Who’s it for? Barbecue junkies.
What should I order? Beef entrecôte with potatoes, confit shallots and chimichurri sauce.
How much? €16-20 for starters and €30-40 for mains.
Never thought you’d hear the words, bistronomy, Argentinian and gourmet to describe one restaurant? Enter Biondi: an 11th arrondissement barbecue joint with distressed brick walls and two menus, for two different budgets. The lunch menu is €17-22, while the à la carte includes dishes between €30 and €40. The former featured a platter of boudin noir with parsnip and green apple, followed by roast veal cooked to perfection, with yellow carrot purée and oyster mushrooms. Dessert is a super moist chocolate cake with camomile-orange marmalade jam. To drink, there’s an excellent dry and flowery Argentinian white – Bodegas Colome Torrontes at €7 a glass.
There’s only one non-carnivorous dish on the menu (octopus) so it’s possibly not the best spot for a date with a vegetarian. And the name? Well, it’s after a famous Argentinian clown, a tribute to the origins of the owner (who is also a chef at La Pulpéria), as well as the Cirque d’Hiver next door.