On a small residential street in Belleville, is the blue-fronted, large windowed Le Desnoyez, an address which is forever being recommended by our foodie friends. A handwritten, daily-changing menu includes three starters, two mains and two desserts. There’s devilled eggs (€4) with homemade meltingly soft mayonnaise, dill and rocket, a squash, chestnut and foie gras soup, rib stew with tender meat and crunchy vegetables (€14) and sea bass with citrus fruits, spinach and crushed potatoes.
The chicken liver, veal and pork terrine is soft, spicy and one of the best our dining partner had eaten in his life. There’s a small yet beautiful selection of trendy wines like the côtes de bordeaux (Petit Campet Illouz 2014) and we’ll be back to try the desserts (and to dive back into that heavenly terrine). If this friendly spot was just to turn the heating up a few degrees, we'd never leave.
TRANSLATION: MEGAN CARNEGIE