full, Rich and smooth it still had a long, long life ahead of it, or would have done if we had not finished the whole bottle.
Nothing on the dessert list really screamed for us to order it. New York Cheesecake is apparently the house special, but not the idea follow up to any of the mainers. Roast pineapple with black sesame icecream sounded interesting, but not tempting. Ever eager for calories, especially those derived from a dairy source, I ordered the cheese.
The cheese board was a slight let down after the meal, which had been very, very good. I readily identified a slice of Brie de Meaux ( Donge I think), and what I assumed was Fourme d'Ambert.
The third cheese has a pinkish hue on the rind and a chalky texture, I wondered was it Langres.
I asked the japanese waitress, 'what are the cheeses?', she helpfully replied that the cheese were the white pieces and that the green pieces were the salad. The mystery cheese turned out to be Mont d'Or, which should never be in anyway chalky. I'm not saying the cheeses were bad, far from it, but there were disappointing after what had preceded them.
We finished with three good coffees and petit fours of mini chocolate pots flavoured with liquorice. These were delicious, especially accompanied by the warm glow of smugness that accompanies the correct identification of a particular flavour when your dinner companions have failed to do so.
I would heartily recommend Le Pre-Verre to anyone staying in the centre of Paris who likes good wines, good food and affordable prices. The menu and wine list change every month and are available on their website www.lepreverre.com
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