The Great Parisian Plate Debate

29, Quai Grands Augustins, 75006
Tel. 01.43.54.51.42

Le Paradis du Fruit suffers from its self-inflicted unfortunate name. By dubbing themselves the fruit paradise, they paint themselves into a corner from which it’s difficult to escape. Bring me a plate piled high with banana and mango, wreathed in an alternating pattern of strawberry and pineapple, and I’ll wonder why I’m dropping a twenty euro bill on something easily purchased from the market down the boulevard. If the waiter delivers a mere sandwich to my table, with nary a lemon wedge or some type of rich blueberry-based sauce, I’ll question the purpose of such a fruit focused moniker.
Le Paradis du Fruit tries to balance the two extremes such to the extent that I recommend them tossing out the restaurant and simply opening up a smoothie stand. Why waste such a name on a scrap of kiwi perched atop a remarkably average salad, or on a sad lime garnish alongside an uninspired flatbread tuna sandwich?
The experience at Le Paradis du Fruit was given a hefty assist by the snagging of a table outdoors, overlooking the mighty gray-green current that is the Seine, which of course runs past a certain famous cathedral which we could see from our sidewalk vantage point. This area along the Seine is bustling, to say the least. At one point a parade of roller-skates pitched on by, some better than others balancing the dangerous task of basking in the sumptuousness of the surroundings with the risk of spilling onto the pavement, where they would doubtlessly be rolled over by the relentless wheels of skaters and the occasional bicyclist who crashed the party.
With so many restaurants dotting both banks of the Seine I suggest taking a pass on Le Paradis du Fruit. The very fruit that accompanied our dishes was certainly serviceable, but by no means did it warrant a letter home, or anywhere else, for that matter. The menu is stylishly put together, and they do make a valiant effort to include the magic of fruit in every dish - but I just expected more. Perhaps sampling the enticing cocktail menu (each drink supplemented by a fruit presence, naturally) would have been a recommended move, but even if I wanted a cocktail in the early afternoon Dan and I had a wine bottle obligation.
A lunch at Paradis du Fruit will run you around 15 euros, not including your choice beverage.