Dîner à La Fourmi Ailée

Cold, wintery and with Christmas drawing ever closer, Paris was becoming more and more deserted by the day…  I needed a cosy dinner somewhere charming with a fireplace, so flicking through my 'Secret Guide to Paris' book and cross-checking the recommendation with my lovely French housemate Laure, I booked a reservation for two chez La Fourmi Ailée.

Tucked up one of the streets in St Michel and a short walk from Notre Dame, La Fourmi Ailée was nicely bustly yet not too crowded on a Friday evening. 

The original building was a feminist library and the owner has retained some of the books and even the ladder to reach the ones higher up, giving the restaurant a quirky and relaxed yet unpretentious ambiance.

The beloved cosy fireplace for which I had specifically selected the restaurant, was unfortunately unlit – apparently you can be guaranteed to see it in full flame on Saturday afternoons, but due to the incoming French law banning chimney fires, you had better visit sooner rather than later in order to appreciate it!

We were seated downstairs at a table for four, which we were told we may have to share if it got busier, but luckily for us it didn’t.  The serveur was of a pleasant, but rather unusual humour, flourishing the menus which reminded me of old newspapers.  The plats are unfussy, offering quiches, salads and traditional meat and fish dishes.  We were also told it is a popular location for afternoon tea.  

After a bit of indecision, (the choices were rather good!) we decided on the Daube de boeuf et ses petits gnocchis €15.50 and the La Souris d'agneau confite €16.  The Daube de boeuf was copiously served and presented in a lovely ceramic bowl, with the red wine tying the flavours nicely together.  The Souris d’agneau was a good portion and well cooked, with the meat sliding tenderly off the bone.  However, the accompanying cèpe sauce was meagerly sprinkled with a few pickled(!) cèpes - which was a shame as they had lost much of their flavour and they were the main reason that had swung it for me in selecting the dish!

I don’t know about you, but I need vegetables with every meal and the French seem content with potatoes in various forms, so we also requested a side of roasted squash and courgette - which were perfectly al dente.   

We took the suggested red wine of the owner, which was quite light and rounded with hints of raspberry and cherry. 

The relaxed, chatty ambiance of groups of friends and a few couples meant that we took our time eating and musing over the interior decor.  Despite being rather full we thought we ought to sample a dessert, so opted to share the café gourmand, which came with one mini meringue, one coconut macaroon, two madeleines, cold soup of winter berries (de-frosted, not fresh) and two mini chocolate brownies in a delicious crème anglaise.

All-in-all comforting, but not exceptional food, set in a pleasant and relaxed environment – perfect for a wintery evening.

Ambiance: 4/5

Food: 3.5/5

Wine: 3/5

Service: 3/5

Good for: Groups of friends; a relaxed but charming date.

La Fourmi Ailée

8 Rue du Fouarre, 
75005 Paris, France ‎

+33 1 43 29 40 99 ‎

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Crêpe tasting chez Crêperie Josselin

As a crêpe addict and freshly arrived in Paris, I was keen to get to work with finding my foodie feet around the city.

Situated on the famous crêperie-lined Breton rue, rue du Montparnasse, Crêperie Josselin is widely rated as one of the top crêperies in Paris.  So one wintery Tuesday evening, my French Lyonnaise friend and I decided to try our luck. 

Closed on Mondays and taking no reservations, it’s best to arrive in smaller groups if possible.  There was a small queue when we arrived even at 9pm, however being only two, we were quickly ushered inside after only 5 minutes. Entering into a dark, wooden beamed interior, complete with lacey lampshades we had the impression to be transported to another era!  Tightly packed tables, the sizzling sound of crêpes and chatter filled the room, with the waiters weaving between the chairs, crêpes held aloft.

Be advised, the tables are really close together, so perhaps not the best place for a first date - we found ourselves practically sharing our meal with an American tourist to our right.  The speciality of the house is the ‘couple’ a double savoury crêpe.  I ordered the Maraîchère: spinach, cheese, egg and bacon, and my friend the Bretonne galette: cheese, sausage and fresh tomato, with a small pitcher of cider.

Following the prompt, no nonsense service, the crêpes arrived quickly (however disappointingly I saw some pre-prepared on the side when we entered).  Not the most creative of presentations, a simple fan with the bacon and egg curiously laid on the outside, with the spinach and cheese on the inside.  The plates were also too small for the crêpes, meaning they overlapped the plates and hence made them a bit tricky to eat.  Slightly crispy on the outside but fluffy on the inside, with generous and well-distributed fillings, the crêpes were tasty, yet we both remarked they lacked that ‘extra special’ something.  

Soon enough it was time to sample the sweet crêpes.  Due to the similar range of prices (the majority priced around €9) I thought I would try something more exotic than the usual and plumped for a Martiniquaise: banana, chocolate, coconut ice cream, flambéed in rum; while my friend selected his faithful staple crêpe Caramel.  

The caramel was delicious - a perfectly gooey, silky consistency; while the Martiniquaise became better as the punchy rum combined with the chocolate to give a rich but smooth finish.  Unfortunately, the coconut was lost in the overpowering rum, so I think coconut shavings might have been better next time. 

The restaurant was still bustling at 10pm and we left waving goodbye to Madame Josselin (who still works behind the kitchen counter), feeling full and satisfied, but not feeling like we had tasted ‘les meilleures crêpes de nos vies’.

Crêperie de Josselin
67 Rue de Montparnasse, 75014, Paris, France. 
Tel: +33 1 43 20 93 50.

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