After a wonderful meal at Alessandra Montagne’s Tempero, we thought we’d test her husband Oliver’s project, sister restaurant Le Comptoir Tempero, just a block up the street in the 13th. The space is spanking new, vast and very comfortable, with minimalist décor: blond wood panelling, taupe grey walls and floating shelves displaying Jeroboam bottles from the Grololo region and an appealing Anjou red, both available to order at €5 per glass. The wine selection is well chosen but perhaps a little short.
The menu is also quite limited, but tempting all the same. The portions are generous and at each course, Olivier Montagne deftly proves that food doesn’t need a lot of empty plate around it to be gorgeously presented. For starters, the chestnut cream soup with corn emulsion was silky perfection. The mains consist mostly of hearty meats (pork belly, sirloin steak), crusted with mustard seeds and served with authentic Parisian mushrooms, carrot confit and other colourful local produce (always in season, of course). For dessert, the poached pears were delightful, while the pecan pie was a mild disappointment, too dry and crumbly.
And yet, when the bill and coffee came, we had no regrets. In line with the wholesome understated cooking, the Comptoir Tempero’s prices are more than fair (€15-€20 for the lunch menu and around €30 à la carte).