Brasserie Charlie, great classics & seafood in an Art Nouveau spirit in Neuilly-sur-Seine

Looking for a good address in Neuilly-sur-Seine? Here's a great place to stop for lunch or dinner. Whether you live or work nearby, or are simply looking for a good restaurant after a visit to the Fondation Louis Vuitton or the Jardin d'Acclimatation, this new-generation brasserie welcomes gourmands with a smile in its modern-day Belle Epoque setting to treat us to typical Parisian restaurant fare at good value for money.

"We don't invent anything, but we do it well" is how Brasserie Charlie, located on Place Parmentier, sums up the spirit of its menu, and we couldn't agree more! On the menu, you'll find all the Parisians' guilty pleasures, including the iconic mayo egg, the comforting mashed sausage, or the beef tartare and fries. And it's not just gourmet fare that's on the menu, there's plenty of humor, even in the presentation of the wines. As the devil is often in the details, we love the many winks that tickle our curiosity while highlighting the terroir and spirit of the place.

Amust at Brasserie Charlie is the " écailler" section. For lovers of iodized flavors, this is the place to go for seafood platters at reasonable prices and with excellent products. For example, you can share an individual seafood platter as an appetizer before getting down to business (€22 for 6 oysters, sea almonds and whelks). The platter for two, priced at 52€, includes 8 oysters, whelks, sea almonds and half a crab. And, of course, there's a shallot sauce and homemade mayonnaise to go with it all.

And while Brasserie Charlie also offers classic cocktails, as well as a fine selection of wines, we advise you to let yourself be guided by the cocktail of the moment: during our visit, we discovered an original creation composed of white rum infused with rosemary and pink berries and made in-house, sugar syrup, peach syrup and vanilla liqueur, the latter of which can be replaced by fir tree liqueur. The recipe is updated every week, and we urge you to let yourself be carried away by the discovery!

For starters, to "get the ball rolling", as Charlie would say, we tempt you with a comforting fish soup served with rouille sauce, toast, Comté AOP cheese and croutons, all dressed in the traditional way. If you're looking to keep your sea legs up, try our scallops in shell. Properly cooked, the scallops have a melt-in-the-mouth texture, just like the leek fondue on which they rest. A lemon sabayon au gratin enhances the whole without weighing it down.

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For the main courses, we'll be moving towards progressive recipes. On one side, the peach of the moment, on the other, the veggie of the moment. And yes, there are more than just meat dishes on the menu! The fish of the day was saithe drizzled with a beurre blanc sauce, also brilliantly cooked, and accompanied by a cabbage embeurrée, roasted salsify and a Brussels sprout salad sprinkled with grapefruit. A good dose of vegetables that could well reconcile you with some of them!

Just because a dish is vegetarian doesn't mean it can't be generous, and that's what the veggie of the moment tends to demonstrate with its goat's cream, beet confit, potato rösti, honey walnut virgin, herb salad and granny smith apple brunoise.

Finally, when it's time for dessert, the star of the sweet menu is Paris-Brest. This classic French pastry, consisting of a ring of choux pastry with a mousseline and praline coulant, is a must-try. Here, we find a version that's less sweet than what you might taste elsewhere, with a praline whose hazelnut presence is strongly felt, while the rings give way easily under the spoon while revealing a half-crunchy, half-moist texture that testifies to freshness.

So, for fans of classic French brasserie, Brasserie Charlie has something to please purists in search of well-crafted cuisine at the right price. If, on the other hand, you're looking for inventive gastronomy that's off the beaten track, we invite you instead to discover our favorite addresses for bistronomic cuisine.