Le Terroir Parisien


Onion Soup revisted by Yanick Alléno
Star chef Yannick Alléno has opened his first Paris bistro, Le Terroir Parisien, in the city's fifth arrondissement. The restaurant, a stylish antithesis to the nearby tourist trap eateries of the tacky Place Monge, is the Michelin-starred chef's homage to his home town of Paris and the surrounding Ile de France region.

Matelote "Bougival"
In a modern space with clean lines of warm-toned wood, dominated by a central bar and looking onto the kitchen, suits and gastronomes alike dine on traditional dishes from the Paris region, revisited by the chef and composed of locally-sourced produce. Snack on a simple croque-monsieur (€10) at the counter, or savour the deconstructed onion soup, poetically entitled "Aux Petits Oignons, ma gratinée des Halles" (€7), composed of an onion, gruyere and croutons in a bowl, over which the diner pours a jug of hot stock to create the soup. Simple, seasonal dishes, such as radishes and butter, also feature strongly on the menu - after all, to support the locavore movement, produce must be in season. Plats de résistance currently include skate in a beurre noisette and caper sauce (€18), or the interesting Matelote "Bougival" (€19), a dish from the history books featuring two types of white fish in a red wine and mushroom sauce.

Desserts include the not-sickly-but-just-sweet-enough St Honoré with its vanilla cream filled puff pastry, and the rich and comforting Brioche Perdue with vanilla icecream. For those without a sweet tooth, the generous cheese plate is worth trying for the black brie alone - an aged, hard brie that came about as a result of a forgetful cheesemaker. There is also an excellent wine selection and a choice of very reasonably priced wines by the glass (we tried an oaky Chardonnay at under €3 a pop).  Service is excellent - professional and friendly, without being overfamiliar or pushy - and the setting has a perfect balance of casual and special, thanks in part to the service and in part to the interesting architecture.

Brioche Perdue
St Honoré
A great address for traditional yet interesting French food - and at around €35 a head, it's a thoroughly affordable way to sample the cuisine of a Michelin-starred chef (Alléno's other Parisian address, the restaurant at Le Meurice, is likely to melt your credit card). 


Le Terroir Parisien
20 rue Saint Victor, 75005 Paris
01 44 31 54 54
Open daily from breakfast until dinner; brunch on Sundays

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey 2012

12 comments:

  1. I really want to try this place, but the combination of the 'terroir' title and the fact that it is situated in the Maison de la Mutualité where Sarkozy held his rallies (including his farewell speech!) has put me off slightly!

    I wonder what self-imposed rules Alléno has for this place. Celebrating the products of the Ile de France is a noble mission, but unless I'm very much mistaken, there are no skate in the Seine!

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    1. Hi Adam,

      I was thinking the same regarding the UMP connection yesterday watching the farewell speech - but don't let that put you off as this is good food at a reasonable price and to have a new and good restaurant focusing on French fare is quite interesting.

      I also had the same question regarding the skate-and the cheese and the wine-and indeed, the manager explained that not everything is from the Ile de France region, but the focus is on products and traditional recipes from the area.

      -KLA x

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  2. I like the concept here and i really like the nicely priced wine by the glass. i had a beajolais while there, which was nice and also rang in at under 3.

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    1. It's good isn't it? And as we noticed - interesting that the wine is under €3 a glass but a diet coke rings in at €6, but I guess this could be to encourage local produce, too!

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    2. diet coke is HW robbery no matter where you go in this town. I do like the sound of good wine that's easy on the pocketbook though!

      Thanks Kim I'll have to check this place out!!

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    3. Thanks, Shannon! The food is the real draw though - do check it out and let us know what you think!
      --KLA xx

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    1. Well, we didn't have fries - the skate was served with boiled new potatoes, but there are pommes alumettes on the menu.

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  4. Oh la la - this sounds like a winner. Sad to have just missed my opportunity to try it, but c'est noté pour la prochaine fois.

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    1. It's great - do try it when you're next here and let us know what you think!
      --KLA xx

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  5. I love the style of this eatery and will definitely check it out next time I'm in the city. The menu's mixture of classically "French" dishes and regional favorites seems perfect.

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    1. It's a great place for visitors to check out for its "Frenchness" combined with its originality - it's really something quite out of the ordinary. If you do go, let us know what you think!
      --KLA x

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