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Le Dauphin
Add: 131 avenue Parmentier Paris 75011
Tel: 01 55 28 78 88
Hours: [Tues-Fri] 12-2pm, 7-11pm [Sat] 7-11pm
Price: €35~60
Visited on: 2012/10
Want a taste of Inaki Aizpitarte’s cuisine without going through the ordeal of scoring a table at Le Chateaubriand? Head to Le Dauphin, a neighboring wine bar run by the same folks, featuring organic wines and quick bites designed by Aizpitarte himself. The place didn’t look like much when I first arrived (the acclaimed marble and mirror design by Rem Koolhaas and Clement Blanchet appeared cold and bare before the crowd set in), but throughout the evening I was pleasantly surprised by a few of the dishes that flowed through our table.
A glass of Alexandre Bain from Loire Valley (€7), and a glass of Fred Cossard from Burgundy (€12).
Mozzarella fumé (€5), very smoky indeed.
Encornet à la plancha (€9), grilled squid. So simple, so good.
Risotto à l’encre (€11), each grain of rice was wrapped in an intensively flavorful ink sauce, one of my favorites of the evening.
Presa ibérique, patchoi & kalamata (€14), iberico pork with bok choy and kalamata olive sauce. Meh.
Tartare de boeuf fumé (€11), smoked beef tartar. Meh.
Couteau XL, coques & chou fleur (€9), razor clams and cauliflower. Worth a try.
Cèpe, mais, & beurre fumé (€11), cèpe mushrooms with corn and smoked butter. A bit too bitter from the grill, otherwise a fine dish.
Dacquoise, fruits rouges, & fève tonka (€8), dacquoise, red fruits, and tonka beans. Order it.
Glace au lait ribot (€7) buttermilk ice-cream served with olive oil and sprigs of thyme. The ice-cream was more like a sorbet, a very light finish.
Not wowed, but pleasantly satisfied.