Housed in a former car garage that was completely refurbished at the end of 2019, Diggity restaurant got off to a rocky start, suffering in turn from transport strikes and a health crisis. But over the last few months, the gray clouds have lifted, and this neighborhood bistro has found its cruising speed. Open for lunch and dinner from Tuesday to Saturday, Diggity is above all a friendly affair.
Hugo Messerschmitt and Gaspard Désveaux run the place, and after losing touch with each other at the end of secondary school, they ran into each other again a few years later on the landing of a hotel school. Since then, chef Domitille de Cenival, a graduate of theFerrandi school, has joined them in the business and, behind the stoves, is busy offering seasonal cuisine, where products from hand-picked small producers are used in their entirety ; a very good point.
In terms of decor, Diggity's emphasis is on originality, with an eclectic mix of mismatched elements that come together to form a cheerful mess: a wall with multiple vintage mirrors, school chairs, colorful carpets, an old forklift recycled as an armchair - a true bric-a-brac spirit that lends real cachet to the establishment and creates a friendly, good-natured atmosphere. As for the library, it holds a real secret, but... we won't tell you any more about it - you'll have to go there to discover this mystery room!
But let's get back to the map. Short and to the point, it draws here and there from family recipes, and even more from grandma's comforting recipes, brought up to date with original pairings and mouth-watering dressings on mismatched plates that have the charm of the past.
To get things off to a good start, it' s impossible to miss Diggity's specialty, which shouts out our name so that we take an interest in it (spoiler: we spotted it from the start): pot-au-feu croquettes. Available in packs of 5 (12€), 10 or 15, they're the ultimate version of the quintessential winter dish, pot-au-feu, whose flavor markers are preserved and explode in a small croquette of panko breading; beware, addiction in sight. To accompany them on the big tables of friends in the evening, Diggity offers a pretty card of signature cocktails, but also good pifs by the glass that the House suggests you taste one by one before choosing, nice!
Next up, a beet carpaccio (9€) topped with chunks ofsmoked eel, mustard seed pickles, dill and a horseradish siphon to liven things up; a quasi de veau (20€) with a braised fennel purée and a spice-roasted clementine that spills its precious juice over the meat; and a pressé of lamb shoulder (20€), perfectly confit, with roasted sweet potato, pan-fried Brussels sprouts and roasted chickpeas.
As you can see, at Diggity, comfort is the order of the day, and this slice of chocolate and salted butter caramel tart (7€), the recipe for which was stolen from the mother of one of the two owners, won't tell you otherwise!
Location
Diggity
32 Bis Rue Saint-Maur
75011 Paris 11
Official website
www.diggityparis.com
