Unlock Paris: Small plates

Showing posts with label Small plates. Show all posts

Artisan - Cocktails and Small Plate Dining in South Pigalle

You know how much we love small plate dining here at Unlock Paris and you might have noticed that we're partial to a cocktail, too. And then there's our penchant for the area that we like to call SoPi (that's South Pigalle, to you) with our tongue firmly lodged in our cheek. Well, as luck would have it, Artisan ticks all of our boxes: located just behind the trendy rue des Martyrs in the 9th arrondissement, this cosy establishment serves a range of expertly mixed cocktails alongside tapas-sized dishes to share - perfect! Counter seating and a no-reservations policy create a laidback atmosphere - pitch up, pick a bar stool and order as you wish from the concise menu. Seasonally varying dishes include delights such as a jazzed-up croque monsieur with cured ham and mushrooms (€8), delicate root vegetables with hard-hitting horseradish (€7), langoustine ravioli in a sea of seafood emulsion (€10) and the pungent truffled brie (€10). For pudding, you can't go wrong with the creamy rice pudding with salted caramel and lime (€6) or the lemon creme brûlé with apple petals (€6) - both to be devoured with groans of wide-eyed pleasure. On the drinks menu are cocktails such as Be Sage (Bourbon, lemon juice, sugar, sage and Amaro, €13) or the playfully-named Are U Nuts (walnut-infused Cognac, white vermouth and chocolate bitters, €13) as well as a carefully chosen selection of wines (from €5 for a glass of Coteaux du Giennois). The high quality of the food combined with the casual dining format, coupled with a laidback yet softly-lit setting, makes Artisan a destination that's just as suitable for a romantic date as a dinner with friends - all in all, it's a winner in our books.

Artisan

14 rue Brochart de Saron, 75009 Paris

Open Tues-Sat, 7pm-2am (kitchen closes at 00.30); Sunday midday-4pm for brunch.

No reservations.

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw 2014.

Tsubame

We love SoPi (South Pigalle, dontchaknow), we love Japanese food, we love small plate dining and we love bento boxes - ergo we absolutely fricking adore new Paris restaurant, Tsubame, which combines all of these elements in one neat package. On a corner spot on the sloping roads leading down from Pigalle, the simple, no-frills setting is the backdrop for a bento-box lunch spot, serving fish, meat or veggie options (inlcuding breaded pork served on rice with lotus root and spinach on our visit) in the daytime, and an izakaya - essentially a Japanase tapas bar (and a nascent Paris trend) - in the evening, with small plates to share, washed down with Nikka whisky, wine, sake or tea. Don't miss the distinctive black sesame icecream or the original matcha creme brûlée for pudding.

Tsubame

40 rue de Douai

75009 Paris

01 48 78 06 84

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw / Unlock Paris

Léngué - Japanese Tapas in the Latin Quarter

There has been something of a small-plate trend over the last couple of years in Paris, but the concept is neither new nor uniquely European. Trying out (and loving) new South Pigalle Japanese tapas joint Ito led us to rediscovering established Left Bank restaurant Lengué, which is also an Izakaya - a Japanese drinking specialist serving small sharing plates - with ex-Robuchon chef Katsutoshi Kondi heading up the kitchen. The intimate space with wooden ceiling beams and bare stone walls is on a little hidden-away street - an alley of calm between the tourist traps of the Latin Quarter. On the extensive menu are bite-sized delights such as sweetly succulent Dengaku aubergine fried in miso, light and fluffy omelette, finger-licking good sesame chicken wings, and sautéed squid with ginger (prices range from €5-12 per dish), to be washed down with Japanese beer, Nikka Whiskey, sake or plum wine, and to be rounded off with refreshing mochi icecream or matcha tiramisu. Be prepared to re-order several times throughout your meal as the dishes are so delicious it's hard to resist trying more and you'll surely become intrigued by whatever your neighbours are eating... Book ahead and come with a big appetite.

Lengué
31 rue de la Parcheminerie, 75005 Paris
Open Tues-Sat, 12-3pm; 7-11pm.
Tel: 01 46 33 75 10

Ito

We've said it before, and no doubt we'll say it again: South Pigalle is the place to be in Paris right now, and the recent arrival of casual Japanese canteen Ito only confirms that sentiment. The tiny, inconspicuous restaurant in the SoPi neighbourhood, helmed by chef Victor Magsaysay, serves serious Japanese tapas, with a concise menu of ten small dishes featuring delights such as tofu-stuffed shitake mushrooms, finely cut Chahan cauliflower with ginger and black sesame, succulent dengaku aubergine with red miso and chilies, and a beautifully presented yuzu-black sesame red berry cheesecake for pudding, all to be washed down with Japanese beer (Kirin, Asahi), dangerously delicious Umeshu plum wine or sake or whiskey from their extensive drinks list. Prices are €19 for three plates, €25 for four or €65 for ten (count on having three to four plates per person).

