L'INSOUMISE -- Restaurant Review

For menu, directions and general information:  

http://restaurant-linsoumise.com/

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+)

4 - Star........................................€€................................... 3 - Bell

We wanted to take our good friend out for a going away dinner, but wanted to stay local in our neighborhood of the 15eme arrondissement. I came across this restaurant that had good reviews, and NOT touristy. In fact, everyone in this small restaurant were French except for us. It's more a neighborhood restaurant, it's out of the way for most tourists. So, it looked promising.

The interior was cozy, albeit a tight squeeze as in many small restaurants in Paris. There was about 25-30 seatings. It was extremely noisy because of the smallness of the space.


Now onto the food.

AMUSE BOCHE:  There was definitely a lot of flavors packed onto a small spoon. It consisted of dorade, avocado, croutons and I believe the spice was espelette, a basque paprika. 

A very good start to set the stage for what was to come.

ENTRÉE

MACKEREL. The mackerel was pickled in-house. Although it was good, it was a bit tart for me. However, JJ who likes tart food loved it. It came with some beets, greens, a tomato, sprinkling of clams, and a nice sweet sauce to counterbalance the tartness. 

Overall a good dish. 

TOMATOES WITH BALSAMIC, AGED HAM AND BURRATA.  Simply presented and taste was very distinctive. The burrata cheese was topped with a pesto vinaigrette, light and delicious. The ham spoke for itself and was quite good, not too salty as they often tend to be. 

PLATS

ROASTED PORK WITH POTATOES AND A DEMI-GLACE SAUCE. This was not on the menu, but one of the specials of the evening.

The pork was roasted to perfection, very tender and moist. I often don't like demi-glace cause I find them too sweet, but this had the perfect balance. The potatoes with herbs was a great side. What surprised me the most was the portion. It was huge, and I actually couldn't finish it. 

I'm starting to notice that portions in Paris are getting larger. Hmm?

My favorite dish of the night.

BAR (SEABASS). This was also not on the menu, but a special for the night. JJ ordered this dish, he loved it. Again a nice variety of veggies and sauces to compliment the fish, which can be bland.  Portions here as well were somewhat large.  A piece of polenta was added which JJ found ok but another friend who ordered the Bar found it unappetizing. 

DESSERTS

GANACHE CREAM. Although this dish was called, "Ganache Cremieux" it was actually more like a chocolate mousse. Dark chocolate, but made very light with accompanying strawberries and a sorbet of casis, to counterbalance the sweet. 

A very good dessert. 

APRICOT TART WITH A DOLLOP OF VANILLA ICE CREAM. The crust was a puff pastry topped with a thin layer of pastry cream and sweetened-caramelized apricot. It was a good basic french dessert. 

SUMMARY 

This is a neighborhood restaurant in the 15eme arrondissement. But if you're willing to venture outside the center of the city, then you'll be well rewarded. And, reading and understanding French will probably come in handy, since the menu is in French and I did not see an English translation. I'm assuming the staff spoke some English, but I forgot to ask. 

Because it is a small restaurant, they may alter the menu a tad. The menu is small (see online for basic menu), but as most of you know, I prefer a small menu to a massive one, which means they do a few things well, rather than a massive menu where everything is mediocre.

I'm noticing a trend where portions are getting larger in Paris, hmm wondering if this is due to American influence. Anyway portions are large. 

The service was slow, but I like it that way, gives you more time to socialize with your friends. Because the restaurant is small and tables are squeezed in, it can be very, very noisy. But once it thins down it gets easier.

With 3-entrées, 4-plats, 2-desserts, 2-glasses of Côte de Rhône, and a bottle of Bourgogne chablis our bill came to €269 for 4-people or €67.25 per person. Not bad.

Would we go back, ABSOLUTELY!