Rating Standards: 5-Stars = Extraordinary; 4-Stars = Excellent; 3-Stars = Average; 2-Stars = Fair; 1-Star = Poor
€ = Inexpensive: 30€ and under; €€ = Moderate: 31€-49€; €€€ = Expensive: €50 -75; €€€€ = Very Expensive: more than €76 (prices based on minimum 2-courses)
1-Bell = Pleasantly quiet (less than 65 decibels); 2-Bells = Can talk easily (65-70); 3-Bells = Talking normally gets difficult (70-80); 4-Bells = Can talk only in raised voices (75-90); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (90+)
3.25 - Star.......................................€€€....................................... 1 - Bell
Our dear friends from San Francisco who we've known for over 40-years are in town and we wanted to have drinks in Le Marais followed by dinner at Chez Mademoiselle. None of us could remember how this restaurant was recommended to us, but that was fine.
As I entered, the restaurant it had really good vibes.
This restaurant is located in the Saint Paul area of Le Marais (4eme). As we entered, I was surprised that Parisians have not discovered this place, because of its great location. But on the other-hand, foreigners seem to know about this restaurant and in fact, not one french diner was to be found, hmm, interesting.
I sat next to the kitchen and can watch the food being cooked. What I found interesting, but not unusual is there were sous chefs and kitchen helpers, but no chef in sight. The largest "cooking appliance" they had was a huge grilling station
ENTRÉE
OCTOPUS-- It was a grilled octopus with a little greens served over a paprika sauce. I thought the Octopus was tender and nicely charred. After I saw the grills in the kitchen, I'd hope they'd be able to grill foods well.
JJ wasn't as keen on the dish as I was. He thought the octopus was bit overcooked. It did have a slight chew, but it didn't bother me at all. Net-net, I thought it was a good start and the portion was just right.
PLATS
I thought the fish was very moist and there was nice charring. It didn't have much flavor, but I did sprinkle quite a bit of lemon, which helped.
The haricot vert was OK, personally I would've preferred them to be a little more al-dente. But in France, I've noticed, on average vegetables are cooked medium to medium well.
Overall, I thought the dish was a good plat albeit one note. For me, it was quite voluminous.
MISCELLANEOUS:
Our friends ordered a tuna, and they asked the tuna to be cooked on the rare side. I took a taste of it and have to tell you was it beyond rare. And, it didn't really have much flavor.
JJ got the lamb chops. He said they were kinda bland and just eh, and although he asked for it 'rosé' (medium rare) it was overcooked. But he did enjoy the haricot vert.
DESSERTS
DAMPT FERES
CHEVALIER D’EON
CHARDONNAY 2022
BOURGOGNE - TONNERE
" Vines have been growing in the Tonnerre (which in French means “thunder”) region since early Roman days, and later under the keen viticultural stewardship of monks up until the 1800s when phylloxera struck. It took nearly a century for vignerons to rebound and revive the region back to life.
Today, the wines of Tonnerre are pretty much unknown outside of the area, but according to wine critic and educator Jancis Robinson, “the Tonnerois is an up-and-coming wine area,” and with a blessing like that, it may not remain in the shadows for long.
The appellation stretches over six villages—Dannemoine, Épineuil, Junay, Molosmes, Tonnerre and Vézinnes in northern Burgundy very close to Chablis.
The Chardonnay wines produced here have a pronounced golden color, a trademark of the region and aromas range from citrus notes to exotic fruits, floral and mineral character. These wines are best consumed within the first five years after their release." ~ VINIO.
JJ, who prefers reds to whites, had a glass of Graves which was fine.
SUMMARY
The restaurant is really cute, very cozy and a great location. So, the question needs to be begged, why haven't locals discovered this restaurant. Everyone there last night were either American, Asian or from other parts of Europe. Odd?
I was having such a great time catching up with friends, I didn't seriously give the food much thought until I got home and analyzed what I had.
The kitchen is very small. I saw a huge grill. Hence, they served a lot of grilled dishes (roti). The entrées were good, but nothing out of the ordinary. One friend got the garbanzo bean salad, other than the flavor of garbanzo, it was pretty bland. Octopus was good and nicely charred. Lamb chops needed something to bring it to another level. Desserts were pretty good, but I'm pretty sure they got it from somewhere else. As an aside, I did not see a sign "fait maison" meaning made inhouse. In fairness, maybe I didn't search hard enough. The sign basically means the majority of the food was made on premise (home made). JJ felt all the food came from "Metro."
Overall, the food is basically good, but they have such potential to bring it to the next level by adding some spice and/or interesting sauces. Presentation could've been a little tighter as well.
Service was EXCELLENT. Our waiter spilled our wine and refilled to half. All the waiters were very charming, friendly, English speaking (as well as Portuguese, Spanish, Italian), and helpful. They made the entire evening most pleasant.
So, for 4-entrées, 3-plats, 2-desserts, a bottle of chardonnay, a glass of red, out total bill came to €225 or €56.25, not a bad deal.
Would I go back, sure, if I'm in the neighborhood and want a simple good meal with friends. But I would not go out of my way to go to this restaurant.
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