La Brigout

For numerous reasons besides the fact that I’m Asian, I don’t eat enough French food in Paris. I’ve recently been told that one of the reasons the reasonably priced restaurants in general Europe don’t compare to North American ones because culturally Europeans prefer to cook at home and are only eating out for food they can’t make. Whereas when you have a market for people who eat out all the time, restaurants must up their game to fight for your business.
Honestly, I can’t verify this one way or another, but it is a fact that Paris is a tourist city so serving a transient market with rose-​coloured glasses on doesn’t need fierce competition.
Hence a bonafide good French restaurant with reasonable prices and good food served to locals who aren’t just having an apéritif and some snacks doesn’t come to be so easily.
Let me preface that not ALL the food is great here. I would avoid the duck as they can’t seem to do it well. My friend had the duck salad [9] while i had the duck parmentier [16] (mashed potatoes roasted with duck confit) and the duck is tough and dry for both dishes. However, everything else was great.
Their Langoustine (crayfish) salad [11] starter was phenomenal, with the avocado and i cant remember which fruit on the side that paired the dish perfectly. My boyfriend really liked the beef burger [16] and he’s tough burger critic, and their chicken supreme [17] was juicy and flavourful. The cheesecake [8.50] was so yum!
But what really makes the dinner worthwhile was the cosy atmosphere and the fantastic service. The restaurant has two floors, both floors with stone accent walls, making it feel like you are sitting in a cellar. Mme Brigout was full of smiles and courteous and service is prompt.
If you could reserve a table, do it. Space is limited. I definitely suggest you go out of your way to take a trip here rather than eat at a random brasserie in the Latin Quarter if you are a visitor.

Trop fan de leur nageur poêlé, ce filet de bar avec sa sauce mangue coriandre et ses petits légumes. Frais, léger, et savoureux!
Juste triste qu’il y’en ai si peu mais il est délicieux!
Propose des vins au verre pour accompagner le repas, et les entrées sont bien bonnes aussi. Je né m’en lasse pas.

Voilà une coquette cantine près de Montorgueil qui propose des plats originaux préparés avec des produits frais et de saison: tartare de daurade aux pêches, burger poulet-​chorizo sauce aïoli… Et des desserts dignes d’un salon de thé: cheese cake aux myrtilles, tarte aux figues et mascarpone, moelleux au chocolat coeur caramel…
Le filet de bar poêlé sauce vierge, mangue et légumes croquants (carottes, haricots coco, etc.) est savoureux. La salade de fruits frais très copieuse. 23 € à la carte.
Dommage qu’il n’y ait pas de choix dans la formule midi à 15 €.

I was in Paris for a few days, renting an apartment right above the restaurant. A few times I passed by it on my way home, it looked inviting, however, I did not get a chance to try it until my very last day there, when I was already on my way to the airport, but had an extra couple of hours to spare.
I looked at their schedule earlier that morning, which said that they opened around noon. By the time I walked in at 2:30, I was informed that the kitchen was closing in a few minutes, as they were getting ready for their break before opening up again at 7. Darn it! I totally forgot that a lot of restaurants in Paris close between lunch and dinner. However, the guy I spoke with said that as long as I come in now, I can still order and he told me to take my time. There were a few people in the restaurant still, but most were finishing up. They really didn’t have to stay open just for me, but they did it with no problem, and I really appreciated that, given that I really wanted to try their food and also wanted to have a nice meal in lieu of airport food.
For a starter, I ordered Foie Gras, which was delicious, and a really good sized portion. The jam and bread it came with were a great combination. For the main dish, I tried Carbonade de Boeuf, which is just like Boeuf Bourguignon, except for made with beer instead of wine. It was amazing! The beef was really tender and the sauce very flavorful. It came with mashed potatoes, but I only had a few bites as I was getting really full, but the dish that the beef came in almost got licked clean (ahem, but that would be bad manners). I told the waiter that I like fruity reds, and the wine he brought me was really delicious. It was the best table red I’ve had during my whole trip in Paris (I love my California big zins and needless to say, I didn’t love the wine served in Paris, but I also did not know what to order).
Given the fact that I was the only person there by the end of my meal, and I was taking my sweet time, I did not stay for coffee and dessert. The guys were nice enough to stick around for an additional hour for me as it was, without any complaining whatsoever or rushing me. They were super friendly and did their best to speak English with me. I loved the atmosphere of the place and hope to make it back there for a more relaxed meal next time I’m in Paris.