“We looked at a lot of places, but we fell in love with this space and Clichy,” Aldon told me when she came to take my order. The menu was thoroughly enticing, so it had taken me a while to make my choice. Finally, I ordered a slice of the homemade pâté en croûte and a hanger steak with seasonal vegetables. The pâté en croûte was fully flavoured and wonderfully emollient, the absolute definition of what this ur-Gallic concoction of pâté cooked in pastry should be. The steak was outstanding, too, perfectly cooked rare – this is a cut of beef that should never be ordered well-done – in a beautifully deep, bovine, mahogany sauce of drippings, butter and wine.
So happy with this food and relaxed in my own company after a very busy week, I found myself thinking that this was exactly the type of homey, honest, generous French food that had seduced me the first time I came to the country on a family holiday. I became obsessed by the food while everyone else was avid to visit yet another museum. I love museum-going, too, but there’s nothing like a first visit to Paris for a fledgling food-lover, since it was a non-stop experience of little ecstasies I never knew existed, everything from croissants that would shatter into buttery crumb in the morning, to delicious little pots of jam, runny omelettes filled with chunks of cep mushroom and country ham, oysters, onion soup… and for five blissful, life-changing days, it just never stopped.
I finished this purringly good meal with a sublime chocolate mousse, and if I hadn’t already arranged to meet a friend at another restaurant in the heart of Paris for dinner, I’d have come back here. As it is, I look forward to my next stop here, and congratulate this delightful young couple for having just won a richly-deserved Bib Gourmand, an award from Michelin that signals a place serving excellent, good-value cooking.
Rosette, 77 Rue de Paris, Clichy, Tel. (33) 01 47 72 67 51
From France Today Magazine