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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