Ito

2 rue Pierre Fontaine

75009 Paris

Reserve by email: reservations@itoeats.fr or phone (from 6pm) 09 52 91 23 00

Open Mon-Sat, 8pm-2am

Buvette - Pigalle

SoPi, the New Yorkified name for the area of Paris just South of Pigalle, continues its hipsterfication (it's a word) with the arrival of a Big Apple import: wine bar and "gastrothèque", Buvette. Greenwich village-born Jody Williams has recreated her West Village restaurant, Buvette New York, on the charming rue Henri Monnier in Paris' 9th arrondissement, in a casual, shabby-chic setting with a marble bar and exposed brick work, serving small plates to share, including bruschetta-style tartines, and mini fish, meat and veggie dishes such as cuttle fish and chick peas, coq au vin and fennel with spiced orange and honey, plus cured meat and cheese platters (€18 for three plates or €30 for five), all washed down with well-chosen wines from regions throughout France, expertly-mixed cocktails, artisan cider or organic beer. Also on the menu are tasty puddings such as tarte tatin, and croissants and scones are served all day for breakfast or a tea time snack. Buvette doesn't take advanced reservations and the kitchen is open all day, making this a great option for an affordable, friendly or romantic meal off the cuff. We like.

Buvette

28 rue Henri Monnier, 75009 Paris

Open Tues-Sun, 10am to Midnight.

all photos copyright Kim Laidlaw / Unlock Paris

Septime La Cave

The team behind the much-lauded restaurant Septime (which featured again this year on the World's Best Restaurant list) has opened a wine shop cum wine bar just around the corner from their main address in the 11th arrondissement. Pop into the charming Septime La Cave to pick up a bottle from their vast selection from not just France, but also Italy and elsewhere in Europe, no matter what your budget (prices start from around just €6) or take a seat at the small bar in the vintage-retro feeling shop, complete with metro-style tiles and cinema-type lettering on the wall menus, to sample some of the wines by the glass, soaked up with fresh and simple small plates. On the seasonally changing menu are tapas-sized portions of high-quality olives, cheeses and cold meats and simple fish (we had delicious sardines served with herbed butter, and peppered goat's cheese on our visit) of between around €4-14 each, to go with a superb selection of wines from by the glass from between €5-7 (we enjoyed the Sicilian SP68 Bianco, and the sparkling Chenin from La Grange Tiphaine). The incredibly friendly and knowledgeable staff are on hand to advise and the general atmosphere of this cosy space make for a convivial setting for an afternoon or evening drink - perfect for a light bite or an aperitif.

One of the hottest tables in town is Frenchie - a small, affordable restaurant with highly acclaimed food from chef Gregory Marchand. But being one of the most coveted restaurants in Paris, securing a table is no mean feat. So, what do you do if you're just dying to sample the Frenchie experience but can't get your name on the lengthy waiting list? Go to Frenchie Bar à Vins, that's what. This pocket sized wine bar annexe of the restaurant - just across the cute, narrow street from the mothership - serves grade-A dishes to go with its extensive and top-notch wine list. And unlike Frenchie the restaurant, Frenchie the wine bar takes no reservations - you just rock up, put your name down on the blackboard at the front and then loiter at the bar with a glass of wine (wine is served both by the glass and by the bottle and the friendly staff are happy to advise if needed) until a space frees up. In keeping with the quality of the food at the restaurant, we're not talking standard-issue wine bar fare here, but rather dishes composed of fresh, seasonal ingredients, prepared with thought and flare by the chef in the tiny - and visible - kitchen in the corner of the one-room space.

Order several of the small-plates on the regularly-changing menu to share - such as asparagus with morel mushrooms, Comté cheese and a poached egg (for which the asparagus spears are to be used as soldiers to dip into the gooey yolk), €19, or smoked mackerel with tiny cauliflower florets and zingy grapefruit segments, €12. The traditional wine bar staples of the cheese plate and the cured meat plate are upgraded here with dishes such as coppa di parma with spring onions and aged balsamic, €14, or blue cheese with lemon zest and Amerana cherries, €10. On our visit the chef also insisted we try his rich and creamy Crème au Chocolat with passion fruit caramel, €8, and we were only to happy to oblige, emitting almost indecent moans of pleasure with each spoonful and seriously tempted to lick the bowl clean. The food here is truly delicious from start to finish. Despite its already global reputation, there is no sign of pretentiousness - rather the setting is laid back, with white washed brick walls, wooden floors and exposed wooden beams and hungry visitors from the UK, Japan and the States are all welcomed warmly by the friendly team. There aren't many seats, just a handful of tables and a couple of stools at the bar - but it's definitely worth the wait and a excellent option if you're looking for a really special night out, especially if you have neglected to score a reservation anywhere or suddenly have a spontaneous craving for top-quality wine and food. One of our favourites.