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Guy Savoy’s Les Bouquinistes

A couple of weeks ago I managed to not only renew my carte de séjour but to also change the visa type to vie privée et familiale. It went well, except for the part where I forgot to bring my current carte de séjour with me and had to go home to retrieve it, oops.

Frédéric attended the appointment with me – a requirement given the change of visa type – and even though we arrived 15 minutes ahead of our appointment, we were attended to immediately. After about an hour wait while someone reviewed the file, we were informed that the application has been approved and a relevant récépissé for me was duly issued.

Les Bouquinistes

Menu of the day

We celebrated this paperwork victory with a lovely lunch at Les Bouquinistes. The choice was an impromptu one. Initially we were going to go our favourite creperie near Odéon but when we passed by Les Bouquinistes, I couldn’t help but paused to take a peek at their lunch menu. The next you know, Frédéric walked in the door to ask if a table for two is available.

Choosing what we would eat couldn’t have been easier. The daily lunch menu consisted of two options for each of the courses: starter, main, dessert. Yup, you’ve guessed it, we both ordered the different items and promised to swap a few bites during the meal. Drink-wise, a glass of apricot juice for me, and a glass of white wine for Frédéric.

Celeriac cream

Remoulade

Given the relatively cold temperature out there, I was glad to start the meal with a bowl of celeriac soup garnished with mousse of foie gras, served with delicious bread rolls. It hit just the right spot and warmed me up just nicely. I have tried making celeriac soup myself at home but my attempts had produced abysmal results. Maybe I should try again.

In the mean time, Frédéric tucked in some whelks (a type of sea snail; same family to the “balitongs” familiar to the Malaysians, I think) served with vegetable remoulade. It has been a long time since I had any whelk and these gastropods have been well prepared, tender and not overly chewy. Together, the remoulade and the whelk married well. In fact, Frédéric was a little sceptical when he ordered the dish but he ended up liking it very much.

Chicken and baby vegetables

Bream and leek

For the main course, I have selected the poule au pot that was served with some baby bok choy, carrot, potato and romanesco. While it was delicious together with the sauce, the chicken was just a tad overcooked. I wish there were a bit more vegetables though – love the fresh flavours that I was getting out of them.

I stole a couple of bites from Frédéric’s plate of grilled bream with braised leek and pondered if I should have gone for that dish instead. He definitely preferred this over the chicken. Neither of us could really figured out what the foam was and we never got round to asking the staff either. I guess it shall remain a mystery then.

Vanilla profiteroles

Mango and coconut delice

Desserts were served with a touch of flourish. Frédéric decided he would snag the vanilla profiteroles, which were served with whipped cream and thick hot chocolate sauce on the side. I mean, it’s light and fluffy choux, with creamy vanilla filling and chocolate sauce – what’s not to like?

I got the plate of “saveur éxotique” which was basically a carefully decorated charcoal grey slate with mango cubes, lady fingers and mango cream sandwich, and a small cup of refreshing sorbet. I could do with more of the sorbet. (What is it with me that day wanting more of everything I was eating??)

All in all, we ate well at Les Bouquinistes. At €31 per person, the lunch menu is of good value given the quality of food, the relaxed ambiance, and the impeccable service. I would be interested to return for dinner some day and try out their testing menu at €82.

Alas, sadly, it appears the tasting dessert platter for two like the one I had the first time I dined there (it was still relatively new back then) is no longer on the menu. Oh how I have beautiful memory of that one course on its own…

Les Bouquinistes
53 Quai des Grands Augustins, 75006 Paris
Métro: St Michel
Phone: +33 (0)1 43 25 45 94
Daily 12pm – 2.30pm, 7pm – 11pm; except Saturday lunch and Sunday



Category: Food & Drink, Ma vie en France, Paris

Tagged: , , ,

2 scribbles & notes

  1. med says:

    woooowwwww…and its relatively cheap too ;) just showed this to emily kekekek

    • Lil says:

      it is a good bargain. in general, eating out at lunch time in fancy places is a good strategy to adopt ;)

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