[Paris] Clamato

Clamato

Add: 80, rue de Charonne, 75011 Paris
Tel: 01 43 72 74 53
Hours: [Wed-Fri] 7~11pm [Sat-Sun] nonstop service 12~11pm
Website: www.septime-charonne.fr
Price: €7~20/small plate
Visited on: Jun 2014

In Paris, it can be a struggle to find a dinner venue on Sunday nights…thankfully there’s Clamato. This oyster bar is opened by Bertrand Grébaut of Septime, which, being one of the hottest neobistros in Paris, is practically impossible to book especially after it got on Pellegrino’s list of The World’s 50 Best Restaurants. Clamato, just next door, has a no-reservation policy, and its chill atmosphere is just what we needed on a Sunday evening.

I’m always a fan of bar seats, though the tables all the way in the back with its green backdrop look very lovely as well.

The daily-changing menu.

Monkey 47 bottle as tap water container, I like. More on this gin later.

We started with a plate of Huître Creuse de Maldon N°2 (€20 for 6), oysters from Maldon served with slices of lemon, house made tabasco, and shallot sauce.

And a bowl of Bulots/Mayo Curry (€9), whelks served with curry mayonnaise.

To go along with all this, a bottle of Gilles et Catherine Vergé Viré-Clessé Vieilles Vignes 2007 (€40).

Continuing with Rouget/Courgette Trempette/Poivron Vert (€12), red mullet with zucchini and green bell pepper. Contrary to the previous dishes, this one was not so impressive.

Things picked up again with Couteaux/Beurre d’Herbes (€14), razor clams with herb butter. Delicious.

Grenaille/Oeuf de Truite/Estragon (€7), new potatos with trout caviar and tarragon.

Nage de fruits et fleurs (€8), literally “cloud of fruits and flowers”, was a mix of fruits and edible flowers in a fruit soup. Very pretty, but I really am not a fan of the texture of these herbs and flowers…