6.2 Le Marcab, 225, rue de Vaugirard in the 15th, 01.43.06.51.66, open 7/7, has a confusing set of menus for 16, 25 and 35 € and a englassed list of wines by the glass as well as a printed list by the bottle. From the outside it looked swank and inside swanker and the website and wallpaper are scary.
But the folks and food are anything but. The chef, Yann Le Port, looks about 12 and he and the waitstaff were most charming.
That gets most of my prejudices out: open 7/7 (unh unh), many menus (whas’this?), weird wallpaper; oh, and only one review that I’d seen, that by Emmanuel Rubin of only 2 hearts, although today he gave it a 6.5/10 in his Spring finds, the equivalent of Frenchie, Barbezingue + Petit Champerret which I really like.
In any case I went with a far-from-snooty friend from snooty Cambridge and we loved it. We decided to order one 16 € 3-course and one 25 € 4-course menu and shared a lot.
The firsts were a vichyssoise with lox and foie gras (fantastic) and raviolis of asparagus with lentin du chêne mushrooms (equally). Then came another hot first, a filet of rouget with a (I swear) parmesan sauce and smashed potatoes that were divine.
Our mains were a beautifully cooked ample piece of cod with a thick tomato Provencal sauce/condiment and a piece of veal (overcooked for me but I wasn’t asked) with incredible thinly sliced spring veggies and a puzzling (wild thyme) topping.
Desserts were a great strawberry and rhubarb crumble with a delicious “crumble": and a sort of apple napoleon. Coffee came with lukewarm tiny chocolate moelleux’s.
With one apero, a bottle of wine, the two menus, coffee and no bottled water, our bill was an astonishing 69.40 €.
Go? Trust me not the warning signs; yes.
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