Lunch in Paris

A few days a go I was lucky enough to be invited to a work lunch in Paris and better still, as my reputation as a ‘foodie’ is well known, I was also tasked to find a suitable restaurant. The only slight complication?.....my two dining companions were vegetarian (although would consider white fish) and watching their weight. This required some thought. It’s been a while since I’ve been to Paris and my notes from previous visits were a little out-of-date. However a quick search on the internet revealed a number of suggestions in areas of Paris I was at least a little familiar with and after a very early start on Eurostar I led my two colleagues along the Rive Gauche towards Rue Saint Dominique and Café Constant. When we found the bistro, it was heaving, with a group of eager customers clutching menus waiting at the zinc-topped bar. There was hardly room to breathe. As we were about to turn around, the young girl behind the bar cheerfully called to us in English (were we that obvious?) and asked us to return in 20 minutes and she would have a table for us, just time for the short stroll to the Eiffel Tower and a few obligatory photos. On our return we were ushered up a winding stair case to the equally packed second floor and squeezed into a tiny window seat. We chose from the fixed price menu (there was also a blackboard inscribed with the daily specials and a slightly more elaborate a la carte). We all chose a flaked crab and Ratte potato salad to start, a perfectly pretty Spring plate dressed in herbs and pea shoots. I hovered over whether I could get away with the Aquitaine steak (served very rare) before deciding that I couldn’t inflict such a carnivorous spectacle on my companions and chose the poached cod with steamed vegetables and aioli.

The cod, served on top of artfully arranged broccoli, beetroot, carrots and new potatoes and anointed in a little basil oil was cooked to perfection, moist and flavourful. The mayonnaise arrived in a separate earthenware bowl and was garlicky enough to guarantee me a seat to myself on the return journey. My companions chose another portion of the cod and a grilled seabass served with vegetable fritters which although tasty lacked a little of the appeal of my dish.

After our second bottle of Chablis two of us opted for dessert. Keeping with the French bistro theme I ordered the ile flottante, a peaked snowy island afloat in creamy sea of crème anglaise drizzled with a salty caramel sauce. My colleague chose a dish of spiced prunes in red wine, which were devoured instantaneously. We were watched in our gluttony by our rather more restrained friend who declined the extra calories but joined us in a coffee to finish the meal. A perfect French lunch, with impeccable polite service, which, given how packed the restaurant was, is not to be under estimated. We strolled back along the Seine, slightly tipsy and reeking of garlic, through the Jardin des Tuileries and back to the Gare du Nord. Café Constant, very, very recommended!

By sheer coincidence I have been reading ‘Lunch in Paris’ by Elizabeth Bard, a true story of how she (a New Yorker) met her French husband and settled in Paris. It’s a lovely book, full of insight into the issues caused by cultural differences and of how food crosses all cultural boundaries to bring people together. Best of all, it’s interspersed with recipes that you will want to try after reading her tales of family lunches, romantic picnic trysts and market wanderings. If you don't smile a little flirtatiously at the next handsome French man you meet and wonder what delight he'll feed you after an afternoon spent indulging in other pleasures you're a better woman than me! A delight.