In a quirky piece of trompe l’oeil, this pretty restaurant just off the bustling Rue des Martyrs serves savoury dishes disguised as desserts, and desserts dressed as savoury meals.
The bright dining space is decorated with art prints and trumpets hanging on the walls. On a sunny day, small groups can sit at a table on the pavement outside. On our visit, we started with a savoury éclair: a delicious serving of soft salmon rillettes between bread fingers with a wasabi cream icing. Then a burger presented as a Saint-Honoré pastry, with beef, bread balls and a mayonnaise cream in lieu of pâte à choux and whipped cream (€15.50), and an elegant faux-tarte tatin (€15) that trades in apples and pastry for a clever layering of polenta and mackerel topped with slices of caramelised turnip. Despite the occasionally odd plating in pursuit of aesthetic effect, the flavours really deliver, whether you appreciate the whimsy or otherwise.
Dessert is things like sweet balls of passion fruit mousse in a coconut panna cotta presented as ‘fried eggs’ (€9). At lunchtime, the menu is limited to two ‘dessert’ options and two conventional dishes made from fresh market produce, while the evening menu is more extensive.