Following in the footsteps of the virtuous restaurants that have recently opened in Paris, Le Boréal's cuisine is either responsible or not. A small café-bistro where it's good to sit down from morning to night, from breakfast to dinner, Le Boréal opened its doors last fall.
Behind the stoves of this new restaurant are Philippine Jaillet, who trained at the Ecole Ferrandi and worked with Pierre Hermé, and Charles Neyers, already at the helm of the La Traversée, Petite Fleur and Ramey's Burger restaurants, who have created a four-handed menu. Philippine is in charge of cold starters and desserts, while Charles is in charge of hot dishes.
Open Wednesday to Sunday for lunch and dinner, Le Boréal offers an à la carte lunch menu, an à la carte menu and a tasting menu. And on weekends, the restaurant even offers a brunch for those brave enough to climb to the heights of the 18th arrondissement on Saturday or Sunday morning without losing their appetite along the way.
A quick look at the bistronomic menu? At the time of our visit, the day's slate included scallops and shellfish au gratin with samphire and dill oil (11€); an airy mushroom chawanmushi (14€), chanterelle and girolles pickles, cep praline, parsley oil and grilled mushrooms.
Next, a very (very) generous plate of French scallops nicely snacked on one side (30€) and Jura purée, topped with a yellow wine sabayon and chard ; and a stunning vegetarian dish, a Wellington of butternut squash and vegetable jus (26€) with a watercress coulis and autumn vegetables - slightly undercooked in our opinion, but that doesn't detract from the pleasure of the dish. Prices: €24 for a starter/main course or main course/dessert, €28 for a starter/main course/dessert.
It's enough to tempt you, especially in view of the commitments made by the duo: homemade, seasonal cuisine, handpicked producers and products mainly from local, sustainable agriculture, meats of French origin and minimization of food waste by working with products from A to Z.
But Boréal doesn't forget its"café" aspect, unveiling a coffee-shop-inspired menu in the morning, with espressos, lattes of all kinds and fresh fruit juices, to be enjoyed on the large sunny terrace. Artisanal beers and ciders, natural wines and house cocktails are also on the menu for lunch and dinner, like the divinely bubbly Vanille des Champs cocktail (€12) with Calvados, apple juice, sweet clover syrup and yellow lemon.
For sweet treats, Philippine Jaillet takes care of everything, and rightly so: Affogato (9€), vanilla ice cream and caramelized hazelnuts like so many beach snacks, and dacquoise coco (7€), coriander sorbet, kiwi golden and vanilla chantilly, the dessert of the day that deserves its permanent place on the menu.
A delightful address that's well worth climbing up the north Parisian hillside, with your mouth full!
Location
Le Boréal
39 Rue Montcalm
75018 Paris 18
Official website
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