Gourmet comfort food continues to shape the Paris dining scene but lately, it hasn’t been new burger joints jostling for space between coffee shops and cocktail bars but a different stripe of casual restaurant. From lobster rolls to wild oysters, established chefs and budding tastemakers are cozying up to shellfish. I wrote about six of them for the December issue of Conde Nast Traveller and have included an excerpt below for your Paris food itineraries!
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It’s no easy feat to procure fresh lobster from Brittany year-round but that’s just what they do at the matchbox-size Lobster Bar, the city’s first outpost for New England-inspired lobster rolls.
Chic Montmartre bistro Jeanne B earns high marks for its Lobster Croque, an inventive rendition of the French lunchtime classic combining finely chopped Canadian lobster, thin slices of toasted brioche and a delicious Mornay sauce.
At Frenchie-to-Go, the Anglo-inspired deli from renowned chef Gregory Marchand, the lobster roll is king and comes with a beurre blanc sauce, sprinkled with celery leaves and served with crisp fries. It washes down beautifully with the house ginger beer.
It’s not only the first-rate cocktails and micro-brewery beers on tap that draw crowds at Le Mary Celeste in the Marais but the rotating selection of wild oysters to go with them at happy hour, New Orleans style. (1€ per oyster during Happy Hour, 5-7pm; otherwise 2-5€ each).
The trio behind the Experimental Cocktail Club adds another hot spot to their empire with Fish Club, a cocktail bar-cum-restaurant offering an impressive spread of rare oysters, crab cakes and ceviche in yet another space designed by Dorothée Meilichzon.
Michelin-starred chef Michel Rostang’s Oyster Bar is home to some of the city’s best but his lobster club sandwich with shellfish mayonnaise and wasabi fish eggs is worth a special visit.
Download the December issue of Conde Nast Traveller HERE (individual issues available!)
