The Great Parisian Plate Debate

8, rue Lamartine, 75009
Tel. 01.42.80.24.08

It’s not even August; why the hell am I sweating inside a nice restaurant? Oh yes, that’s right, this is Paris — only the places that either cater to tourists or are stupidly expensive have «la clim». To be fair, the cook, who I presumed to be the owner, cheerfully explained that we caught them on their last day before their annual holiday, so they’re usually closed during the hottest part of the year. In addition, today was also one of the hottest I’ve experienced in the last two summers.

Despite the heat, I really liked this place. We were quickly served a large carafe of cold water. For those of you that don’t appreciate this fact, it’s a minor miracle. There were only two people working, and I pegged the waitress to be the daughter of the chef. They were both incredibly nice.

The food was quite good. I had a rabbit terrine with olives, “joue de cochon au caramel,” and a honey fig dessert with caramel ice cream. The pork was so tender that you didn’t need a knife, and it was served in a kind of sweet and sour sauce that went very well with the mustard mash potatoes. The dessert was an absolute standout. Fresh figs stuffed with semi-crystallized honey accompanied with the best caramel ice cream I’ve had in a long time. There were tiny bits of caramel in it that were incredible, and the flavors and textures blended perfectly.

I really enjoyed Bistrot Canaille and would certainly recommend it. A bottle of wine, 4 appetizers, 3 mains and 4 desserts came to about 30€ a head.