The City of Lights’s fine dining scene beyond the tourist trap, is easy to find if you look hard enough. So I was mightily impressed with myself when I hunted down Le Coupe-Chou Paris, a fabulously elegant place in the Saint Germain district that offers traditional French dining.
The name of this restaurant literally means ‘the cabbage cutter,’ or razor, which harks back to the days when this 18th Century building was occupied by a barber.
To find Le Coupe-Chou, you simply head up a small lane off Rue Valette in the city’s 5th Arrondissement. And as soon as you set eyes upon its ivy-covered front, you know you’ve arrived at a classic French establishment that’s steeped in history.
The entrance to this wonderful place is through the rickety side door where its slightly crumbling appearance leads you to a series of beamed rooms filled with warm green and red hues, golden wood paneled walls and a scattering of antiques and classic art.
Amidst this luxe oldy worldy setting, an incredibly tempting menu of classic French dining is offered. So even the most discerning of gourmands can find themselves in a pickle. Should it be the Burgundy snails or the special fois gras for starters? And should you choose the duck confit over the steak tartare for mains. You have some tricky decisions to make when you come here.
Diners seeking out a quintessentially classic French dish however, will not be disappointed if they do decide to go with the rich and earthy flavours of the Boeuf bourguignon. You can find many good establishments in London that will produce a fairly impressive rendition of this traditional French recipe. However I’ve not experienced anything quite like the quality of French cooking you’ll find at Le Coupe-Chou Paris.
The meat had obviously been slow-cooked for hours upon hours. It was so succulent, you could break it apart with one slight twitch of the fork. Similarly, the gravy had been reduced to the rich and flavoursome stew a classic beef bourguignon is meant to be.
Coupled with an extensive wine list, plus a dessert selection of sweets such as café gourmand, crème brulee a l’Orange and Mille Feuille, this really is some of the best French fine dining that visitors in Paris would be lucky to find.
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