L'AMI JEAN
27 Rue Mallar
75007 Paris
Website:http://www.lamijean.fr
tel: 01 47 05 86 89
Lunch
from noon to 2.30 p.m.
Diner
from 7 p.m. to midnight
from noon to 2.30 p.m.
Diner
from 7 p.m. to midnight
Always Open
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 (70-75); 4-Bells = Can talk only in
raised voices (75-80); BOMB = Too noisy for normal conversation (80+)
3.5 - Star.............................................................€€€...........................................................3 - Bell
This restaurant has been
around awhile; it’s always been very popular with locals and tourists. I have a
friend who lives in the 7eme (Little America), so I asked him if he wanted to join me for lunch.
We got there at 1 pm and it
was about two thirds full and we got a table next to the kitchen, which is open
for viewing. I now know why it was open; the Chef Stephane Jego is quite the
character. He’s like a one man show, sometimes funny, sometimes very “Gordon
Ramsey” going off on his sous Chefs and helpers. When he needed to sneeze, he’d sneezed louder
than anyone I’ve ever known. So, I guess in a nutshell, he’s quite eccentric. Actually,
he looks like he’s crazed. But one thing I can say, he’s a hands-on Chef, I
don’t believe any plate left the kitchen without his final touch.
There are two pre-fix lunch
menus, one for 35€ and another for 42€. We chose the 42€, it looked much more
interesting.
ENTRÉES:
For our entrée my friend had
the “Tartine de - tante - coquine…
Jardinier de saumon” whichliterally translates to “Aunt’s naughty tart of gardener
salmon”. I have to say, I tasted this
dish and it was delicious. It had a salmon atop a nice crunchy crust and the
citrusy flavors just enhanced the oiliness of the salmon. This dish was
definitely a winner.
I had the “Fondue de veau de tête… Navet Boulangère en gratiné",
translated to Fondue of veal’s
head with the baker’s turnip gratiné.
Interestingly enough, it was served in a square plexi-glass with a bowl
molded into it. My friend really liked the dish, I thought it was good, but
what was a little disconcerting I bit into some tiny inedible cartilage, but
the overall taste was OK, but it did not wow me like the salmon.
PLATS:
My friend had the “Volaille de sélection… Pochée, rôtie, ail
et thym” which translates to “Selected poached chicken, with roasted garlic
and thyme.” The chicken was poached
really well, and the surrounding girolles (chantrelle mushrooms) were to die
for. And, they gave an extra bowl of the girolles, which we shared, in addition
to mashed potatoes.
I had the “Cocotte de boeuf de race…., Girolles
mitonnées” translated to Beef casserole with simmered chanterelles”. When it first arrived in came in a bowl with
what looked like a dollop of herbed butter.
Then the cocotte came and it was in a very, very hot casserole. The waitperson
later spooned the cocotte into the bowl. I have to say, in addition to the
salmon, this was equally my favorite dish. I know the beef was simmered in
wine, but it almost had a taste of anise. I wanted to ask the Chef if he
used pastis (French anise flavor liquor); whatever it was, it made it even more
delicious. The portion was huge;
fortunately my friend helped me eat it.
DESSERTS:
For dessert, I had cheese with some jam. As I mentioned in previous blogs, you cannot go wrong
with cheese in France.
My friend had the “Clinique du bonheur en forệt noire”,
translated to Happiness Clinic in the black forest”. It was really rich. It was the Chef’s interpretation
of a Black forest cake, with lots of whip cream. It was a pretty large portion.
My friend loved it, but did say it was a bit too much (portion). Interestingly,
we got what look like a Chinese take out box filled with macaroons shaped like
gigantic “kisses candies”, that was a nice touch.
SUMMARY:
It’s a small restaurant,
extremely hectic and frantic, at times the busyness felt unnerving. The Chef
doesn’t care what you hear or see in the kitchen, it can be a good sign, but at
the same time annoying, since I didn’t come to watch an episode of Gordon
Ramsey. The service is fast and efficient, lots of activity and running around,
I felt like I was in a “Mash” unit, only the patient is the food. And, for this reason I rated them a little lower
than I would normally.
Regardless, the food overall
was very good. My two favorite dishes were the salmon and the cocotte. I think
the 42€ pre-fix menu was a bit pricey. Net-net
go for the food, not the ambience, and definitely NOT for a quiet romantic
dinner or just to even have a conversation. It’s very noisy and frenetic.
With a glass of wine, a
bottle of their filtered water, which by the way I thought was free but was 5€
our bill came to 97€.
Totally agree with your review Randy. I had the exact same feeling about the place. Though I went for dinner and the prices are very expensive!
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