This coffee shop, nestled across from Place Saint-Georges in the 9th arrondissement, is rather surprising. But this is where Romain Fabry, a former lawyer, has put down roots to make his speciality coffee. The coffee merchant has already set up several restaurants in the capital over the last few years, but this is the best – and most beautiful example. He’s renovated an old restaurant, stripped the walls to bring out the cut stone, dyed the furniture and put in a magnificent German coffee roaster beside a beautiful kitchen.
His aim is to promote the sociability of good coffee, a French tradition from a forgotten time. An expresso is €2.50 and a filter coffee is €6.50 – a little expensive, although we understand that it takes more time to make than with a percolator. This Burundian coffee is powerful, balanced somewhere between bitterness and aromatic acidity. To go with it, there are breakfast set menus around €10, however the fruit salad lacked freshness and the bread stuck to our teeth a little. The salads were better, seasonal and original, as were the chef’s specials, like the sautéed veal with rice pilaf and Mediterranean vegetables. All in all, it’s a great spot to read the paper, sip excellent coffee and perhaps even stay to eat.
TRANSLATION: MEGAN CARNEGIE