Paris Restaurant Tips by Gillybob

Saveurs de Savoie: Disappointing Tourist Fodder

Rue Mouffetard is filled with tourist dining options. We chose this one out of the many options for our Sunday evening dinner - what a pity!! I'm sure we could have done a lot better.

The restaurant offers a €16 three-course menu with approximately 3 choices of starter, main and dessert.

I started with Moules Marinières which were only luke-warm and disappointing; Sue also had the Moules Marinières, of which 3 were still closed and remained unconsumed. Alyson had the Soupe à l’Oignon which has a goat's cheese in the bottom which she did not fancy so it remained uneaten.

Progressing on to the entrée I ordered the confit de canard (as did Alyson). Whilst the duck itself was delicious, juicy and tender, falling off the bone, the sautée potato and (?)onion chutney were disappointing and luke-warm. Sue ordered the tarteflette, a cheese, bacon and potato bake, which she said was luke-warm and unappetising.

Finally the dessert : here we all ordered crème brûlée - it was here that the restaurant actually purveyed a quality item, rating best Crème brûlée of the weekend.

Alongside a mainly disappointing meal, service was inattentive and lack-lustre at best.

Favorite Dish: The only item I had which was truly enjoyable - to the extent of being delicious - was the crème brûlée. This dessert is clearly something the restaurant DOES excel at - so you might want to pop in for dessert if you're in the area. Otherwise, I wholly do NOT recommend this restaurant.

Address: 83 Rue Mouffetard, 75005 Paris, France

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Off Rue Jean Calvin in the 5th Arrondissement.

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 2

Theme: Local

Churrasqueira Galo: A great plate for under €10!!

What a find this place was! Hungry VTers wandering the streets of the base of Butte Montmartre looking for some Sunday lunch and we just happened upon this dining-room style restaurant.

Clearly popular (plenty of people eating inside), we were offered a plate of Portuguese-style chicken, rice and chips with a drink of our choice (wine and beer included) for €9!!! We couldn't believe it and were all very happy to quickly say "yes!".

Service was fast and we were quickly all served with our plates of food - given that we were a table of 13, this impressed. Drinks were a little haphazard but we ended up with us all getting what we asked for.

The chicken was delicious and served with a generous portion of rice, salad and chips, was readily enjoyed by all.

Favorite Dish: It seems that they have a number of standard 'plates' of similar nature to that which we enjoyed, including octopus. Whichever you order, I'm convinced you'll be satisfied.

Address: 69 Rue de Dunkerque, 75009 Paris, France

Comparison: least expensive

Directions: From Anvers Metro station, take the diagonal street away from Montmartre. Churrasqueira Galo can be found on the right, two and a half blocks from the Metro station.

Phone: +33 1 48 74 49 40 ‎

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 5

Theme: Other

La Varange: Great host!

During the VT Paris Weekend, we had our evening meal on Saturday at this delightful traditional French restaurant located within easy walking distance of the Champs de Mars and Eiffel Tower.

Our starter was a salad with ham which was followed by an entrée of confit de canard. Philippe is famous for his chocolate cake, so it was only natural that we have that for dessert, served with a crème anglaise.

As we were a large group (some 24 or so), we had a set menu which include wine, beer and soft drinks at a cost of €30. One waitress provided excellent service for the evening, with some assistance from Philippe who was an excellent host.

The salad was fresh and inviting. The confit de canard was delicious, though not the best of the weekend, whilst the chocolate cake was sublime.

Favorite Dish: Philippe's chocolate deserves its reputation - worth a visit for that alone!

Address: 27 rue Augereau, 75007 PARIS

Comparison: less expensive than average

Directions: Rue Augereau is located off Rue de Grenelle, between Avenue de la Bourdonnais and Avenue Bosquet in 7th Arrondissement. Nearest metro : Ecole Militaire.

Other Contact: E-mail : philippe.mollay@noos.fr

Phone: 01 47 05 51 22

Price: US$11-20

Rating: 4

Theme: Local

Website: http://www.lavarangue.fr/accueil.php

Le Rempart: Quick bite!

After a walk in the Latin Quarter, we headed towards Bastille Metro station to take the Metro out to Cemetiere Pere Lachaise and wanted to grab a late lunch.

We chanced upon this cafe/restaurant and took seats inside at a couple of window-side tables. We had 3 croque monsieur and 1 croque madame between our group. Two enjoyed creme brulee for dessert.

Unfortunately, the croque monsier was rated bottom of three tried that weekend, whilst the creme brulee came 2nd out of 3.

Favorite Dish: The croque monsieur was passable but could certainly be bettered. I didn't have any creme brulee but my friends were very happy with theirs.

Service was good but not great.

Address: 15 Rue St Antoine, 75004 Paris, France

Comparison: about average

Directions: On the corner of Rue St Antoine and Rue Castex near Bastille Metro station.

Phone: +33 1 42 72 17 06

Price: less than US$10

Rating: 3

Theme: Local

Cafe Lutetia: Easy eating in the 15th

We ate at this restaurant on the first night of our stay in Paris. It was conveniently located for our apartment in 15th Arrondissement.

Three different appetites led to a slight difference in orders, one croque monsieur followed by creme brulee and two carpaccio de beouf followed by tarte aux frambois.

Our waiter who took our order was attentive and we engaged with him in French, struggling slightly with the speed but we managed to understand the general gist as well as place our orders. Unfortunately, either he went off shift or departed for other duties and the service between main courses and dessert deteriorated and we waited some time before we were able to order our desserts.

I had the carpaccio de beouf (served with side salad) which was excellent and followed it with tarte aux frambois which was equally good. We had a bottle of Grand Ricombre Lussac Saint-Emilion which was excellent. The friend who had the croque monsieur confirmed it as the best of the weekend later during our stay.

Favorite Dish: The carpaccio de beouf was beautifully presented (like a flower) and tasted delicious. The croque monsieur was rated as best for the weekend.

Address: Place Charles Michel, 15th, Paris

Comparison: about average

Directions: Take Line 10 on the Paris Metro to Charles Michel. This restaurant is located on the square at the exit of the Metro. Alternatively, walk down Rue Linois from the Seine.

Price: US$21-30

Rating: 4

Theme: Local