Sunday, August 5, 2012

Paris: Le Pré Verre

I am back from holidays and a weekend in Paris with my friends. As always in another city finding the good places where to eat requires some effort but absolutely pays off in the level of satisfaction after.

Fab food and atmosphere at Le Pré Verre on Rive Gauche

Le Pré Verre is a lovely restaurant on a corner in the 5th Arrondissement a few steps from the famous Sorbonne University. This vibrant bistro is run by two brothers. The food is modern seasonal French with some Asian touch points.

The Sorbonne, not far from the Le Pré Verre

We had booked for 19:30 and there were people already waiting behind the closed door when we arrived. A good sign! We went for a walk around the block and took a couple of pictures of the University and surprise, surprise, in the little green oasis next to it  we discovered the sculpture of Romulus and Remus feeding on the wolf's milk, familiar from Rome.

Romulus and Remus next to the Sorbonne University in Paris

10 minutes later, back at the restaurant, there were more people at the door waiting to be seated and when we were studying our menus the place was three quarters full. The three waiting staff were busy and covered the floor almost running but we got enough attention and did not have to wait unnecessarily.

If you fancy great food in a relaxed atmosphere, I do recommend to visit Le Pré Verre. The staff was friendly, the visitors a mix of locals and tourists. It is best to reserve a table, we booked a week in advance.

Professors, students, people from the neighbourhood and tourists keep Le Pré Verre busy every night

Some information for the wallet: starters were around 10 €, the main courses around 20 €, desserts less than 10 €. A set menu that fills the belly with a starter, a main course and a dessert can be enjoyed for ca.30 Euros. The menu offers a choice between 4-5 starters, mains and desserts each ranging from a refreshing cold soup of lemon confit to veal liver served with sweet potatoes and a beetroot chip to marinated strawberries with dark green parsley ice cream. A nice bottle of dry white can be enjoyed for ca 30 €. The innovative use of ingredients (eg.aubergine ice cream) and combinations are guaranteed to stay in my taste memory bank for a long time.

One thing I noticed in Paris was that in several places the waiting staff did not deal with the payment. They brought you the bill, but the payment was done at the front desk.

If you have any great restaurant recommendations for Paris, please share...for my next trip.

Sous le ciel de Paris....