On first impressions this place is great: a huge, light-drenched space painted a calming pistachio colour. A series of adjoined tables encircled by bottles of wine,
Open 11am to midnight, Le Bel Ordinaire is far from ordinary. Part épicerie, part a wine bar: this can be whatever you're in the mood for. People drift in to buy slices of Serrano ham, a good bottle of Bordeaux or a quick afterwork drink. Frankly, we didn't expect any less from Sébastien Demorand, the famed food critic, and his business partner, Cyrille Rossetto, "previously in digital".
What's on the menu? A selection of small plates which change regularly, and comprise nibbles, greens, fish, meat and desserts. Today was eggs in sweet mayonnaise; duck croquettes awakened with a Chinese cabbage sauce; a vegetable minestrone with stracciatella and a sublime garlic, parsley and citrus-infused oil. As delicious as the latter was, slightly overpriced for a single plate (€10 for a small bowl).
To glug? Only the good and natural, like a white from Alsace called "liberté de la presse". The prices start modest, from €5 the glass.
The menu features products that are available from the shelves around you: organic jams (€8,50), Italian pasta (€5), borlotti beans (€6.50) or fois gras (€28,50 for 180g)... Plus a healthy selection of cheese priced by the 100g: €3,50 for 100g of Livarot or Reblochon, which would be around €15 per slab! It seems more economical to splurge on a glass of grape and save your shopping for elsewhere.
The setting, was partly financied by a group of business partners and we've been told to expect to see more in the coming years: one in the 17th in 2017, two more in 2018. Could this be a new Big Mamma for local produce?
TRANSLATION: ALICE WHITE WALKER