Le Flandrin is a superb restaurant placed almost by itself in the middle of the 16th arrondissement on Ave Henri Martin. You might pass it during the day without even realizing what a great place it is. We were lucky enough to visit with our friends Jean Luc and Nancy and decided to go back last night. As we were walking up, the valet (yes…a valet in Paris) was preparing to park a Bentley. This is one of the places the golden people from the 16th come to eat. The restaurant is not flashy, located like Le Gare, in an old train station but the food is excellent and the service impeccable.
As we were walking to the restaurant I took this night picture of the city hall in the 16th Arrondissement. Paris, like many places certainly looks pretty at night, of course this is the city of lights.
This is not really the time of year that the restaurant really shines. It has a large patio that is usually full in the summer months.
The restaurant is medium sized inside, not particularly large but very nice.
They had Bélon oysters on the menu, I had heard of them but never had a chance to taste them. Bélon is a river in southwest Brittany famed for succulent oysters called The European Flat (Ostrea edulis). These days only about 30% of European oysters are Ostrea edulis, the rest are a North American variety. In France the species has an AOC classification – only oysters harvested from the Bélon River in Brittany can be called Bélon oysters (Huîtres de Bélon). These days, the flat oyster is regarded as Brittany’s finest, primarily due to its distinctive nutty taste, which is the result of the salt water and fresh water that pass through the river; the shellfish is celebrated each July in Riec-sur-Bélon with the Fête de l’Huitre. These are not cheap, I had 6 for 40€, there was a couple nearby that ordered 4 dozen, just oysters for dinner.
I had the veal and spagetti, thinking it would come as some sort of Italian dish. Instead, I got this lovely plate of sliced veal with spaghetti and purée of potatoes. This was not just spaghetti from a box, it was freshly made pasta, topped with fresh buerre. It doesn’t sound like much but it was delicious, even Lisa said she had never tasted anything so good. The potatoes were of course done with garlic, I called them puréed because the term mashed potatoes does not do them justice. A true French interpretation of an Italian classic.
Lisa had the Steak au Poivre or Pepper Steak in a pool of pepper sauce. As expected, the meat was soft and delicious. The sauce was peppery and piquant.
For desert we had the trio of pot de cremes and these delicious little cookies. The end result is that this may be that Paris meal you have been thinking about, the setting, the food and the service, all in one place. On a warm summer evening, this place is great. If you are staying or visiting near the Trocadéro/Eiffel Tower, take Henri Martin up for 3 blocks and it will be on your right. This is a much better restaurant than the tourist places at the Trocadéro and while it is not cheap, you will remember the experience. I read the reviews and most people liked the place but thought it was too expensive. For the two of us, the price was about 200€ with a bottle of Sancerre, more expensive than most but not as much as the Michelin starred restaurants.
References:
Mairie 16: http://www.mairie16.paris.fr/mairie16/jsp/site/Portal.jsp
Fête de l’Huitre: http://www.riecsurbelon.fr/La-Fete-de-l-Huitre.html
TripAdvisor: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Restaurant_Review-g187147-d719115-Reviews-Le_Flandrin-Paris_Ile_de_France.html
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