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.
8 Rue du Fouarre,
75005 Paris, France
+33 1 43 29 40 99
Map:
La Fourmi Ailée
75005 Paris, France
Map:
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