A well-deserved reputation

You could easily pass by l’Ami Jean (basque specialities) without giving it a second look. In a quiet backstreet of the 7th arrondissement, it looks like just another ordinary restaurant; brownish décor, stuffed with tables, packed full of people… But anyone who has done their homework, any ‘gastronaut’, knows that this restaurant is something special.

Firstly, the welcome is not the standard minimum you’ll find in certain other restaurants; you’ll find the staff happy and genuinely friendly.

Secondly, it’s not expensive; 30 euros inclusive for a first course, main course and dessert really isn’t dear for Paris.

Thirdly, the food; inventive and great! Our dishes wowed us both by their presentation and their taste. Hardly surprising that there are at least four chefs in the kitchen…

Chicken egg in Basque herb stew, served chilled with a light tomato jelly

Superior-quality smoked salmon with fresh spring salad

Cooked red mullet, gurnard and small calamari with a spanish green bean salad

The side dishes: homemade mashed potato and a mix of warm vegetables with small bits of ham

Cooked vanilla cream dessert with brown sugar and strawberries in mint jelly

Dry goat’s cheese served with cherry jam

We accompanied our meal with a slightly sparkling Basque wine that the waiters poured from a height, in order to get as much gas out as possible (around 25 euros for a bottle). And the friendliness of the place extended even to our neighbours, had asked us how the food was, and told us to enjoy our evening as we left, kind of like leaving a family mealtime!

This sort of atmosphere isn’t always easy to find in Paris, and quality food at this price is rare too. All in all, the only reason for passing by l’Ami Jean would be because it is always booked up, so don’t forget to call them to reserve!

Perhaps we should ask the bees on the roof of the Eiffel Park Hotel (200 metres away) to come and have a taste? I wonder what sort of strange honey they would produce!

L’Ami Jean
27 rue Malar 75007 Paris.
Tel : +33 1 47 05 86 89
Open from tuesday to saturday

The Basque Country